Quick Hits: reading the Pope’s intentions; censored PP video; packing College of Cardinals

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | May 26, 2017 | In Quick Hits

• At Crux, John Allen has a profile of Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, the new president of the Italian bishops’ conference. That’s interesting enough in itself, but Allen adds a good deal of spice by explaining how, on his visit to Genoa this weekend, Pope Francis “may accent the impression in some quarters that Francis is trying to ‘roll back’ the legacy of his predecessors.” Look for the clue near the end of Allen’s column; it makes sense.


• Despite a gag order, David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progess have released a new video of Planned Parenthood partners callously discussing their grisly business of selling fetal body parts. When Live Action posted the video online, YouTube took it down, citing a violation of its policies. Although no graphic images are included, the video certainly does contain some graphic, revolting language. It’s in bad taste, apparently, to describe what Planned Parenthood does. The people who dismember unborn babies for profit are respectable; those who describe the butchery are the ones who violate community standards.


• Only rarely do I agree with Father Thomas Reese, but his column for the National Catholic Reporter, on how Pope Francis is packing the College of Cardinals, is both informative (with lots of background about the College) and sensible. The Pope is promoting prelates who share his outlook, rather than representatives of the largest archdioceses in the universal Church. Father Reese shares the Pope’s outlook, but has reservations about the prudence of this approach:

  Progressive Catholics are undoubtedly cheering the pope on as he chooses new cardinals, while conservatives are gnashing their teeth. I must remind my progressive friends that every change has unintended consequences. If by chance, a conservative pope regained the papacy, he could do the same things Francis is doing now.