9 Comments

Also... The money

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Thank you for this. I obviously still don't know enough to have anything so definite as an opinion, but I feel like I at least now have a bit of a handle. I also find that my sympathies have somewhat shifted. Where else can you get this kind of stuff? Worth every penny.

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I wonder if one of the goals of diplomacy is to make things so complicated that the other side has to give up. Just a joke, but it has some truth to it.

Maybe that's why the church has repeatedly chosen a byzantine command structure with certain committees, like the college cardinals, holding a lot more power and intrigue than most committees in our democratic world.

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This was very helpful, thanks Ed

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I am wondering that if the Knights of Malta are primarily a religious order, and they only have 30 professed religious left, and most of them are over 70 years old... is this just a religious order that is dying? And is that okay? Aside from their unique position in international law, and their humanitarian work; if that was the charism of their order, but their order is dying, then they need to focus on religious vocations. Surely, their humanitarian work could continue under other auspices. It seems to me the question at stake here is the heart of this religious order. I think in the podcast, it was mentioned that to join this order, one has to be from royal heritage. Those are the things that probably need to be reformed. I’m sure there are many men willing to make religious profession in such a cool military order if given the chance.

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Two thoughts come to mind:

1) Be careful what you ask for…you might just get it.

2) “We’re from the Vatican and we’re here to help.”

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Ignore what Pope Francis SAYS. Pay close attention to what he DOES.

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Just one important fact the article did not cite - during the Boeselager/Festig battle for control, when Boeselager was caught violating Church teaching and practice, he was waving around a bag of 30 million Swiss Francs, which (curious in the internet age) no one could verify the source of. When Boeselager then appealed to the Vatican for help, the financially corrupt Secretariat of State came to his aid. And, ultimately, the notorious, grasping of this Papacy got rid of Festig and re-installed Boeselager (of the 30 million Swiss Francs). It will be embarassing down through history, to remember the dances this Papacy has done for the mere hint of luchre - Peter'e Pence/ London hotspot; secret China deals; the Papal Fund; Knights of Malta. SIGH.

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