VATICAN FAKE NEWS: Vatican admits doctoring photo of Benedict’s letter praising "Pope" Francis
AND YOU WANT TO BELIEVE THE VATICAN WHEN THEY SAY BENEDICT RESIGNED WILLFULLY? OH WAIT THE ST. GALLEN MAFIA ALREADY ADMITTED THEY FORCED HIM OUT...
EDWARD PENTIN: The
debacle over the Vatican's handling of Benedict's letter comes barely a
month after the "Pope" warned against fake news which he said thrives on
an absence of “healthy confrontation” needed for “constructive dialogue”
Here's the mystery. The subtle sarcasm of "Pope" blessed unmount all
propaganda (to me it looks like an elegant and sublime taken around)
One of the world’s leading news agencies has said the Vatican breached journalistic standards by doctoring a photo of a letter from Benedict XVI praising Pope Francis. According to the Associated Press, the doctoring affected the meaning of the letter.
The AP has reported the Vatican admitted on Wednesday that it digitally manipulated a photo sent out to media outlets to rebut critics of Pope Francis, who believe some aspects of his teaching represent a rupture with Pope Benedict’s, and with the Tradition of the Church.
On Monday, the eve of the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ election, the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications released the photo of a thank you letter Benedict XVI had written to the head of Vatican communications, Monsignor Dario Vigano, for the gift of an 11 volume set on the theology of Pope Francis.
At the press conference to launch the book project, Msgr. Vigano cited a portion of the letter that is legible in the photo, in which Benedict says he applauds the new volumes which are intended to oppose the “foolish prejudice” that paints Pope Francis only as “a practical man without any particular theological or philosophical training,” and Pope Benedict as “only a theorist of theology who has little understanding of the concrete life of a Christian today.”
Benedict also said the book project “helps to show the interior continuity between the two pontificates, although with all the differences in style and temperament.”
But the attempt seems to have backfired, with the Vatican admitting on Wednesday that it blurred the final two lines of the first page, where Benedict begins to explain that he didn’t actually read the books in question.
On the second page of the letter, which is not visible in the photo, the Pope emeritus goes on to explain that he cannot contribute a theological assessment of Francis as requested by Vigano due to “physical reasons” and because he is occupied with other projects.
The Vatican offered no explanation as to why it blurred the lines, except to say it never intended for the full letter to be released. In fact, the entire second page of the letter is covered by a stack of books in the photo, with just Benedict’s tiny signature showing, apparently to prove its authenticity.
Associated Press journalist Nicole Winfield said that the missing content “significantly altered the meaning of the quotes the Vatican chose to highlight, which were widely picked up by the media.”
“Those quotes suggested that Benedict had read the volume, agreed with it and given it his full endorsement and assessment. The doctoring of the photo is significant because news media rely on Vatican photographers for images of the pope at events that are closed to independent media,” she said.
Veteran Vatican correspondent Sandro Magister reported the day after the press conference that Vigano had read parts of the letter. Oddly, the Vatican did not provide the full letter to the media. Magister therefore transcribed the portions of the letter that Vigano had read and posted them on his blog. The transcription revealed that there was more to the story than the Vatican communications office, and the photo, were presenting.
The Associated Press said that, like most media outlets, it follows strict standards that forbid digital manipulation of photos. AP standards dictate that: “No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph.”
In January, Pope Francis denounced “Fake News” in his Message for the 52nd World Day of Communications, saying it employs the same strategy as the snake in the Garden of Eden.
Here below is the full text of the letter as reported by Sandro Magister (the translation is mine).
***
Benedictus XVI
Pope Emeritus
Most Reverend Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò
Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications
Vatican City
February 7, 2018
Most Reverend Monsignor,
Thank you for your kind letter of January 12 and for the attached gift of the eleven small volumes edited by Roberto Repole.
I applaud this initiative which is intended to oppose and react to the foolish prejudice that Pope Francis is only a practical man without any special theological or philosophical training, while I have been only a theorist of theology with little understanding of the concrete life of a Christian today.
The small volumes demonstrate, rightly, that Pope Francis is a man of deep philosophical and theological formation, and they therefore help to show the interior continuity between the two pontificates, although with all the differences of style and temperament.
However, I do not feel I can write a brief and dense theological page on them, because throughout my entire life it has always been clear that I would write and express myself only about books that I had also truly read. Unfortunately, for physical reasons alone, I am unable to read the eleven little volumes in the near future, but all the more so as other commitments that I have already undertaken await me.
I am sure you will understand and I offer you cordial greetings.
Yours,
Benedict XVI
------------
.
I wrote it right away, in hot last night, as soon as the Vatican spread the news of that letter of Benedict XVI which seemed - at first sight - a resounding applause of approval to bergoglio, in the anniversaio of his election.
I wrote: why don't they write the whole letter? Why are you only making three sentences?
It's all clear now. The excellent sandro magister publishes in full the letter of Pope Benedict that the Vatican yesterday had not distributed and now we discover that in the second part - with subtle sarcasm - Benedict XVI shows how the "toll" that he had to pay in the first part has to be interpreted.
In Essence Pope Emeritus explains that he has no time (to be lost) to write a comment to the " formidable " thought telogico of Bergoglio (as they had asked) and does not even have time (to lose) to read " the eleven small volumes ", Of various authors, who will enjoy all the wisdom of the world.
He, blessed, let them know that he has not read them, nor is he going to read them because he has other things to do.
Can I take a hint? And now you don't break the boxes! To good discovery few words (to me it looks like an elegant and sublime catch around).
Ps to better understand this answer you must remember that recently pope emeritus had written "on his initiative" a beautiful theological preface to the book of the card. Sarah That's probably why from the Vatican, they even wanted her to take it. But he answered spades.
http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2018/03/13/il-doppio-stolto-pregiudizio-il-testo-integrale-della-lettera-di-benedetto-xvi/
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