Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been, and still is, known to harshly rebuke those who come to the defense of traditional mores and sound Catholic Doctrine. Among the accusations waged against this insolent “conservative” bunch, is that of Phariseeism. According to the Argentinian-in-residence at the Saint Martha lodging, they maintain a hypocritical worldview which hides a prurient fascination with the sins of the flesh and harbor an unhealthy obsession with the murder of the unborn, all while ignoring the cry of Gaia. They are not interested in their brothers’ well-being and in earthly happiness; they are mere killjoys who are obsessed with the private venereal practices of others. In sum, like the olden days Pharisees, defenders of traditional Catholic moral teaching are rigid legalists who lack a healthy dose of Bergoglian mercy, as he thoroughly explained to us in the rambling prose of Amoris Laetitia.
There is, however, a higher power at play here. Just as Bergoglio was known, since his semi-obscure Buenos Aires days, by his apparent lack of doctrinal orthodoxy and promotion of an extreme, un-Catholic version of mercy, he was also regarded as an apologist of modern-day Judaism, whatever flavor you may pick, to the point of appearing servile and intimidated in the presence of his “older brothers.” His frequent mentions of the Jewish sect members in less-than-flattering terms did not go unnoticed among his Jewish friends. Knowing full well that Bergoglio would be susceptible to any criticism that even hinted at anti-Semitism, Riccardo Di Segni, head Rabbi of the Roman Jewish Community, wasted no time. How did Bergoglio dare to portray the Pharisees as “symbols of hypocrisy”? Maybe because Jesus, the living God, King of the Universe, said so? But Di Segni was quick to admit that the Pope “listens,” that is when the reprimand comes from the right source, of course. For Di Segni this situation may be better characterized as a “pocket of resistance,” just some residual vestige of orthodoxy which may be promptly excised.
The question then became: what would Bergoglio do when facing this supreme dilemma, gospel teaching versus threat of rabbinical anathema? For those who know the man the answer was clear. Slowly but surely the gospels will go out the window through some Vatican II-style “aggiornamento.” And “aggiornamento” we will have. Let’s organize yet another conference at the Gregorian University to rehabilitate an oppressed minority, victim of “hate,” who was unjustly subject to scorn and humiliation for centuries! “Modern biblical scholarship” is like duct tape, applying a little of ingenuity and ignoring the flimsy results, we can use it to fix any pesky biblical passage too politically incorrect for these modern times. We shall conclude the Pharisees were superb religious scholars, peace-loving, uninterested in material possessions, and custodians of a still-valid Covenant. Actually, I am not sure why they need to convene a meeting for this. I guess it is always good to enjoy, setting any humility aside, an all-expenses-paid trip and visit some Roman gay saunas. Modernist clerics will always be modernist clerics, clericalizing each other.
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