A Machiavellian on the Throne of Peter?

“It is well to seem merciful, faithful, humane, sincere…. For men in general judge more by the eyes than by the hands, for every one can see, but very few have to feel. Everybody sees what you appear to be, few feel what you are…. The masses are always impressed by the superficial appearance of things.” — Machiavelli in The Prince

He’s the greatest dissembler the papacy has ever known. What other conclusion can be drawn from the most recent, R-rated episode of The Francis Follies?

In case you didn’t tune in, here’s what you missed: On May 20, during a closed-door meeting with 200 Italian bishops, the Holy Father reportedly uttered the Italian term checche, a slur describing stereotypically effeminate homosexual men, and told those gathered that “there is already enough faggotry” (troppa frociaggine) in Catholic seminaries.

Correspondents and talking heads were stunned. Conservatives had a field day with it while the liberal media cognoscenti clucked and tut-tutted. Surely, Francis didn’t mean that. Perhaps it was a slip of the Petrine tongue?

Within short order, the Holy See’s Press Office — accustomed as it is to sweeping up the Big Guy’s many messes — issued a statement, saying, “The pope never meant to offend or express himself with homophobic terms, and he issues his most sincere apologies to all those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others.”

As apologies go, that’s blatantly insincere. Genuine apologies express remorse for something one has said or done, not for how somebody else feels about what one has said or done. The press office might as well have said, The Pope is sorry you’re a sensitive snowflake.

As for the peculiar phrase “a term reported by others”: Is that supposed to cast doubt on reports of the event, or on the prelates who leaked the Pope’s untoward words? If he didn’t say what he’s reported to have said, then issue a denial! Nobody would believe it, of course, so here we are.