Demos II Gives the Vatican Nightmares

He writes: "A pen is agitating the Vatican. It is signed 'Demos' [the people]. As if to say we are many. . .. In fact, in the sacred corridors there are rumors that the Vatican Gendarmerie has finally identified the anonymous cardinal hiding behind the pseudonym 'Demos II'."

"In recent months, in anticipation of a future conclave, the unknown cardinal has published a pamphlet, in five languages, aimed at no less than criticizing Pope Francis. However, the papal authorities' objective is not only to close this chapter—at a time when, within the Church, there are ever growing severe challenges to the current pontificate—but also to block the likely imminent emergence of a Demos III.”

One can read a detailed account of this affair, which concerns both Australian Cardinal George Pell (alias Demos I) and the mysterious prelate hiding under the pseudonym Demos II.

For now, here is a summary offered by the Italian journalist: In 2022, the Demos I document appeared, which Sandro Magister revealed in January 2023 was authored by the recently deceased Cardinal Pell.

Luigi Bisignani summarizes: "Demos I denounced the decline of papal authority and doctrinal clarity under Bergoglio’s leadership. Each page accused the pontificate of having created confusion on fundamental themes of faith and morality, undermining trust in the Church, and encouraging schismatic tendencies.”

Demos II Proposes a Series of Reforms 

Demos II appeared in 2024, with content in line with the first Demos. Luigi Bisignani outlines its content: "In this new text, seven priorities are outlined for the Church and the future pontificate. The author, while recognizing the merits of Pope Francis in his compassion for the poor and marginalized, highlights several critical issues in the Bergoglian modus operandi that require a resolute course correction.”

It is a sort of manual for the new pope, ready to resolve the problems left by his predecessor. This is where the problem lies: Demos II proposes a series of reforms.

Here are some of them, noted by the Italian journalist: "The first necessity is to restore doctrinal clarity, since confusion has fragmented the Church and undermined confidence in her evangelical mission. It is essential to resolutely reaffirm the fundamental truths of the Catholic faith, avoiding the ambiguities that fuel divisions.”

"Ecclesiastical government must become more collegial, since the current pontificate has adopted an autocratic style, excluding bishops and cardinals from crucial decisions. The new pope must restore collegiality and respect the role of bishops in dioceses.”

"The Church is a community of law, but under this pontificate there has been excessive use of the Motu Proprio for centralized decisions, and a neglect of canonical procedures, particularly in matters of justice." 

Luigi Bisignani notes that, "Demos II also addresses the College of Cardinals, which must be stronger and better prepared." He quotes: "The current pontificate has diversified the College [in terms of geographical origin], but has neglected the theological and pastoral formation of many cardinals."

It is necessary that the cardinals be ready to govern the Church with rectitude, and spiritual and doctrinal maturity. These reflections [in the memorandum] aim to guide the discussion among cardinals in view of the next conclave, suggesting a necessary reversal of the current management of the Vatican." 

Demos II is concerned with the doctrinal formation of cardinals, perhaps because he is himself a theologian. Perhaps he has had to exercise responsibilities in matters of doctrinal rectitude. His references indicate that he situates this doctrinal rectitude in the tradition of Francis's predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He supports "a hermeneutic of continuity." Could this be from the pen of Cardinal Gerhard Müller or Cardinal Robert Sarah?

Still, as this mysterious author acknowledges, the next conclave will be composed of cardinal electors with little or no theological formation, and from such distant geographical origins that it will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to seriously vote for this or that candidate. To overcome this major difficulty, an initiative was taken by two journalists, as reported by Sandro Magister in Diakonos.be/Settimo Cielo on December 23, 2024.

A Sacred College

The renowned Vatican expert first recalls the situation created by Francis. Certainly, "Pope Francis has left intact the rule that assigns to the cardinals the task of electing the future pope. But he has done no little damage to the cardinals' ability to act as a 'college.' The future pope will almost certainly be one of them. And to choose him, the electors need to know each other well, to have regular times of meeting and discussion, to operate, indeed, in collegial form. But this is precisely what Francis broke off in the initial phase of his pontificate, evidently annoyed by the outcome of the first and last true ‘consistory’ he convened, when in February 2014 he called the cardinals to consult on the themes of the upcoming synod on the family."

Sandro Magister cites the facts: "At that consistory, held for two days behind closed doors, the Pope entrusted the keynote address to Cardinal Walter Kasper, an accomplished theologian, [who] back in the early 1990s [was] a combative supporter of scrapping the ban on communion for the divorced and remarried.”

"From day one, Kasper's address [in favor of communion for the divorced and remarried] was contested by a very large number of cardinals, and by the most authoritative ones, to the visible irritation of Francis, who at the next day’s opening session tried to start the discussion over, saying that he 'had re-read before going to sleep' the address Kasper had given, and that more than ever he had found it 'profound' and 'serene,' to the point of making him exclaim with emotion: ‘this is called doing theology on one's knees.’”

The Vaticanist adds: "In the following months, however, a good dozen prominent cardinals spoke out publicly in various ways in defense of the perennial doctrine and practice, against communion for the divorced and remarried.”

"Among them were the Germans Gerhard Ludwig Müller and Walter Brandmüller, the Italians Carlo Caffarra, Angelo Scola, and Camillo Ruini, the Canadians Marc Ouellet and Thomas Collins, the American Raymond L. Burke, and the Australian George Pell.”

"Some of these, plus others of great standing and not only from the conservative camp, were among the signatories, in October 2015, the letter ‘of the 13 cardinals’ to the Pope that contested the framework set for the second session of the Synod on the Family, making Francis even more furious.”

"And three of them, plus the authoritative Archbishop of Cologne, Joachim Meisner, after the conclusion of the synod delivered their ‘dubia’ on what the Pope had wanted and decided, making their protests sensationally public after receiving only silence in response."

And so it was that “after that embattled one in 2014, Francis never called another consistory worthy of the name, apart from the purely ceremonial ones on the occasion of the appointments of new cardinals."

A Website for the Future Conclave

For several years now, notes Sandro Magister, "the new cardinals appointed by Francis have been, for the most part, unknown not only to the general public but also to their own confreres in the cardinalate.”

"The going justification is that Francis wants promotions to cardinal to go to the representatives of the 'peripheries' of the Church, heads of small dioceses with few faithful, rather than important and historically illustrious sees. But by keeping them from meeting and exchanging ideas as a college, the Pope has also made it tough from them to get to know each other."

"It is precisely with the aim of filling this information gap that a new site has just been launched in English (whose Latin title is: Cardinalium Collegii Recensio) with in-depth and very detailed portraits of each cardinal.”

"It is designed and run the seasoned Vaticanisti, Diane Montagna, an American, and Edward Pentin, an Englishman who in 2020 authored the book The Next Pope, with biographies of 19 candidates for the papacy. The initiative is promoted by Sophia Institute Press and the multilingual magazine Cardinalis, created with the similar intent of providing the members of the College of Cardinals with quality information on the life of the Church."

Let us add for FSSPX.News readers: Diane Montagna is no stranger; she contributes to the Catholic Herald, after having worked for LifeSiteNews and she co-wrote Christus Vincit with Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Edward Pentin is no stranger either, as he contributes to the National Catholic Register. And for the record, the Sophia Institute Press is the American publisher of Bishop Schneider's Compendium of the Catholic Faith and Edward Pentin's The Next Pope.

Sandro Magister adds: "The new website not only provides biographical data for each cardinal, but also outlines in detail how he has thus far carried out his duties as bishop to date: those of sanctifying, ruling, teaching.”

"And it also provides information on each cardinal's stances on the most controversial issues today: from the blessing of homosexual couples to women deacons, from communion for the divorced and remarried to the secret agreement between the Holy See and China." 

And he added: "The profiles of several dozen cardinals, starting with those known as papabili, are already complete, while for the others, the essential elements are online with everything constantly updated." There's no doubt that the pre-conclave has already begun in Rome.