Tony Crosthwaite writes us with an interesting observation and some history:

One wonders if Rome’s ongoing invitation for Anglicans to join it is like being welcomed aboard a sinking ship. Everyone can see the Vatican reeling as the scandal of child abuse and cover-up play out on the world stage. That this has weakened the moral authority of the Roman Church there can be no doubt.

Therefore it is intriguing that currently there are moves to canonize Pope Pius XII, for this will ensure continued debate on the Vatican’s relations with Fascism and Nazism in the World War II era, and the facts of this period make the Vatican extremely vulnerable to further attacks on its moral authority. Those interested in the Vatican’s conduct in this period would find the following article informative: “The Vatican and Fascism:  Remembering the 1929 Lateran Accords.”