As we noted yesterday, the admirable Charles P. Pierce at Esquire.com had a very intriguing article that makes at least a circumstantial case that the secret meeting between Pope Francis and malingering Bible-thumping bigot Kim "Dim" Davis was the result of a plan among Pope Francis' right-wing opponents in the Vatican to undermine the impact of the progressive elements of his agenda. Among the usual suspects is the papal nuncio in Washington, Archbishop Carlo Vigano, who, as "coincidence" would have it, knows Dim's lawyer Mat Staver via some partisan "religious freedom" agitating. Vigano is a loyalist of Pope "Emeritus" Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) and a member in good standing of the conservative bloc that's very unhappy with Pope Francis' positions on income inequality, climate change and other issues. The key question is whether the Pope understood the significance of Dim's illegal actions and her role in the partisan culture war, and nonetheless went ahead and briefly met with her, or whether he was misinformed and set up.* (An adulterous, serial bride, Dim also took a solemn oath to perform the duties of her office; does the Church take issue with that? Of course not.)
Add to the mix the Dim-friendly offices of ABC News, right-wing Catholic publications which are attempting to subvert progressive Catholic social doctrine, and a good-sized group of reactionary Cardinals aligned with Ratzinger who rue the election of this Pope, and you have a well-executed sabotage of an image of the Pope as a breath of fresh air. In any event, that's the scenario that Pierce skillfully sketches. A must read.
*UPDATE: Vatican sources are now saying the Pope was "blindsided" by Dim and her entourage. Recalling Vigano would be a concrete sign that was true.
UPDATE II: Reports are that the Vatican may be intending to "retire" Vigano in January.
(photo: J. Ratzinger, left, and Vigano in happier times)
