From the AP:
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican on Monday admonished a leading cardinal for having publicly criticized the former Vatican No. 2 for his handling of clerical abuse cases.
In a statement, the Vatican said only the pope can make such accusations against a cardinal, not another so-called prince of the church.
In April, Vienna's archbishop, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, accused the former Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, of blocking a probe into a sex abuse scandal that rocked Austria's church 15 years ago.
Schoenborn also accused Sodano of causing 'massive harm' to victims when he dismissed claims of clerical abuse as 'petty gossip' on Easter Sunday.
The Vatican sought to clarify Sodano's comments, noting Monday that the pope himself had used the 'petty gossip' phrase a week earlier, referring to the need to have 'courage to not be intimidated by the petty gossip of dominant opinions.'
The phrase, and Sodano's repetition of it, sparked widespread criticism that the Vatican simply didn't appreciate the significance of the clerical abuse scandal. It also suggested the Vatican thought the hundreds of reports of abuse flooding in, and the questions that were being asked about the Vatican's handling of abuse for decades, was mere gossip.
The Vatican said that interpretation was 'erroneous,' although it didn't explain what the pontiff or Sodano meant by the phrase. The Vatican said both men felt compassion for victims and condemnation for those behind the abuse.
The Holy See issued the statement after Schoenborn met with the pontiff in a private audience. The audience was then broadened to include Sodano and the current Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone....
Wow. That's really messed up. So if the pope chooses to say nothing, we are to be saddled with ever more Sodanos and Laws? This is most distressing. The arrogance only becomes more and more blatant.
Then...
when Schoenborn becomes Pope he'll be all ''fired up'' to
put an end to all of this, fire these cardinals, clean out the curia and put an end to B16's foolishness and legacy.
Can't wait for the next conclave, it will be a winner!
As for Sodano, if the the Pope can be the only accuser of Cardinals let him take up the accusation that Sodano was one of the ' 'stuffed envelope' recepients of Maciel. It's put up or shut up.. time..
It amazes me, Schoenborn defends B16, and then Schoenborn gets reprimanded!
It's as if Sodano's reputation is more important than B16's reputation.
I guess we know who is running things behind the scenes, who is the puppet and who is the puppeteer!
Sodano may be able to manipulate the Pope, but he can't manipulate God.