The fact that this is your takeaway explains a lot about some of your takes. Yes, I'm not stupid. I know what the article is about. I also know enough about interviewing, context, and framing to recognize when a viewpoint is being reflected in the way in which a story is presented.
There would have been no article attempting to dismiss the accusers if this had been Pope Benedict, whom the press hated. They would have framed this as a bold minority standing up to the internal forces attempting to silence victims. None of that here. It's all about those nasty conservatives trying to exploit the situation for their own ends.
I'm sure you noticed that the first thing this article discusses in terms of the impact of this conflict has nothing to do with the accusation that the sitting pope covered up allegations and attempted to restore a child molester to power. It's not even until graph 6 that the accusations are actually mentioned - and even then we aren't even told what they are, except that they are unsubstantiated!!! Are you kidding me? This article basically attempts to argue that Francis said "be nice to gay people" and conservative people said "that's it, I want him gone."
"Since the start of his papacy, Francis has infuriated Catholic traditionalists as he tries to nurture a more welcoming church and shift it away from culture war issues, whether abortion or homosexuality. “Who am I to judge?” the pope famously said, when asked about gay priests.
Just how angry his political and doctrinal enemies are became clear this weekend, when a caustic letter published by the Vatican’s former top diplomat in the United States blamed a “homosexual current” in the Vatican hierarchy for sexual abuse. It called for Francis’ resignation, accusing him of covering up for a disgraced cardinal, Theodore E. McCarrick."
Notice - all he's doing is covering up for a "disgraced cardinal." And from the context, we can see that the issue must be that he was gay, because that's the context in which this is being framed.
Not a single word about how all of this comes in the context of child molestation issues within the church. Not. One. Word. And no mention of the fact that "having sex with parishioners" would be unacceptable and grounds for dismissal regardless of whether he were gay or straight. It's allllll a gay witch hunt. Nothing else.
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Last edited: Aug 29, 2018