He cites an article written years ago in which Bergolio distinguishes between "sin" and "corruption." Sin is a weakness that allows for some openness to repentance. The sinner must be treated gently and mercifully, accompanied with encouragement, affirmation and minimal judgement. Corruption is a deeper level of evil in which the sinner has encrusted himself in a hard shell of righteousness, arrogance and superiority. Here there is no opennes and no possibility of accompaniment, mercy or dialogue. Rather, the corrupt must be directly condemned as such, in the hope that that assault might awaken some contrition. Ivereigh cites Francis' treatment of the mafia, whom he condemns to hell if they do not repent.
This binary of sin/corruption is quite original with Francis. It is not standard in Catholic moral thinking. I cannot imagine John Paul or Benedict hurling this accusation, even at the nazis, communists and cultural liberals they engaged. Bergoglio is nothing if not creative. Ivereigh, who loves this pope so, seems to understand him. This distinction explains much of this pontificate. For Francis, sinners include pro-abortion Catholic politicians, active homosexuals (and most sexual offenders) and apparently the Chinese communists. By contrast, the corrupt include, in addition to the Sicilian mafia: the Latin Mass movement, conservative clerics (Chaput, Burke, Vigano, etc.), possibly the old-now-destroyed John Paul Institute for the Family in Rome, and the entire Catholic-Evangelical pro-life alliance in the USA.
This view of "corruption" is not entirely without precedent in our tradition. The basic comparison is, of course, to Jesus' own condemnation of the Pharisees and Sadducees. There is, however, an obvious spiritual danger is positioning oneself as Jesus in relationship to those groups.
Likewise, every Christian community with any identity and boundaries will define what is unacceptable: the practice of "shunning," "excommunication" and the issue of Holy Communion for abortion advocates. However, such Catholic judgments are objective, about a practice or a belief, not about the heart and soul of another person. Here is where Francis is troublingly innovative: in place of objective, intellectual judgments he shows the liberal propensity for personalizing judgment and making broad-brush disparagement of entire groups.
This explains why Pope Francis is so polarizing. It is not just the position that he takes (obviously, any papal decision will offend some group or another), but the veiled resentment which he harbors for the objects of his condemnation. Bad enough that he wants to control and curtail the Latin mass, but worse is his (and his people's) contempt for them as arrogant, superior, and self-righteous.
His response (or lack of) to the infamous Vigano letter of August 2018 is exemplary. Notwithstanding the subsequent trajetory of the now-activist Archbishop, his letter was largely credible, factual and open to verification/falsification. It clearly demanded a Vatican response. None came. Instead, shortly thereafter, the Pope talked about those who give voice to the accusations of the Great Accuser, Satan. Clearly, he was speaking of Vigano. He dismissed the objective, factual allegations and personalized the Archbisop as demonic in his heart. As corrupt!
It seems that this innovative concept of "corruption" allows Francis to vent his emotional contempt for his adversaries and veil it in a Jesus-like stance of indignation at corruption. He may be suffering, unknowingly, from the condition he attributes to them: indignation veiling resentment. He may be guilty of rash judgment, a violation of the eighth commandment ("Thou shall not bear false witness") and, in my view, easily the most practiced sin in the world.
At this point in my reflection, a troubling irony presents itself to me for my own candid scrutiny. In my recogntion of this sin of the heart...self-righteous, indignant, resentful condemnation...Am I not myself judging? Rashly? Resentfully? Indignantly? Are we, including me, caught in Girardian cycle of mimetic spiritual violence, of indignation and rash judgment?
Ouch! I am really not sure. There is an objective basis for this judgement and I am prepared to defend it. But do I exercise it humbly, lovingly, compassionately, soberly? Well, not really! I must take this to prayer! Even as I increase my prayer for the Holy Father and all the bishops!
Lord, cleanse our hearts of sin, of corruption, of rash judgment! Make us wise in mercy, humility, compassion, love!
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