There is something rotten in the state of Rome. A brilliant interview on just how completely rotten.

How serious is the current crisis in the Vatican and the Church and what does it portend for the future?

To obtain a clearer idea, I spoke with Father Nicola Bux, a respected theologian and former consultor to both the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

In this interview, Father Bux sees some hope in a world that he sees as moving in a more conservative direction, but he questions whether bishops and cardinals are capable of leading the Church along the same path and therefore elect a suitable successor to Pope Francis.

The mood in the College of Cardinals is, however, changing, Father Bux says. “Half of the cardinal electors and many bishops are convinced we cannot go on this way and change is needed to put the Church in order if she is to remain Catholic — there is turmoil in the College of Cardinals, as there is among the priests,” he explains, and adds: “The ecclesial body is waking up from a state of anesthesia.

Full interview by Edward Pentin