Scandal strikes at ancient Order of Malta over ex-chancellor

[mrdrifter]

It was already in the media and people were dropping their affiliation with the Order of Malta because of the forced resignation. This is an attempt to mend the wound. The Holy Father isn’t looking for a public report though from what I can tell. “The pope named a top Jesuit church lawyer, the Vatican’s former U.N. ambassador to Geneva and several senior Order of Malta members to “quickly inform the Holy See” about the scandal. … The scandal appears to have deeply divided the knights, who trace their history to the 11th century with the establishment of an infirmary in Jerusalem that cared for people of all faiths making pilgrimages to the Holy Land.”

The end result could be the upholding of the forced resignation.

The investigation is already a dead letter, isn’t it?
orderofmalta.int/2016/12/23/statement-of-the-grand-magistry/

 

[gilliam]

The investigation is already a dead letter, isn’t it?
orderofmalta.int/2016/12/23/statement-of-the-grand-magistry/

No, I don’t think so. The final say on what happens is still with the Holy Father. He may say that it is indeed an internal matter of the Order, or he may have the Vatican issue a directive. Or he may privately rebuke the Vatican representative to the Order for not representing the Vatican properly or he may do something else. There are a number of things that may still happen. We may or may not see the results in the press, especially if it is done privately and kept under wraps.

Correction to my post earlier: the forced ouster was of the Grand Chancellor not Grand Master.

 

[commenter]

No, I don’t think so. The final say on what happens is still with the Holy Father. He may say that it is indeed an internal matter of the Order, or he may have the Vatican issue a directive. Or he may privately rebuke the Vatican representative to the Order for not representing the Vatican properly or he may do something else. There are a number of things that may still happen. We may or may not see the results in the press, especially if it is done privately and kept under wraps.

How would the firing not be an “internal matter”? Wouldn’t the Order itself know that?

How is it beneficial for the Vatican to process the investigation publicly before they know if there is anything to investigate? The firing itself was made public by the Order, as appropriate. Recourse to canon law procedures is also there, if the ousted man chose that route, but it would be confidential.

But there are 2 Vatican decisions: one, a decision to hold an investigation; and two, a decision to make this investigation public even before it begins. It is hard to see who benefits from making it public (thus, the word “scandal”). Whether or now the target is Cardinal Burke, the impression **created **in the Media Court is that it is. If the investigation finds nothing wrong, most people who heard about the Investigation Scandal won’t hear about the fact that nothing was found. All that will linger is the word Scandal, something that needed to be **publicly investigated. **

Remember while this is going on, there is a “Friend of the pope” (new position created by the Media) popping up in the media every week, always with hints, never direct statements. There are also comments from the Vatican about ominous forces of resistance in the hierarchy (we won’t mention any names).

All of this creates a climate of suspicion.

 

[gilliam]

If people are telling the Order that the Vatican would take properties away (or take other actions) unless someone resigns or is made to resign, especially when the Vatican’s representative to the Order is present, it becomes the business of the Vatican.

 

[robertmidwest]

a nice chap from Missouri

Thank you!

How do you know I am nice though?

I am not from St. Louis. Burke was never my bishop.

 

[commenter]

If people are telling the Order that the Vatican would take properties away (or take other actions) unless someone resigns or is made to resign, especially when the Vatican’s representative to the Order is present, it becomes the business of the Vatican.

…and, in 2016, apparently the Vatican makes it the business of the media. Why?
Why is so much done in the context of hint, innuendo, indirect reference, and so on - always through the media, the most hostile environment possible for Christians?

“…if people are telling the Order that…”
Since the Vatican was sitting there at the table, wouldn’t you ask the cardinal, rather than the anonymous(?) source? Before the press release?

Since the Vatican has an awful lot of representatives at other places, I bet many of them are wondering who will be next. If it happens to them, they will read it in the media first.

 

[mrdrifter]

Thank you!

How do you know I am nice though?

Just a lucky guess.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

If the person who got fired feels there are grounds for a grievance, he has the option of going through the Code of Canon Law. Ideally that would be confidential.

In this, and in other recent matters, it seems there is almost a circus atmosphere. I half expect a “friend of the pope” to hint at things through a media blitz, maybe something about the climate of rigidity in the hierarchy.

It is hardly a matter of being “fired” when one is speaking at this level.

In any event, the Code of Canon Law gave the Grand Chancellor the prerogative of direct appeal to the Vicar of Christ…and the Pope has deigned to accede to that appeal and has established a commission to scrutinize the actions. I think the Pope’s action is to be welcomed and his choices for commission members are excellent.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

…and, in 2016, apparently the Vatican makes it the business of the media. Why?
Why is so much done in the context of hint, innuendo, indirect reference, and so on - always through the media, the most hostile environment possible for Christians?

“…if people are telling the Order that…”
Since the Vatican was sitting there at the table, wouldn’t you ask the cardinal, rather than the anonymous(?) source? Before the press release?

Since the Vatican has an awful lot of representatives at other places, I bet many of them are wondering who will be next. If it happens to them, they will read it in the media first.

“Vatican makes it the business of the media?” That is not how press briefings work.

I don’t see this at all through the lenses that you seem to be looking through.

In fact, it is actually quite the opposite, given the operation of the press…press both internal and external.

 

[robertmidwest]

Just a lucky guess.

I guess you had a 50/50 chance.

 

[mrdrifter]

I think the Pope’s action is to be welcomed and his choices for commission members are excellent.

The Sovereign Order of Malta disagrees with you.

 

[gilliam]

The Sovereign Order of Malta disagrees with you.

The Order of Malta is still subservient to the Holy Father.

 

[mrdrifter]

The Order of Malta is still subservient to the Holy Father.

Indeed. And here is how the Sovereign Order of Malta expresses their subservience:

Statement of the Grand Magistry - Rome, 23/12/2016

The Grand Magistry of the Sovereign Order of Malta has learnt of the decision made by the Holy See to appoint a group of five persons to shed light on the replacement of the former Grand Chancellor.

The replacement of the former Grand Chancellor is an act of internal governmental administration of the Sovereign Order of Malta and consequently falls solely within its competence. The aforementioned appointment is the result of a misunderstanding by the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.

The Grand Master respectfully clarified the situation yesterday evening in a letter to the Supreme Pontiff, laying out the reasons why the suggestions made by the Secretariat of State were unacceptable.

He assured the Holy Father of his filial devotion and asked the Pontiff for the Apostolic Blessing, both for him and for the Sovereign Order of Malta, its 13,500 members and its 100,000 staff and volunteers who continue to provide a permanent and efficient hospitaller presence in more than 120 countries in the world according to the centuries-old charism of the Order of Malta. (emphasis added)

Now, don’t you suppose this statement was agreed to by the Holy See? Or do you imagine the Sovereign Order of Malta recklessly entered into a public dispute with the Vatican’s Secretariat of State?

 

[robertmidwest]

Indeed. And here is how the Sovereign Order of Malta expresses their subservience:

Now, don’t you suppose this statement was agreed to by the Holy See? Or do you imagine the Sovereign Order of Malta recklessly entered into a public dispute with the Vatican’s Secretariat of State?

Since we have not seen anything from the Vatican that they have come to an agreement or that the Vatican has pulled back their investigation I would assume they are acting in defiance.

The statement gives the Grand Chancellors line of reasoning. It doesn’t say anywhere that they have mutually come to this conclusion.

Based on these two things I think it looks like nothing has changed.

 

[robertmidwest]

thetablet.co.uk/news/6545/0/the-dubia-facing-cardinal-burke-over-order-of-malta-saga

Cardinal Burke under scrutiny over the role he played in the sacking of senior figure in Order of Malta

The “dubia” facing Cardinal Burke over Order of Malta saga
He’s the arch-conservative cardinal demanding Pope Francis answer his questions on whether divorced and remarried Catholics can receive communion.

But Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who has threatened to formally correct the Pope unless his “dubia” receive a response, is now facing some scrutiny of his own…

 

[gilliam]

thetablet.co.uk/news/6545/0/the-dubia-facing-cardinal-burke-over-order-of-malta-saga

Cardinal Burke under scrutiny over the role he played in the sacking of senior figure in Order of Malta

The “dubia” facing Cardinal Burke over Order of Malta saga
He’s the arch-conservative cardinal demanding Pope Francis answer his questions on whether divorced and remarried Catholics can receive communion.

But Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, who has threatened to formally correct the Pope unless his “dubia” receive a response, is now facing some scrutiny of his own…

This article if full of speculation without any referring to any evidence. I wouldn’t rely on it. This isn’t the first time the Tablet printed something that may not be accurate.

 

[mrdrifter]

Religión Digital has a story dated Dec 28 describing the “private meeting” in Munich on Dec 22 attended by Albrecht von Boeselager and other members of the Sovereign Order of Malta. (Original) (Google translate) (h/t: Church Militant) Most of the details are stale, given how quickly this story has moved. However, there is a paragraph that strongly suggests the Sovereign Order of Malta remains at odds with the Holy See regarding how to proceed with the investigation.

La puesta en marcha de la comisión de investigación de la Santa Sede se produce pese a la oposición a la misma expresada por Festing en un comunicado oficial del 24 de diciembre. El Gran Maestre ya había expresado su rechazo varios días antes, es decir, con suficiente antelación como para parar la investigación, si se considerara que sus protestas estaban fundadas. [Cameron Doody / Hendro Munsterman, December 28, 2016 - Religión Digital]

In other words, the Grand Master (Fra’ Matthew Festing) conveyed to the Holy See his rejection of the proposed commission of inquiry prior to its formation. Hence, the subsequent Statement of the Grand Magistry on Dec 23 seems more like “defiance”, as robertmidwest put it, than an agreed settlement of the issue.

 

[Seamus_L]

Now someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but as I understand it so far, it appears that the claims about Grand Master Matthew Festing and Cardinal Burke saying that they had the Pope’s full support in removing Albrecht Von Boelselager from office, come from Von Boeselager and two anonymous sources allegedly within the Order, cited by reporter Nicole Winfield of the Associated Press. Is that the evidence ?

 

[mrdrifter]

Religión Digital has a story dated Dec 28 describing the “private meeting” in Munich on Dec 22 attended by Albrecht von Boeselager and other members of the Sovereign Order of Malta. (Original) (Google translate) Most of the details are stale, given how quickly this story has moved. However, there is a paragraph that strongly suggests the Sovereign Order of Malta remains at odds with the Holy See regarding how to proceed with the investigation.

La puesta en marcha de la comisión de investigación de la Santa Sede se produce pese a la oposición a la misma expresada por Festing en un comunicado oficial del 24 de diciembre. El Gran Maestre ya había expresado su rechazo varios días antes, es decir, con suficiente antelación como para parar la investigación, si se considerara que sus protestas estaban fundadas. [Cameron Doody / Hendro Munsterman, December 28, 2016 - Religión Digital]

In other words, the Grand Master (Fra’ Matthew Festing) conveyed to the Holy See his rejection of the proposed commission of inquiry prior to its formation. Hence, the subsequent Statement of the Grand Magistry on Dec 23 seems more like “defiance”, as robertmidwest put it, than an agreed settlement of the issue.

 

[gilliam]

The Grand Master is invoking the order’s soverinity and saying that it is an internal affair and the Vatican has no grounds to investigate the decision. However the relationship the Order has with the Vatican is a bit more complicated than that.

In its statement, the Knights of Malta said the pope’s decision to appoint a commission to investigate von Boeselager’s replacement was a result of a misunderstanding with the Vatican’s secretariat of state.

The Order of Malta has many trappings of a sovereign state, issuing its own stamps, passports and license plates and holding diplomatic relations with 106 states, the Holy See included.

The Holy See, however, has a unique relationship with the order since the pope appoints a cardinal to “promote the spiritual interests” of the order and its relationship with the Vatican.

Francis appointed Burke to that position in 2014.

Kurt Martens, professor of canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, says the pope’s investigation was complicated, given the sovereign nature of both the order and the Holy See under international law.

“The way it has been perceived, it’s as if they’re looking into the order, and that’s why there is the backlash from the order,” he said in a phone interview.

altoonamirror.com/uncategorized/2016/12/knights-of-malta-to-francis-stay-out-of-our-internal-affairs/