As Pope faces critical meeting on sexual abuse, two top advisers quit
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The pope’s lengthy and gushing letter reaffirmed for many critics the notion that Francis fundamentally did not understand the damage the sexual abuse scandal posed to the church.
Critics and supporters of Francis say that the pope’s grave missteps in responding to sex abuse have risked eroding his moral authority and, as a result, his political capital on issues dear to him, such as defending migrants and the environment.
The 2013 election of Pope Francis was for Burke and the Vatican press shop manna from heaven. For years, it seemed Francis could do no wrong. His folksy candour and occasional bombshells —”Who am I to judge” he once said when asked about gay priests — all helped cement his status as radical reformer and great communicator.
In 2015, Burke became the Vatican’s deputy spokesman, and in 2016 he became the face of the Vatican. The ascent of an American with deep experience in global media, and then the hiring as his deputy of García, from Spanish broadcaster Cadena Cope, seemed consistent with the pope’s efforts to de-Italianize the Roman bureaucracy that runs the church and better reflect its universal character.
While still far short of transparent, Burke and his team added briefings, sought to depend less on stilted prepared speeches and brought in associates who could talk to reporters in their own languages. Burke himself learned Spanish and sought to use modern technology to de-emphasise the necessity for reporters to be in the Vatican press office, a seemingly trivial innovation that democratised information and took some power away from the gossipy, and largely Italian, press corps.
Article source: http://smh.com.au/queensland/brisbanes-2-million-koala-research-facility-gets-2018-opening-date-20161206-gt50wa.html
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