Thread by @inesanma

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar Hi Austen! Thank you for looping me in. As you know, I don't usually engage on Twitter, but to every rule there's an exception. Goes without saying the opinions/analysis I'm about to express are my own, and don't replace what I've reported on the case thus far, which is extensive

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar I know this is not Twitter’s usual protocol, but please, take the thread as a whole, not each tweet individually.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar I concede that PF might have acted out of a sense of charity in bringing Z to Rome while the allegations were investigated. However, there’s ample evidence showing that the allegations of misconduct were parked in a drawer, with him choosing to believe his friend.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar The original allegations did not involve minors, just an extremely inappropriate behavior for a Catholic bishop. However, it’s long been clear, and since more recently ruled upon, that “vulnerable adults” is a very broad category, and must include young seminarians.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar Particularly if those seminarians see the priesthood both as a vocation and as a way out from a complicated personal/family situation, or even poverty. When the allegations “escalated” Francis again trusted his friend, and only eventually sent him to Spain.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar In Spain, Z met with the same Jesuit who assessed Bishop Juan Barros, of Osorno, one of the four Chilean bishops who were mentored by Karadima and who have long been accused by Karadima’s survivors of covering up for Chile’s most infamous abusive priest.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar The Jesuit priest has never spoken, and all my attempts have gone unanswered, but too many sources have confirmed this, including tangentially the pope himself, when he told Valentina Alazraqui that he’d sent Zanchetta for treatment in Spain.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar I do believe, and this is my opinion, obviously, that the pope took too long to act in the case because he trusted a friend. He’s not the first, and unfortunately, won’t be the last. We’ve all trusted a person and then realized we shouldn’t have.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar However, even when it became clear that there was enough for him to ask the CDF/Bishops to investigate, I do believe F dragged his feet. I understand the concept of innocent until proven guilty must prevail, and that in the Vatican he has no children to harm.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar The fact that at least until very recently, Zanchetta was still working for APSA, despite having been “suspended,” thought technically, asked not to go to the office, is something I find appalling.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar Alas, the concept of “nails come out from the top” needs to stop, particularly if F wants a Curia that carries out his anticipated reform, that includes not only structure but also hearts.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar If the Vatican continues as a “parking” spot for all those who should not have been ordained, then there’s little hope for the scandals coming out from Rome to ever end.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar There are incredibly well-trained lay people and religious who can work in Rome, free priests to be priests. Yet too many priests were sent to Rome for the wrong reasons.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar Last but not least, there have also been allegations of Z misusing funds. So even if F was being charitable with a friend, giving him an ad-hoc position in the Vatican’s wallet was not his best move.

@austeni @ilintar @mfjlewis @rightscholar Again, we’ve all misplaced our trust. Problem is, the higher your position in the world, the harder it is to find people who deserve that trust, and the more dangerous it becomes wen you happen to trust the wrong people.

The end, and apologies for the 1000s of alerts :)