The ‘Fake news’ brings Vatican in embarrassment

A cover up according to some, clumsy communication according to others. ‘Lettergate’ stirs tempers in the Vatican.

The head of the communication department of the Vatican, monsignor Dario Vigano, proposed last week a series of booklets with reflections of 11 observers to the theology of pope Francis. …

The head of the communication department of the Vatican, monsignor Dario Vigano, proposed last week a series of booklets with reflections of 11 observers to the theology of pope Francis. On that occasion, las Vigano also a letter of pope emeritus Benedict. In that letter, rejected the 90-year-old predecessor of the current pope, the criticism that pope Francis the church could inflict with his progressive theology. Benedict also spoke of the suggestions from conservative corner against Francis academic are not educated enough. He praised his successor as a man with a solid philosophical and theological formation, and observed – ‘in spite of all the differences in style and temperament’ – a degree of continuity between their respective pontificaten.

On that occasion, gave the journalists present a press release with the necessary texts, but it was a paragraph from the letter of Benedict omitted, as appeared afterwards. A section in which Benedict have been apologies offered for the fact that he the time had to be the eleven contributions, all carefully read, and is therefore not a ” solid theological introduction’ had been able to write for the collection. On a photo of the letter that was distributed, was also a part of that text is unreadable.

Part of a larger conspiracy

According to the Vatican, we don’t have too much behind and that happened to lay emphasis on the rest of the text, where it finally all turned. They wanted the confidentiality, respect, censorship was not the case.

But the conservative critics of the pope to see to the cutting of the text and the editing of the picture – the term ‘fake news’ shows – as a part of a larger conspiracy to the former pope to censor. Many conservatives see Benedict, who in 2013, rest it was, still as a dam against the progressive forces within the Vatican. Francis gets from them, then again the accusation that he, for example, too mild for divorced catholics and homosexuals. Also the news agency Associate Press, that the photo of the letter spread, let in a communication to mean that the missing piece of the meaning of the quotes that the Vatican wanted to emphasize – and by a lot of media were picked up – in a different light areas.

This week, the Vatican still in tack and the full text released to ‘all doubt’. Whether that will succeed, it is still the question, for out of the full text shows that Benedict also some concerns about one of the authors: he is ‘surprised’ that the German theologian, Peter Hünermann, that during his pontificate quite critical towards the pope, was working on the issue.

(Sources: Reuters, AP, National Catholic Register, BBC)