A whodunit is making the rounds at the Vatican.
The publisher of a book on traditional Catholic marriage is crying foul, saying someone apparently swiped upward of 100 copies of the book from the Vatican mailboxes of bishops who attended a meeting on family issues last October.
The publisher sent the books to attendees to counter progressive proposals by one of Pope Francis’ favorite theologians to let divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion. The book, penned by five high-ranking, conservative cardinals, argues that the suggestion is essentially moot since it is contrary to Christ’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage.
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“I can deny it,” he said. “I have inquired. The copies that arrived by mail were distributed in the mailboxes without impediment. One person told me he even received two copies!”
The mystery underscores the divisiveness of the debate and the conspiracy theories that ran rampant during the synod, with accusations that meeting organizers were angling to favor a more progressive outcome. Such tensions will likely only rise before the second round of discussions starting in October.
