Blame the messenger: in this case Cardinal Burke
A bizarre conspiracy theory has arisen, suggesting that the mounting tensions within the Church are the result of a right-wing conspiracy against an innocent Pope. The theory involves inaccurate characterizations of three people: in one case absurd, in another case delusional, and in the third case vicious. The first error lies in the idea that Steve Bannon, White House strategist in the Trump administration, has expanded his political sights to include a campaign against the Pope. As I explained earlier this week, this idea is based entirely on a meeting between Bannon and Cardinal Raymond Burke that occurred nearly three years ago—long before anyone (including Bannon, I suspect), had dreamt of a Trump presidential campaign, let alone a job for…Continue Reading