The Economist explains

The woes of Pope Francis

The resignations of two members of his communications team capped a gloomy 2018 for the pontiff

By J.H. | ROME

ON DECEMBER 31ST Pope Francis’s spokesman, Greg Burke, announced that he and his deputy, Paloma García Ovejero, had both resigned. It was the latest in a string of upheavals and mishaps in the Vatican’s PR operations at a time when Francis’s increasingly embattled papacy needs to get its messages across in an effective manner. Next month bishops from around the world are to assemble in Rome for a crucial summit on the clerical sex-abuse crisis which is tearing at the Catholic church and alienating many believers.

As Lady Bracknell would doubtless comment, to lose one spokesperson may be regarded as a misfortune, but to lose both looks like carelessness. By slipping out the news on the last day of the year, Mr Burke and Ms García Ovejero tried to minimise the effect of their resignations, but their departures were nevertheless embarrassing for Francis. He was already under fire from three directions. Many Catholics question whether their leader understands the degree of public outrage over clerical sex abuse, and particularly over the efforts of some high-ranking prelates to protect predatory priests. Traditionalists abhor his doctrinal flexibility. And there is hostility in parts of the Vatican to the pope’s plans for a shake-up of the central administration of the Catholic church, which could involve moving some operations away from Rome. In part, the opposition is down to bureaucratic inertia and the safeguarding by Vatican bigwigs of their powers and privileges. But some officials appear to have legitimate grouses over a lack of consultation and information.

The resignations of Mr Burke and Ms García Ovejero can be seen in the context of changes already introduced in their bailiwick. Vatican insiders say the two were prompted to leave by a disagreement over whether the papal spokesman should have direct, informal access to the pontiff or have to go through a new “super ministry” responsible for the Holy See’s media activities. If their departures mean the Vatican becomes less responsive, that could foreshadow more serious problems for Francis on the other fronts. Last November the Vatican drew appalled criticism for stopping America’s bishops from voting on measures designed to make them more accountable for their handling of sex-abuse claims. Yet it was not until January 1st that the Holy See’s explanation came out—and not from the Vatican, but in a letter leaked to the Associated Press. It explained that the bishops’ legally sensitive proposals had only reached the Vatican four days before the meeting began, giving it insufficient time to consider them properly.

That said, no amount of improvement in the media machinery can save the pope from himself. A native of Argentina, the homeland of Peronism, Francis has more than a touch of the populist about him. And while he disagrees with the likes of Donald Trump on almost everything, he shares the American president’s fondness for extemporising. One of the most damaging blunders last year occurred after the pope admitted he had been wrong to defend a Chilean bishop accused of covering up for a predatory cleric. But then, speaking off the cuff to reporters on the flight back from South America he abruptly shifted his position again, saying the bishop had been slandered. The central aim of the overhaul of the Vatican’s media apparatus is to ensure it speaks with a consistent voice. Among the many challenges facing the next papal spokesperson will be to ensure the pope does so too.

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