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Pope Francis says sexual pleasure is ‘a gift from God’

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Pope Francis delivered a Vatican address addressing sexual pleasure as a “gift from God” that requires discipline and patience. He cautioned against the dangers of pornography, describing it as providing satisfaction without genuine relationships and posing the risk of addiction. The sermon was part of a series on vices and virtues, particularly focusing on what the Pope referred to as “the demon of lust.”

The Pope’s remarks followed criticism by conservative Catholics regarding Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the newly appointed head of doctrine. Cardinal Fernández had faced backlash for a book he wrote in the late 1990s, titled Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality, which explored human sexuality and contained explicit descriptions of orgasm experiences. He defended the book, stating he wouldn’t write it now and explaining that it was written when he was younger.

Conservative commentators deemed the book “perverse,” with some questioning Cardinal Fernández’s suitability for his role. Pope Francis, in a separate instance, had addressed the vice of gluttony in the previous week, but there was no indication that his sermon on lust was connected to the criticism of Cardinal Fernández.

During the sermon, Pope Francis emphasized that lust can devastate relationships and pointed to real-life examples of toxic relationships. This incident was not the first time both Pope Francis and Cardinal Fernández faced opposition from conservative members of the Catholic community. In December, Cardinal Fernández introduced guidelines, approved by the Pope, allowing priests to bless same-sex relationships, leading to strong criticism from conservative figures within the Church, including Cardinal Gerhard Müller.

Cardinal Müller denounced the Vatican’s decision, stating that blessing a homosexual union would be a “sacrilegious and blasphemous act.” The tensions escalated, culminating in Pope Francis evicting outspoken critic US Cardinal Raymond Burke from his Vatican apartment and revoking his salary.

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Cardinal Becciu: Vatican court convicts former Pope adviser of financial crimes

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Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a former trusted adviser to Pope Francis, has been handed a five-and-a-half-year jail sentence by a Vatican court, marking a historic moment as the most senior Vatican official ever to face such charges. The trial centered around a controversial London property deal that resulted in substantial financial losses for the Catholic Church. Becciu, once considered a potential papal candidate, vehemently denied allegations of embezzlement and abuse of office throughout the proceedings. The verdict also involved nine other defendants, each facing convictions on some charges and acquittals on others, highlighting the complex nature of the case.

The trial, spanning two and a half years, laid bare internal conflicts and intrigue within the highest ranks of the Vatican. The focus of the proceedings was a building located not in the Vatican or Rome but in affluent Chelsea, London—60 Sloane Avenue, a former Harrod’s warehouse. The Vatican’s Secretariat of State invested over €200 million in acquiring a 45% stake in the property in 2014, with plans for luxury apartments. By 2018, the decision was made to purchase the property outright, involving an additional €150 million investment. Cardinal Becciu, as the Vatican’s Substitute for General Affairs at the time, allegedly approved the entire deal. The charges against Becciu and others included various financial crimes such as fraud, money laundering, and abuse of office, creating a complex narrative of financial impropriety within the secretive world of the Holy See.

Becciu’s lawyer, Fabio Viglione, promptly announced plans to appeal the verdict, reiterating his client’s innocence. Despite the conviction, Becciu maintains his denial of any wrongdoing. The trial not only underscores the unique circumstances of a Cardinal facing such legal scrutiny within the Vatican but also serves as a pivotal test for Pope Francis’s ongoing efforts to reform and address financial irregularities within the Catholic Church. The outcome may carry significant implications for Pope Francis’s legacy as a reformer, as he seeks to navigate and cleanse the Vatican’s finances of longstanding scandals that have plagued previous papacies.

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