Some Cardinals Want Pope Francis to Step Down
A group of cardinals who supported Pope Francis now want him to resign for fear that his controversial reforms may cause a schism in the Church. This may prove to be the biggest threat on the sitting pontiff from within the organization.
The report is considered valid, having been first reported by prominent Catholic journalist and Vatican expert Antonio Socci for the Italian newspaper Liberio. His report was quoted as saying that about a dozen of the cardinals who voted for Pope Francis are convincing him to retire.
The cardinals fear of an impending schism that could be "more disastrous" than the Reformation. "Four years after Benedict XVI's renunciation and Bergoglio's arrival on the scene, the situation of the Catholic church has become explosive, perhaps really on the edge of a schism, which could be even more disastrous than Luther's," Socci wrote.
He cited Pope Francis' loose polices on sexual morality, communion for remarried Catholics, and forging friendly relations with other religions that have caused concern not only for traditionalists but for progressives as well. "The cardinals are worried that the church could be shattered as an institution," the report said.
On Wednesday, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors resigned. Irish-born Marie Collins, who suffered sexual abuse herself, quit after serving for three years in the commission and advising Pope Francis on child protection. She cited the Vatican's "shameful" resistance to fighting clerical abuse, the Telegraph reported,
Socci also reported that the same curia faction that expressed impatience over Pope Benedict XVI's rule is the same group that supported Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become Pope Francis four years ago. Now they want him to retire and be replaced by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state.
