Pope Francis's homily today is rather thought-provoking. Certainly, it pricked my own conscience with regard to my treatment or rather lack of love for the poor and the elderly. I just cannot reconcile the message with the reality. There is a complete disconnect between the message of Pope Francis today and the treatment of the Franciscans of the Immaculate. 'Martyrs of...ecclesiastical corruption'....for Heaven's sake...that's a perfect description of the plight of the Immaculate sons and daughters! How eerie that His Holiness should mention St Stephen. The founder of the FFI, who lives apparently now more or less in seclusion under very strict rules imposed from above is called Fr Stefano Manelli. From time to time, we suffer our own glaring moral blindspots, but we are not all preaching in the emphatic manner of Pope Francis on brotherhood, charity, mercy, fraternity. The themes that His Holiness has chosen that mark his pontificate are laudable, but there is a real difficulty in reconciling the warfare on the FFI with these themes. Why single this group out for special and severe attention and then, when alerted to the possible charge of hypocrisy, do nothing to ease their burden?
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