It’s Iimi! Playing Against a Dead Man’s Hand!

On the heels of the recent deaths of beloved Church figures come media reports of writings that claim to prove these men believed Pope Francis’s pontificate was harmful to the Church. When faced with these documents, how can Iimi defend the Church when in order to do so, she’s… Playing Against a Dead Man’s Hand! (Part 1 of a 2 part story).

 

Pre-Comic Notes:

As of the time this comic was scripted, there was no scheduled English release for Archbishop Ganswein’s Nothing But Truth. But that didn’t stop the anti-Francis Catholics from using the quotes as if they were proof of deliberate wrongdoing by the Pope. The revelation that Cardinal Pell authored an anonymous memorandum attacking the Pope and publishing his article against the current Synod shortly after his death added fuel to that fire. Both of the Cardinal’s documents are available in English. I’ve read them… and could not reconcile them with the obligation to give religious submission of intellect and will to the authoritative teaching of the Pope.

Post-Comic Notes:

“Dead Man’s Hand” is traditionally Black aces and Black eights. Legend is, it was the Poker hand Wild Bill Hickock was playing when he was murdered. But “Hand” can also be used to say “writing” or “action.” So, the title and cover give us a double meaning.

 

Now, on to the documents discussed in this comic. 

 

I wasn’t bothered by the quotes attributed to Benedict XVI in Nothing But Truth. Even if quoted in context, all we have is a case of the Pope Emeritus privately expressing his concerns on whether some policies were the best way to handle things… but fully acknowledging Pope Francis’ authority. We don’t even know if Benedict wanted his views published. We know he wanted his private papers destroyed upon his death.

 

As for Cardinal Pell, that struck me as being more serious. When it came to the pseudonymous memorandum, aside from Fr. Fessio (who questioned the authorship claims), it was generally accepted that Sandro Magister’s revelation was true. As for the article, it was openly submitted by the late Cardinal, and the authorship is undisputed. 

 

And there’s the problem. I can’t get around that these writings were attacks on the Pope and the policies he has the authority to enact. But, unfortunately, people like Daryl in the real world see this as justifying their hostility to the Pope. That hostility must be opposed. And this is why I| needed to write this story.

If you’re interested in the song Iimi is angrily playing on page 13, panel 1, it can be found here: