The Pope, gay blessings and the Rupnik scandal

<div>Pope Francis's much-hyped 'synod on synodality' began in Rome this week and to say that it has got off to a rocky start is putting it mildly. On Monday, five leading conservative cardinals bounced Francis into making a highly ambiguous statement apparently opening the door to gay blessings. Meanwhile, and this subject is being played down by certain media outlets, <a href="https://cathcon.blogspot.com/2023/10/rupnik-is-being-protected-claims.html?m=1">allegations</a> of sexual abuse surrounds one of the Pope's friends. The world-renowned mosaic artist Fr Marko Rupnik has been expelled from the Jesuits after women <a href="https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/descent-into-hell-an-alleged-rupnik-victim-speaks-out">claimed</a> he sexually abused them – but he <a href="https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/the-real-mystery-of-romes-rupnik">remains a priest</a> and for some reason Pope Francis has yet to allow him to be prosecuted canonically. In this episode of Holy Smoke, I look at the basic facts, the possibility of a cover-up and suggest that the subject of Rupnik and <a href="https://unherd.com/2023/09/can-the-pope-survive-the-rupnik-scandal/">what the Pope knew</a> may overshadow the more fashionable topic of blessings for same-sex couples. </div><p>Become a <em>Spectator </em>subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/adfree</a> to find out more.</p><br><p>For more <em>Spectator</em> podcasts, go to <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/podcasts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/podcasts</a>. </p><br><p>Contact us: [email protected]</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>