Here’s something shocking mentioned in a John Allen column about Pope Francis and the Synod. Allen is making a point about how this pope benefits from having a certain narrative associated with him. Allen begins by talking about what an international scandal it was when Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops, including one who was a Holocaust denier. Benedict had to apologize. Here’s Allen:

Flash forward to 2015, when Pope Francis named a new bishop for the diocese of Osorno in Chile who critics believe covered up crimes by his country’s most notorious abuser priest. The appointment triggered protests in Chile and objections from some of the pontiff’s own advisors on anti-abuse efforts, but has had little echo anywhere else.

Francis hasn’t responded with a heartfelt mea culpa like Benedict, but with defiance.

In a five-month-old video, Francis is heard telling an employee of the Chilean bishops’ conference that people criticizing his move are being “led around by the nose by leftists,” and that the country has “lost its head.”

While the substance of the two situations may be very different, the potential for backlash is eerily similar. Just imagine what the reaction would have been had Benedict blamed his own woes on “leftists,” and you’ll understand the difference between the narratives the two pontiffs carry around.

It’s striking that outside the Spanish-speaking media, there’s been relatively little reaction to the Barros affair, certainly nothing like the firestorm Benedict faced six years ago.

When Bishop Barros was installed, most of his own priests boycotted the ceremony. Some 650 people tried to prevent him from entering his own cathedral. The accusation is that Barros covered up for a popular priest who mentored him, but who was later found guilty by the Vatican itself of child molestation.

Here’s the video, in Spanish:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MJ-arsR7kE?rel=0]

I knew that the Pope backed Barros, but I had no idea that he dismissed those protesting him as nothing but a pack of leftists. Yes, just imagine what would have happened had Benedict done this. Lucky man, Pope Francis. Lucky man.