Deep state conspiracy theories on the Vatican

I don't know how to make head nor tails about this, but the remark by the DNC chairman complaining that people listen to what they hear in church sermons made me wonder.

was Benedict XVI's resignation orchestrated by the deep state, including their minions in the Vatican, and the Obama administration, by manipulating the Vatican bank?

You see, the Democrats and their backers fund "catholic" groups to counteract the Catholic right (i.e. Catholic blue dog democrats who changed parties, since a generation ago few Catholics were Republicans).

more links here. I won't summarize them because I know nothing about economics or finance.

FT The scandal of the Vatican Bank (2013).

cut to conspiracy theory: Was Benedict Swifted? (original article in an Italian source HERE)

all of this is, of course, "coast to coast am" territory, and can easily descend into paranoia. But as I noted before: A lot of conspiracy theories are based on facts that are covered up, and then these facts are enlarged into explaining the entire problem (as opposed to being part of the problem that was covered up to protect someone's tush or to manipulate the public to gain power).

the problem? There have been so many doctrinal distortions that a lot of Catholics on the conservative blogosphere are wondering if schism is about to happen. (mainly about sexual sin but also on the essence of the Eucharist, and most recently, did Jesus get the Our Father wrong?)

One problem? the press hates anyone who questions the PC take on Francis. WaPost sees this as extreme right wing politics, although they do, in paragraph 10, note the questioning of "doctrinal ambiguities".

Uh, are they agreeing the Pope is a heretic?

the "catholic" press are smoothly backing the Pope, and the right wing blogosphere is full of ubertrads.

The problem is now things are so bad that Catholic blogs and sites that follow the faith instead of the memes are worrying.

And if you dare to report the controversies on faith and morals, you will have not only the press but the Pope's minions attack you, as EWTN news found out.

Milo, of all people, brings it up again: if you are part of the left wing cabal, all is forgiven.

(as opposed to those of us who support many of the left's issues, but not all of them, and prefer nuances to talking points).

the pope blames "clericalism", the right blames the homosexual lobby. But it comes down to saying "who am I to judge" when they see seeing something terrible done by someone they know and often like, or who is pushing their agenda.

it comes down to the same psychological mechanism that is seen in doctors who protect marginal or incompetent or addicted doctors, or cops protect bad cops who take bribes, drink on the job, or maybe overdo it when they arrest people : When people try to do their best, often against all odds, are attacked, the group tends to protect their own....

and it is worse when the sin is deeply embedded in the culture of the organization, be it bribery in the Philippines or pederasty and homosexual activity in the priesthood.

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update: I haven't listened to the whole thing, but here is one investigative reporter about the subject, from a 2011 talk. He discusses Ratzinger at minute 28.