Pope Francis said on Monday that there's no better response than to offer prayer those who seek "scandal and division," as the Catholic Church is yet again shaken by accusations fired by ultra-conservative members of the sect.
The pontiff remained mum in the midst of allegations accusing the Papal office of covering up for the sexual abuse and misdemeanors of a prominent US cardinal, according to ABS-CBN.
In a statement made during the Mass at Vatican's Sanctae Marthae and cited over the Catholic news agency, Crux, the pontiff made it clear that he could only offer prayer and divine intercession for those who don't bear "goodwill" to his fellowmen, nor for those who thrive on scandal while seeking "division" and "destruction" in the community and even within the family.
In the same message, the Jesuit priest also asked for discernment for the right time to speak and remain silent.
These comments from the pope came after the recent string of accusations set by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano in his 11-page document detailing Pope Francis' deliberate disregard of the sanctions imposed by former Pope Benedict XVI on the now-resigned Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
As specified in a previous report from this site, McCarrick allegedly committed "immoral behavior" on some members of the clergy.
Pope Francis purportedly lifted the sanctions of his predecessor and "continued to cover" for the accused.
The document, which was later published on the National Catholic Register, went on to claim that despite Pope Francis' first-hand knowledge of the issue, he continued to ignore it and even appointed the former cardinal as one of his confidants.
Fresh Attacks
Just this weekend, Vigano laid yet another slate of attacks against the Papacy saying that the pope covered up for McCarrick for several years which gave the ex-Vatican member more opportunities to claim other victims for his crime, a report from Life Site News said.
The 81-year-old sovereign of the Vatican City State is known for holding progressive views which come in contrast against the Catholic conservatives like Vigano.
Francis, who is the first from the Americas to assume the Papal seat, has recently established the death penalty as an "inadmissible" form of punishment based on the teachings of the Church.
The new Catholic policy, according to this report, now considers capital punishment as an action wholly unacceptable and further banned its use within its dominion.
