Yesterday, National Catholic Reporter reported that Francis, in his Thursday morning Mass, chastised priests, bishops, and lay Catholics who cause scandal, saying they do not have the "Word of God in their hearts". Today, the news broke that nearly 400 priests either left the priesthood voluntarily or were laicized during 2011 and 2012 under Benedict XVI because of sex abuse against children. One must wonder if Francis' Thursday comments were made knowing full well what Friday's news would bring.
While Francis pretends to conduct a more austere pontificate by riding buses and cooking for himself, Sandro Magister points out that Francis continues to hire expensive multinational companies to provide consulting services in management and financial systems, most recently McKinsey & Company.
Novus Ordo Watch lists the 19 men that Francis will make cardinals and provides commentary on the most ridiculous of them. Mundabor chimes in with his first thoughts on the list here.
