Veteran Journalist, John Allen, on Antonio Socci
In a Feb. 12 piece in the Italian paper Libero, Antonio Socci floated the question of whether Benedict’s resignation was actually valid under church law — hinting that in the eyes of God, anyway, Benedict may still be the pope…
Socci, to be clear, I [not] a crackpot. On the contrary, [he is] a veteran voice in Catholic affairs who speak[s] for important constituencies in the church. Socci is associated with the powerful lay movement Communion and Liberation, probably the most important grouping of more conservative-minded Catholics in Italy. He’s worked for the state television network RAI, and is the author of best-selling books on topics such as John Paul II, the Capuchin stigmatic Padre Pio, and the reputed revelations of the Virgin Mary at Fatima. Socci…would be considered fairly far to the right, perhaps, but definitely not the lunatic fringe. The fact that [he is] voicing misgivings about the new pope indicates that despite Francis’ astronomic approval levels, he may have some work to do in bringing along the stragglers in his own flock. Socci’s piece is especially interesting for its attempt to resurrect Benedict XVI as a rallying point for the discontented. Church law requires that for a papal resignation to be valid, it must be "made freely." Socci speculates that Vatican mandarins may have twisted the pope’s arm to step aside in the wake of the spectacular leaks scandal of 2012, meaning that it may not have been a truly free act. Socci also asks if Benedict may have resigned only in "exterior" fashion, meaning that in his heart he still regards himself as the pontiff.
For sure, Benedict XVI has done nothing to stoke such a reaction. On the contrary, he’s kept himself out of the spotlight while privately signaling his affection and support for Francis.
Nonetheless, the Socci essay points to a plausible trajectory if right-wing backlash to Francis continues to mount. The church could end up with a majority of "Francis Catholics" and an influential minority of "Benedict Catholics." That may not quite add up to a schism, but it’s still something to think about.
Excerpt take from www.bostonglobe.com/news/ world/2014/02/15/legionaries-are-pope-francisproblem- now/FRRvSKzl7ntrg14NmDUVJJ/story.html
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Antonio Socci