✣ Highlights from the week online
Justice may not be wise In an ideal world, said John Allen at Crux, “doing the just thing and the wise thing would always coincide”. But the “VatiLeaks” trial reminds us that life isn’t that simple. Five people are on trial: three ex- members (one a priest) of a papal commission known by its acronym Cosea, accused of leaking details of Vatican finances, and two journalists who published the revelations. “The strict interests of justice” would say that the trial should go ahead and, if found guilty, the defendants must be convicted and serve their full sentences – both for reasons of accountability, and as a deterrent to others, Allen said. But that may not be the wise thing to do. “It’s not as if the financial situations revealed in these documents amount to some kind of thunderclap revelation,” said Allen; the wrongdoing is precisely why Pope Francis ordered the clean-up. “Prosecuting people for leaking these documents inevitably makes it look as if the Vatican has something to hide,” he said. And the defendants could easily become “media darlings” if they were convicted. Etiquette on Instagram On his Instagram account, Fr James Martin SJ welcomed the Pope to the photo-sharing social network. He offered some advice, including: “People like beautiful colour photos most of all, which shouldn’t be a problem since you live in a beautiful place.” Fr Martin concluded: “But here’s a conundrum, Your Holiness: on the one hand, if you post too many photos of yourself, you’ll seem vain. So you should avoid that. On the other hand, I’ve found that people really like photos of the Pope. Good luck with that one.” The Sister who survived Several outlets published the testimony of Sister Sally, the superior of the four Missionaries of Charity murdered at a care home in Yemen earlier this month. In the testimony, relayed by another MC, Sister Rio, the superior wrote: “Because of their faithfulness they were in the right place at the right time and were ready when the Bridegroom came.” The note records that ISIS shot the Sisters “one by one”. They also killed several lay people working there. Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, the priest, stayed at the convent to protect the Blessed Sacrament. Sister Sally recalled: “At the convent, Father had heard the screaming and consumed all the Hosts. He had no time to consume the large Host, so he threw the oil out of the sanctuary lamp and dissolved it in the water.” The note recorded an exchange between the Sisters: “Sister Sally told Sister Rio she is so sad because she is alone and did not die with her sisters. Sister Rio told her God wanted a witness and told her: ‘Who would have found the Sisters’ bodies and who would ever tell us what happened? God wants us to know.’”
