gathering force-- slowly

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Apr 15, 2010

In a typically sensationalized account of the sex-abuse scandal, the London Times breathlessly reports that the Pope has spoken of the need for penance "as calls for his removal gather force." What constitutes this mounting pressure for the Pope's resignation?

First the Times cites a Sunday homily by a priest in Massachusetts, who said that the Pope should resign because he has been dishonest. The outspoken priest, Father James Scahill, did not cite a single example of papal dishonesty.

So we have one priest--one--calling for the Pope's removal. Yes indeedy, the movement is gaining force.

And that's not all. Hans Küng says that the Pope has lost credibility. And Richard McBrien does, too. By golly it's becoming a landslide.

Of course, if you consult the news archives, you'll notice that Küng and McBrien thought that the Pope had lost his credibility last year, too. And the year before and the year before that and the year before that, going back to sometime in the 1970s.

Now if the Times can find two parish priests and three dissident theologians to call for the Pope's resignation… Well at that point the force would be irresistible.