Live and Learn

Dear Son,

I was going to let this issue pass without comment, but given the latest comment by the Vatican Press office, I now feel compelled to dive in and pass along my admonition to you. Look closely at the way the Vatican media office and news office handled this event and learn these two valuable life lessons. The first lesson you should learn is the meaning of the phrase "stop flogging a dead horse" and the second lesson is that the command "thou shalt not lie" is not optional. In case you missed it, the Vatican media chief got into hot water for doctoring a photo of a letter from Pope Benedict XVI in order to mislead the public regarding his supposed endorsement of a set of books about the theology of Pope Francis. This so called "Lettergate" resulted in a widely reported scandal and associated public embarrassment for the Vatican. The negative publicity culminated in the resignation of the media chief, Monsignor Dario Vilano.

Now, for the first lesson of not flogging a dead horse. Monsignor Dario Vilano resigned over a week ago and the story of the Vatican media office deception was dissipating as there was not much more to do. Then, as the world was ready to move on, the Vatican news office head, Jesuit Father Bernd Hagenkord, springs into action to remind us yet again of the terrible deception. In his personal blog, Father Hagenkord is reported to claim that Pope Benedict XVI himself gave permission for the partial publication of his letter and offers a sort of apology for his friend Monsignor Vilano. He reportedly offers up that in regards to Monsignor Vilano, "he made a “mistake”; but that no harm was really done – “nobody was personally harmed” – and that “no millions of euro were squandered.” By this post, Father Hagenkord reopened the wound that had stopped bleeding. Now, the initial Vatican deception is compounded by a potential second deception and to what end? Does any true follower of Christ accept his rationale and supposed justification? At the very least, the whole story of Vatican deception is revived. Let this serve as a good example of what is meant by the adage to "stop flogging a dead horse."

This whole story of the Vatican's deception is worthy of comment and provides a valuable lesson about truth. The justification offered by Jesuit Father Bernd Hagenkord to dismiss the significance of Mosignor's lie as a mere "mistake" and benign because no one was harmed nor great amounts of money squandered fails the flock on so many levels. Although I am not a trained theologian or scholar, as your Dad, I would remind you that we are commanded to "not bear false witness" (Ex 20:16 and Mt 19:18). There are no modifiers to this command regarding the level of harm caused nor the amount of money squandered. This is simply the Lord's command and cannot be abrogated by desire, convenience, or political expediency! There is a multitude of ways to dissect the "red flags" regarding this scandal and many have already been written about (Option 1, Option 2, Option 3). However, I am amazed that the focus by the "experts" seems to be on the political consequences and the impact on the Vatican's public image. Not much is mentioned regarding the Lord's command to "not bear false witness" and the danger such a violation to this command poses to your very soul. Let me remind you son, that truth is not just a fact, but rather a person. A Divine Person at that since we are told that Jesus Christ is the truth (Jn 14:6). To lie is to offend God and is contrary to the very nature of God. Do not take lying lightly because if you do, you make yourself opposed to Jesus Christ himself.

Jesus provides us with a warning regarding the nature of the devil in that "he was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Jn 8:44). So my son, do not lie. God forbids it (period). When you lie, it aligns you with the devil, the father of lies. Don't make it more complicated and for heavens sake, don't ever try to justify it!

Learn these two life lessons my son, and learn them well. Don't try the patience of good people and always cling to the Truth. Then, you will find that truly, the "truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32).

#MonsignorDarioVigano #lettergate #religion #FatherBerndHagenkord #lying #truth