The pope doesn't like Father Flannery

There's an article in the NYT today about an Irish priest named Father Flannery. The pope would really, really like to silence Flannery because he's raining on their all-male parade of power. For one thing, he doesn't believe Jesus established the priesthood.

Instead, he wrote, “It is more likely that some time after Jesus, a select and privileged group within the community who had abrogated power and authority to themselves, interpreted the occasion of the Last Supper in a manner that suited their own agenda.” 

Father Flannery said the Vatican wanted him specifically to recant the statement, and affirm that Christ instituted the church with a permanent hierarchical structure and that bishops are divinely established successors to the apostles.

Bishops not "divinely" established? Horrors! If that was true, the pope would be...just a sad, deluded closet case in red shoes and an outlandish hat. Can't have that. But why is Father Flannery being attacked now? What could be the cause of this onslaught?

He believes the church’s treatment of him, which he described as a “Spanish Inquisition-style campaign,” is symptomatic of a definite conservative shift under Pope Benedict XVI. 

“I have been writing thought-provoking articles and books for decades without hindrance,” he said. “This campaign is being orchestrated by a secretive body that refuses to meet me. Surely I should at least be allowed to explain my views to my accusers.” 

Surprise, surprise. The evil pope is the troll behind the curtain. The attack on Father Flannery is one with the pope's relentless effort to lash out at gays, nuns, women in general, and any priest who doesn't think the pope is god's infallible representative on Earth. It's all a turf war pushed by this dreadful, closet-case pope.

But I thank the pope for all he does. The man is bringing about the end of the Roman Catholic church, possibly within my lifetime. Go, popey guy! (Also too, go Father Flannery!)