Opposition to Pope Francis

It is well-known that some segments of the Catholic Church oppose Pope Francis and his vision of what the Church should be.  

Even some cardinals and bishops as well as lay persons have publicly challenged the pope’s openness to allow Catholics in certain circumstances who have divorced and remarried  to receive Holy Communion.

On other fronts some of the hierarchy and even some seminarians object to Pope Francis’ suggestion that clergy should reject clericalism, careerism, and elitism. They resent being told they should smell like the sheep.  Some Catholic  bookstores (even in seminaries) carry few if any books by or about Pope Francis.
They want him to go away.

The Argentine pope looks at the Church not only from the traditional European point of view but also from a South American perspective. His theology is influenced by writers whose names are well-known in Europe and America (Thomas Aquinas, Romano Guardini, Yves Congar, Henri de Lubac) but also by others scarcely known in the United States or Europe (Amelia Lezcano Podetti, Alberto Methol Ferre, Guzman Carriquiry Lecour, Lucio Gera).

Massimo Faggioli, professor at the University of St. Thomas in St Paul (MN), writes that “Pope Francis appears to be motivated by a more historical and cultural vision, in line with the Latin American theology he comes from, and by a more spiritual than theological vision for the ministry of the Roman pontificate” (Pope Francis: Tradition in Transition, Paulist Press, 2015,  p.77).

Faggioli adds, “The shift of emphasis with Bergoglio, from the theological to the spiritual papacy, has some unknowns for the future structure of Catholicism” (ibid, p. 78).

Pope Francis is aware of both the task before him and the obstacles he faces. That may be the reason he continually makes the plea, “Pray for me.”

Marco Politi, author of Pope Francis Among The Wolves (Columbia University Press, 2014) recalls a You Tube skit which shows Francis plodding along with a refrigerator on his shoulders, a gift for a poor widow. As he walks along he asks his two secretaries who accompany him (but offering no assistance with the heavy load), “What door do we deliver it?” One answers, “Number 1321, Your Holiness.” And Francis asks, “Where are we now?” only to hear, “Number 23, Your Holiness.”

As he trudges along under his heavy burden, a number of others, including two cardinals, stop him and ask for photos and blessings, but none of them lends a hand. Finally he arrives at the widow’s house only to hear her refuse the gift because it is the wrong color! “It could have been worse,” Francis murmurs as he sets off homeward.

Changing metaphors, I recall  an old saying that “it’s hard to remember that you came to drain the swamp when you’re up to your hips in alligators.”

Many of the cardinals who elected him to succeed Pope Benedict XVI chose Cardinal Bergoglio with the hope that he would reform the Curia, the Church’s bureaucracy, and  rid the Church of the alligators.

He may well be up to his hips in opposition but it is a fair assessment that he has not forgotten why he came to the swamp. For that reason his many supporters continue to  pray for him!

Understanding Pope Francis

Although Catholics in general like Pope Francis and support his papal style, many (bishops and priests included) do not understand him.

Francis’ words are often reduced to “sound byte” expressions (“Who am I to judge?” or “smell like the sheep” or  “confession is not a torture–chamber”), pleasant and refreshing to hear.

On another level, however, there is a depth to Francis’ theology, which challenges interpretation and application.  His message is read too quickly; readers must spend time with it to understand it.

Francis is calling the Church to on-going reform. He takes the letter and spirit of the Second Vatican Council and adds to it the theology and spirituality born of his experience in South America.

In a way, in Francis’ papacy, two mind-sets are in competition: European versus Latin American. They are not diametrically opposed but sometimes they differ. Those of us formed in the European model (North America included) may not recognize the revolution which Pope Francis has set before us.

He means it when he encourages “the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization” (EG 1). He is serious about “pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come” (EG 1).

Francis’ gives priority to a theology which is pastoral. He urges the Church to imitate a pattern from Jesus’ style of ministry: accept, heal, reform. 

He says we are to begin by embracing a person who is broken because of poverty, disability, rejection, abuse –sin! Next do something to alleviate the hurt, by bringing healing, comfort, assurance of acceptance --recognition of the dignity of every human being as an image of God. And then add the moral, ethical, spiritual dimensions necessary for a healthy, happy life.

Recall the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery (Jn 81-11). First Jesus accepts her in spite of her sin (“Let the one without sin cast the first stone”), next he offers healing forgiveness (“Neither do I condemn you”), and then he issues his call for moral reform (“From now on do not sin any more”).

The tendency for many of us is to reverse the order; instead of accept-heal-reform, we respond with reform-heal-accept. The scribes and Pharisees challenged Jesus’ disciples because he ate with sinners and tax collectors, and Jesus said to them, “Those who are well do not need the physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (cf Mk 2:17).

Did not Vatican II reaffirm that the grief and anguish of people, especially of the poor and afflicted, are also the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ?  The Council’s  Pastoral Constitution On The Church In The Modern World  (Gaudium et Spes) acknowledged that for Christians, “Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts” (#1).

The Council Fathers, in response to “the immensity of the hardships which still afflict a large section of humanity” suggested the creation of “some organization of the universal Church whose task it would be to arouse the Catholic community to promote the progress of areas which are in want and foster social justice between nations” (Gaudium et spes, #90).

Catholics around the world have established organizations to alleviate the hardships discussed at the Council and to promote social justice.

Pope Francis, however, is urging a response that goes beyond Church-established organizations. He insists that reaching out to the poor, abused, neglected –to anyone whose basic human rights are violated—is the responsibility not only of Church leaders and Church organizations but indeed of all the followers of Christ.

The pope’s conviction is based on Scripture (e.g., the corporal works of mercy derived from Mt 25), on the teaching of his predecessors (e.g., Pope John Paul II’s 1987 encyclical On Social Concern), on his personal experience as a pastor in the slums of Buenos Aires (e.g., he concluded that what the poor need is not charity but justice) and his participation in CELAM, the conferences held by the bishops of Latin America.

The studies, debates, compromises and conclusions of the Fifth General Conference in 2007 produced the so-called Aparecida Document, the result of the bishops’ reflecting on the journey of the Latin American churches in the midst of the lights and shadows of our times.

The bishops focused on the fundamental option for the poor, on the growing continent-wide expansion of fundamental Protestantism, on human rights violations, on migration, and on the positive and negative effects of globalization.

Scripture, Vatican II, personal experience, and the Aparecida Document are major influences in the thinking, theology, style and direction of Pope Francis. Complementing these sources of  his formation are the two hours a day he spends in prayer.

Pope Francis is leading Catholics toward a recognition of their responsibility to be more than a Church of rules and rituals. He is pushing devout Catholics to become active Catholics, applying the Church’s social doctrine in deeds as well as words.

He listed in his 2013 exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (##221-37) four principles for building a society marked by peace, justice and fraternity: 1) time is greater than space; 2) unity prevails over conflict; 3) realities are more important than ideas; and 4) the whole is greater than the part.

What do these principles mean? How are we to apply them?

There is an old saying among some of the clergy that asks, “Who can know what a Jesuit is thinking?”

As challenging, unnerving, and profound as Francis’s words may be, we are on safe ground in concluding that he is thinking, “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security…my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving, and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: ‘Give them something to eat’ (Mk 6:37).”

Those are the words of the pope (EG, #49)! That much we can understand –readily!

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Pope Francis Repairs The Church

 Pope Francis says what’s on his mind., especially when he is talking to Church leaders.

On September 16, 2016, he addressed  a meeting of ninety-four recently ordained bishops who were called to the Vatican, according to custom, for training in their new responsibilities.

As reported by the Vatican website  Pope Francis  offered them a warm welcome, explained that he was sharing  what was on  his mind as Peter’s successor, and urged them to  preach mercy as the summary of what God offers to the world.

He described their ministry as "an icon of mercy,”  adding that mercy is the only force able to permanently attract the human heart.

He then told the assembly (the translation here is mine not the Vatican’s) that “the world is tired of enchanting liars,” and he included in that category “stylish priests and fashionable bishops.”

He said that people run away from narcissists, manipulators and promoters of their own crusades. Bishops, he said, must seek to satisfy God, not themselves.

He warned them to be more concerned about the quality of their seminarians than the quantity, adding that they should be wary of any seminarian who takes  refuge in rigid attitudes.

Pope Francis offered the Good Samaritan as a model for the episcopal  ministry, noting that the one who was neighbor to the man who fell in  with robbers put mercy into action. “Verbs, not adjectives,” he said.

He further urged them, “Be close to your clergy,” and asked them to offer their priests a hug from the pope and  an assurance of his appreciation for their active generosity.

Two days earlier, in a General Audience,  Pope Francis had said, “It is bad for the Church when pastors become princes, separated from the people, far from the poorest -- that is not the spirit of Jesus. Jesus rebuked these pastors, and Jesus spoke about them to the people:, saying ‘Do as they say, not as they do.’”

Early on in his pontificate, in a June 21, 2013 address to papal representatives, Pope Francis was emphatic about  whom they might recommend for ordination as a bishop: “You know the famous expression that indicates a basic criterion in the choice of the person who must govern: si sanctus est oret pro nobis, si doctus est doceat nos, si prudens est regat nos — if he is holy let him pray for us, if he is learned, let him teach us, if he is prudent let him govern us.

“ In the delicate task of carrying out the investigation required prior to making episcopal appointments, be careful that the candidates are pastors close to the people: this is the first criterion. Pastors close to the people….May they be fathers and brothers, may they be gentle, patient and merciful; may they love poverty, interior poverty, as freedom for the Lord, and exterior poverty, as well as simplicity and a modest lifestyle; may they not have the mindset of  'princes'

“Be careful that they are not ambitious, that they are not in quest of the episcopate. It is said that at an early audience Blessed John Paul II was asked by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops about the criterion for the selection of candidates for the episcopate, and the Pope said with his special voice: 'the first criterion: volentes nulumus'. Those who seek the episcopate.... no, they won’t do.”

It is reasonable to suppose that Pope Francis’ life story has contributed to his mindset about the clergy needed for today’s Church. He openly acknowledges the mistakes he made when he was at age 36 appointed in 1973 the Provincial Superior over all the Jesuits in Argentina and Uruguay.

Biographer Paul Vallely concludes that “something happened to Jorge Mario Bergoglio which changed him dramatically” when he was removed from the office of Provincial in 1987 and in 1990 was sent into a kind of exile in Cordoba, Argentina. In his two years there Father Bergoglio underwent a conversion.

Vallely says, “Before Cordoba his leadership style was that of a strict, severe, dutiful disciplinarian, authoritarian who rarely smiled…afterwards he became gentler, more forgiving, more concerned to preach mercy, more listening –and more anxious to empower the poor…”

Pope Francis’ ministry in many ways reflects the conversion and ministry of his namesake, Francis of Assisi. The founder of the Franciscan order said that one day in the chapel of San Damiano he heard a voice telling him, “Repair my church.” It is said that at first he thought he was to fix the church (which he did), but later herealized he was called to repair the Church!

Pope Francis is clearly working to make repairs, an overhaul –from the top to the bottom.

{Sources: Vatican website; Religion News Service article by Josephine McKenna (9/16/16); National Catholic Reporter online article by Robert Mickens (9/26/16), Pope Francis: The Struggle For The Soul Of Catholicism by Paul Vallely (Bloomsbury, 2015).}

Pope Francis as Comforting and Afflicting Prophet

It is commonly held that the cardinal electors who chose Jorge Bergoglio to be the new pope were giving him the mandate to reform the Church, with iummediate attention to the Curia. Pope Francis took on that task, notably in forming his “Group of Nine,” cardinals from around the world who form an advisory (and investigative) panel to help him in his role as leader of the Catholic Church.

His efforts to reform the Curia include not simply structural changes but spiritual conversion as well. He famously reminded the curial  staff  just before Christmas in 2014 that they must not think of themselves as “lords of the manor” but as servants, and he went on to an examination of conscience listing 15 temptations (he called them “la malattia” or “the disease’) which they should avoid now and in the future.

Reform of the Curia is not complete. There is a staying power in the curial structure that resists change. Some critics of the Curia during the Second Vatican Council said that bureaucrats had a not-so-secret refrain among themselves: “Councils come and go, popes die, but the Curia goes on!”  Reform of the Vatican Bank, however, with significant structural changes appears imminent.

From the start of his papacy, however, Pope Francis has been as much concerned about reform of the world as he is about reform of  the Vatican and the Church at large. He consistently urges Christians to go out to the peripheries –to places on the margins of society, to people suffering from conflicted lives and broken hearts.

His first official journey was to Lampadusa, the small Sicilian island which has become the port of entry for refugees fleeing poverty and political turmoil in Africa. Thousands of these migrants have drowned  as they attempt to cross the Mediterranean in over-crowded boats and small rafts. In a special Mass on the island Pope Francis welcomed the migrants, mourned those who have died in their attempt to improve their lives, thanked those who were caring for the refugees, and warned the world at large about “the globalization of indifference.”  He also asked pardon for "those, whose decisions at a global level have created the conditions which have led us to this drama."

Pope Francis’ remarks about climate and economy have generated significant critical responses. For example, radio’s talk show guru Rush Limbaugh has judged Pope Francis to be guilty of Marxism because of the pope’s condemnation of  “unfettered capitalism.” El Rushbo  labeled as “communism” Pope Francis’ concern about man-made global warming. He also took offense at the pope’s remark that “if Christians don't dig deep and generously open their wallets, they do not have genuine faith.”

Retracing his steps Limbaugh did admit, “Now, maybe this is not communism, I don't know, but it's scary, and it's a little out there.  Remember what all this is related to is climate change, folks.  Every bit of this is related to climate change.”  Then, unable to let go of it, he added, “A man of religion, the Vicar of Christ, seems to have fallen in with the communist way of doing things: Controlling mankind through command-and-control governments backed by police or military power. This is what the pope is essentially calling for.  The problem is, human beings suffer under collectivist or communist regimes.  They do not prosper.”

Clearly Pope Francis has irritated one of America’s staunchest defenders of capitalism, one of its most out-spoken critics of made-made climate change. Pope Francis has done what he intended; he or more accurately his message has challenged the mindset of those who are comfortable in their convictions and who resent their values being questioned.

Pope Francis is reaching out to the world. He is exercising the pope’s role as a prophet. He is coming to the defense of those who are impoverished, who are victims of injustice, who do not have protection of their God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I do not know whether the pope is right in his judgment about global warming; I doubt that capitalism is in itself an evil economic system.  But I do believe that Pope Francis looks at the world at large and is conscious of environmental and economic conditions far different from and more depraved than what we see and experience in our part of the world.

The role of a prophet, it is said, is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  Pope Francis’ namesake did an admirable job of doing that very thing. The little friar of Assisi challenged the habits of society in celebrating Christmas when he said, “If I could speak to the emperor I would ask that a general law be made that all who can should scatter corn and grain along the roads so that the birds might have an abundance of food on the day of such great solemnity, especially our sisters the larks” (Celano, II, 200).

I suspect Francis of Assisi might be labeled a Marxist for suggesting that when the weather was cold he would ask a rich man to give him a cloak, and would tell him, “I  will accept this from you with this understanding, that you do not expect ever to have it back again.” And then, when Francis met a poor man, he would clothe him with what he had received with such joy and gladness (Celano, I, 76).

When we are unaware of the conditions in which some people must live we are not likely to feel compassion for them or want to change the structures that cause their misery. For example, many of us think of human trafficking as a problem in other parts of the world, but when we learn that more than 17,500 are trafficked in the United States every year (stats from US Department of Justice), then we may become concerned enough to do something about this modern form of slavery (trading people for forced labor or prostitution) happening especially in California and Texas.

If we learn that more than 10% of the US population lives in poverty, we may blame them for laziness, but when we encounter that poverty in the inner city homeless or the Appalachian shack dwellers, we may respond differently.

As I see it, Pope Francis is engaged in raising consciousness. I can always find arguments to temper my response. I know from being a pastor in a poor neighborhood that some of the poor play the game, that some are unequivocally lazy, that some take advantage of the government dole or the generosity of donors. I also know that there are many others who through bad choices or no-fault of their own are truly poor –economically, psychologically, mentally, spiritually.

I found adults who were abused as children and that abuse has left a permanent scar. I found people struggling to make things better for themselves, but found the bureaucracy of the welfare system a nightmare of forms, appointments, and regulations. (You have an appointment for 8 am, you do not have a car and must take the bus, you have two young children who need to board the school bus at 8:30 am –What do you do about the kids? What do you do if the bus route doesn’t go where you need to be? What do you do if you are late and you need to re-schedule?)

Pope Francis has undertaken the role of prophet. In that role he will irritate some, provide comfort for those in need, inform those who never thought of a given situation, and touch people of good will. Whether you believe in global warming or not, his message urges care for the environment –which is a good thing. Whether or not you buy his criticism of capitalism, his message urges you to be careful not to put money over people --which is a good thing.

On his return flight from Latin America, Pope Francis said he is aware of the negative reaction his comments about capital;ism have generated in the United States, and he agreed that he must listen to his critics and enter into dialogue with them. "If I don't dialogue with those who criticize," he explained, " then I have no right to express an opinion." He said he intends to study these criticisms before his visit to the United States and Cuba in September in order to prepare for the dialogue.

All Christians are called by their baptism to share in Christ’s role of being priest, prophet and servant leader. Pope Francis is modeling the Christian’s response. Right now he is emphasizing the prophetic role. The afflicted are being comforted, the comfortable are being afflicted. That’s what happens when prophets come on the scene.

Unusual Pope, Unusual Man

I have been reading about Pope Francis, and the more I read, the more I admire the man.

Nello Scavo’s book, Bergoglio’s List (Saint Benedict Press, 2013), focuses on the time of the so-called “Dirty War” (Guerra Sucia) in Argentina when, between 1974 and 1983,  the military took control of  the government and  hunted down, imprisoned and executed any person or group deemed to be dissident.

Jorge Bergoglio, ordained a priest in 1969, was serving as provincial superior of the Jesuits in Argentina when the military junta’s reign-of-terror was at its height. In 1976  two Jesuit priests (Orlando Yorio and  Franz Jalics), who had been working in the slums of Buenos Aires, were arrested by the military, tortured and held for five months.

Father Bergoglio was criticized by dissidents and many of his fellow Jesuits for not doing enough to free the two captives, and some accused him of collaborating with the regime. A document in the files of the Argentine authorities of that time led some to conclude that Bergoglio was sympathetic to the military junta. It says, “Despite the good will of Father Bergoglio, the Argentine Company (code for “Jesuits”) has not cleaned house.”

The expression “good will” confirmed for some critics that  Bergoglio failed to resist the terrorism, to protest the arrest and torture of his own men. Several have failed to analyze how “not cleaned house” is to be interpreted.

When Adolfo Maria Perez Esquivel, the Argentine social activist who won the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize for human rights activism and for denouncing military abuses, was asked about Bergoglio, he responded, “There were clergymen who were accomplices of the dictatorship, but Bergoglio was not one of them.”

In 2010, before his election to the papacy, Archbishop Bergoglio had testified that he had indeed met with General Jorge Videla, senior commander of the Argentine Army and dictator of Argentina from 1976-1981, and requested the release of his two priests.

Informed of Bergoglio’s testimony, the elderly former captive Franz Jalics responded, “I am reconciled to those events, and for me the issue is closed.” In 2013 Jalics again answered a question about the criticism of Bergoglio, and he explained that “it is false to believe that our arrest took place due to the instigations of Father Bergoglio. Orlando Yorio and I were not denounced by Bergoglio.”

Several thousand people simply disappeared during the “Dirty War,” but information is now forthcoming that perhaps 100 or more were rescued by none other than Father Bergoglio. Author Nello Scavo’s book was titled Bergoglio’s List in imitation of another famous rescuer, Oskar Schindler, the German businessman who saved the lives of several hundred Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

When Gonzalo Mosca saw Pope Francis standing before the crowd in St Peter’s Square he decided to tell his story about how Father Bergoglio had secretly arranged for his escape from Argentina in 1977. When Alicia Oliveira’s life was threatened she appealed to Father Bergoglio for help, and he found a way to keep her in hiding, even arranging for her to meet with her small children.

I have come to believe that there is a wisdom in Papa Francesco which comes not from books but from experience. He can be blunt and he can be diplomatic. He can speak out and also knows when to keep quiet. He has lived in a very real world, and is sensitive to those in need.

As new information comes out, the accusations against Bergoglio fail the litmus test. He acknowledges his failures, especially in his term as provincial leading the reform of the Jesuits after Vatican II. He responds to the question “Who is Jorge Bergoglio?” with “I am a sinner.”

But it is clear to me that we have a wise and gentle man in the office of St. Peter. He knows how to get things done, even if others around him misunderstand. I like Cardinal Walter Kasper’s title for his new book on the Holy Father –he titled it Pope Francis’ Revolution of Tenderness and Love  (Paulist Press, 2015).

Austen Ivereigh calls his biography The Great Reformer (Henry Holt and Company, 2014).

                                                                                                                                                           

Our Sunday Visitor has compiled A Year of Mercy with Pope Francis – Daily Reflections (2014). Loyola Press published The Church of Mercy by Pope Francis, A Vision for the Church (2014). Pope Francis –His Life in His Own Words (G. P. Putnam) is a reprint of the 2010 publication El Jesuita – Conversaciones con Jorge Bergoglio.

Chris Lowney has written Pope Francis – Why He Leads the Way He Leads (Loyola Press, 2013).Matthew Bunson wrote Pope Francis (Our Sunday Visitor, 2013). Mario Escobar published Francis – Man of Prayer (Thomas Nelson, 2013). Paul Vallely authored Pope Francis – Untying the Knots (Bloomsbury, 2013).

These titles are but a few of the books available on this unusual pope, unusual man. Pray for his protection and good health.

Pope Francis Walks the Walk

Before the conclave that elected him successor of Pope Benedict, Cardinal Jorge Brogoglio addressed the cardinal electors, expressing his personal vision of how the Church should be. He said “The Church must come out of herself and go to the peripheries.” He criticized the Church for being “self-referent,” a condition he described as “theological narcissism” which “keeps Jesus Christ within herself and does not allow Him to go out.”

He suggested that the pope which the cardinals elect should be “a man who, from contemplation of Jesus Christ…will help the Church to come out of herself toward the existential peripheries.”

Cardinal Bergoglio was elected on the fifth ballot, and took the name Francis, an indication of his concern for the poor and for all on the peripheries.

Pope Francis’ first official visit outside of Rome (July, 2013) was to the periphery, to Lampedusa, Italy’s southern-most island, the door by which hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia attempt to enter Europe.

Thousands of these immigrants have paid “people smugglers” to transport them across the Mediterranean to an immigration center on Lampedusa. Many of those who made the perilous trip and arrived safely were summarily deported to Lybia.

IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks), an independent, non-profit media organization, guestimates that “there were 278,000 irregular border crossings (into Europe) in 2014,” many of them through the island of Lampedusa.

On July 8, 2013, Pope Francis celebrated Mass on an altar made of wood from the remains of an old fishing boat, commemorating the deaths of thousands of immigrants who have died in crossing the sea from North Africa.

He prayed with and for the immigrants, both Christians and Muslims. He thanked the citizens of Lampedusa for providing hospitality for the immigrants, and urged the rest of Europe and the world to overcome any vestige of indifference, reminding them of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

In his book about Pope Francis (The Great Reformer, Henry Holt and Company, 2014), author Austen Ivereigh recalls the “thousands of bloated bodies” which have washed ashore from capsized boats carrying immigrants to Lampedusa.

He wrote, “Francis learned from newspaper reports soon after his March 13, 2013, election that more than twenty-five thousand North Africans had lost their lives this way…Appalled that few seemed aware or to care, he (Pope Francis) opted to make Lampedusa, 180 miles off the coast of Africa, his first papal visit –to the peripheries of Europe. There, on July 8, he wept for the dead and made migration a pro-life issue” (p. 1).

In October of 2013, a few months after Pope Francis’s visit to Lampedusa, another boat capsized resulting in the deaths of 300 people.

IRIN reported on March 6, 2015, that “Italy’s Mediterranean search-and-rescue operation, Mare Nostrum, was discontinued late last year after saving over 150,000 lives, because other EU (European Union) countries were unwilling to share the nearly US$10 million a month cost. Meanwhile, Germany and Sweden have taken in far larger numbers of Syrian asylum seekers than other states such as the UK which has accepted only 90.”

In his exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (Gospel Joy) Pope Francis wrote, “Migrants present a particular challenge for me, since I am the pastor of a Church without frontiers, a Church which considers herself a mother to all. For this reason, I exhort all countries to a generous openness which,  rather than fearing the loss of local identity, will prove capable of creating new forms of cultural synthesis” (210).

Pope Francis does not just talk the talk, he walks the walk –--he is present to those on the periphery, a reaching out consistent with his vision of what a pope should do and the Church should be.

Francis: Pope and Prophet

Franciscan friar Father Richard Rohr spoke to a filled auditorium at Cincinnati’s Union Terminal on May 1, 2014,  exploring the question, “Can a pope also be a prophet?” And his unambiguous answer was “Yes,” if Pope Francis is the pope and prophet in question.

Rohr describes a prophet as one who has the capacity for self-criticism. This prophetic gift, Rohr went on to say, prompts Pope Francis to analyze the journey of the Church today and offer a variety of course-corrections.

Two sources in which Catholics can find the self-criticism and course-correction are Pope Francis’ pre-conclave remarks to his fellow cardinals and his post-synodal exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel.

Prior to the beginning of the conclave, the cardinals were offered the opportunity to suggest to their fellow electors what they were looking for in a new pope.

In his remarks, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio said “the Church must come out of herself and go to the peripheries.” He spoke of a “theological narcissism,” criticizing the Church for being “self-referent” and of keeping Jesus Christ for herself and not allowing Him to go out.

It may be that these observations were a particularly strong incentive for the electors to choose Bergoglio as the man to replace Pope Benedict XVI.

Rohr said he has asked church historians whether they can recall ever finding such prophetic sentiments in a pope, and the answer has been, “No.”

Since popes are priests, it is unusual to find this kind of self-criticism and exhortation for Church reform since clerics and hierarchs tend to promote the status quo and eschew change. They are, Rohr said, “always tribal thinkers.”

In The Joy of the Gospel  Rohr found further evidence of the pope/prophet’s call for critical change.

Pope Francis reminds Catholics that God wants people to live joyful lives, and that “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy” (3).

The Church, Pope Francis says, must go forth as an evangelizing community, and adds “Evangelizers thus take on the ‘smell of the sheep’ and the sheep are willing to hear their voice” (24).

“There are ecclesial structures which can hamper efforts at evangelization,” Pope Francis said in paragraph 26. And in 43 urged a re-examination of Church customs, rules and precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for shaping and directing people’s lives.

He recalled the point made by St. Thomas Aquinas that “the precepts which Christ and the apostles gave to the people of God ‘are very few’” (43).

Rohr noted that Pope Francis appealed to the principle of subsidiarity (decisions should be made on the lowest possible level of governance), and listed threats to Gospel joy such as economic inequality and the warring among Christian denominations who fight fellow believers for power, prestige and economic security.

Offering more than criticism, Pope Francis went on to suggest four specific principles for building of people and society (222-237):

1) "Time is greater than space,” by which Pope Francis means we must not be in a hurry to get things done, but allow processes to develop; 

2) "Unity prevails over conflict,” which means it’s more important to build community than to win arguments;

3) "Realities are more important than ideas,” that is, it’s one thing to have an idea or proposition, and it’s something else (more important) to put the word into practice;

4) "The whole is greater than the part,” or “we need to pay attention to the global,” to broaden our horizons; we must pursue the common good.

All through his talk, Rohr peppered his quotations from Pope Francis with observations of his own, recalling, for example, Mother Teresa’s directive that we must “cut the string” on the good we do, and not do things for reward or recognition.

Other of Rohr’s insights worthy of reflection and discussion include:

1)      “Every expectation is a resentment waiting to happen.”

2)      Power is where evil hides; it usually does not look like evil; it charades as obedience or loyalty.

3)      God’s covenant is with the people; it is communal.

4)      Our failures bring us to God.

5)      The so-called “para-church” is developing, namely a number of congregations of various denominations working side by side, developing their gifts without criticizing or putting down the gifts of others.

6)      Church architecture can be a trap. Big cathedrals define a stage or era in the Church’s history, but they may in fact hold back the people who use them.

7)      If a pope undoes what Vatican II directs, it becomes clear to many that the Church in fact is a monarchy.

St. Francis of Assisi, Rohr said, was an anti-establishment person, confronting the mores of the Church and culture of his day. Pope Francis is doing something similar. Pope Francis is turning the world back to the Gospel, and it is significant that others beyond Catholics or even Christians are taking note.

A pope can be a prophet, and Jorge Bergoglio (aka Pope Francis) is proof.

Papa Francesco's Agenda

There is a renewed interest and energy in the Catholic Church, and the cause of this post-Vatican II aggiornamento is Pope Francis.

People both inside and outside the Catholic community are talking about him, about his style, about his message.

Some are negative, saying that he is undermining the authority of the papacy, especially in his calling together a group of eight cardinals to advise him on Church policy and reform of the Vatican bureaucracy.  When Pope Francis challenged “unbridled capitalism,” radio-talk host Rush Limbaugh said the pope didn’t know what he was talking about. Still others lament, “He’s just style. He’s the Vatican’s PR man.”

Others praise him as “the people’s pope,” assessing his style, his words, and his example as a refreshing return to Gospel values. “He gives me hope,” is a common response to the question, “What do you think of Francis?” Some of those close to him have noted that he does not want to see a “personality cult” develop around him as did around Pope John Paul II; he wants the cult to be Christ-centered. His choice as Time’s man of the year was bitter-sweet for him.

Few of us knew that Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio was first runner-up in the conclave voting which had elected Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI on April 19, 2005. Eight years later Bergoglio’s name was seldom suggested as a possible replacement for the retiring Pope Benedict, but on March 13, 2013, he was elected with 90 out of a possible 115 votes. He accepted the office of Bishop of Rome, vicar of St. Peter, and chose the name Francis.

The information which trickles out of the secret conclave indicates that the majority of cardinals were looking for a leader who would restore Church credibility and could reform the Vatican Bank and Curia. Some of them insisted the Church needed a Gospel pope.

Pope Francis biographer Paul Vallely thinks that one of the major factors in the election of Bergoglio was a speech he made in the Synod Hall before the conclave. Each cardinal was allotted five minutes to address the assembly of voters. Vallely says that Bergoglio’s talk "lasted just three-and-a-half minutes…but it electrified the synod hall.”

Bergoglio reminded his brother cardinals that the only purpose of the Church is to go out to tell the world the good news about Jesus Christ, that the Church needed to surge forth to the peripheries, not just geographically but to the existential peripheries where people grapple with sin, injustice, ignorance and indifference to religion.

He spoke, it is said, from a few scribbled notes, but later in the day Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino of Havana, Cuba, asked Bergoglio for a copy of his remarks. The next day Bergoglio gave him a copy, and Ortega put it on his diocesan website.

In his book Pope Francis: Untying the Knots, Vallely provides a version of the talk:

            “But the Church has got too wrapped up in itself. It was too navel-gazing. It had become          ‘self-referential’ which had made it sick. It was suffering a 'kind of theological narcissism.’ When Jesus said, ’Behold I stand at the door and knock’ people assumed he was outside, wanting to come in. But sometimes Jesus knocks from within, wanting to be let out into the wider world. A self-referential Church wants to keep Jesus to itself, instead of letting him out to others.

            “The Church is supposed to be the mysterium lunae –the mystery of the moon is that it has no light but simply reflects the light of the sun. The Church must not fool itself that it  has light of its own; if it does that it falls in to what Henri de Lubac in The Splendor of  the Church called the greatest of evils –spiritual worldliness. That is what happens with a  self-referential Church, which refuses to go beyond itself.

             “Put simply, there are two images of the Church: a Church which evangelizes and comes out of  herself or a worldly Church, living within herself, of herself, for herself.  The next Pope should be someone who helps the Church surge forth to the peripheries like a sweet and comforting mother who offers the joy of Jesus to the world.”

These remarks or the gist of them provide the theology/philosophy motivating Pope Francis’ agenda. When he told priests that the shepherd should smell like the sheep, he was telling them to stop being “self-referential.” When he washed the feet of twelve prisoners (two of them women) on Holy Thursday, he was going out to the peripheries. When he chose not to live in the papal apartment, he was warning against spiritual worldliness.

It would be a mistake to put all the emphasis in the Church on its pope. The focus of the Church is Jesus Christ. The pope becomes for us the mystery of the moon, reflecting the light of Christ. His speech before the conclave, reminding his brothers of the Church’s purpose are worthy of ongoing reflection and will likely serve as a helpful preamble to interpreting Pope Francis’ agenda.

 

Pope Francis as Pontiff

In 2010 Pope Benedict XVI sat for an extensive, book-length interview with German journalist Peter Sewald. It was published as Light of the World.

In three previous interviews Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had responded to a series of challenging questions with what critiques described as "frank" and "honest" answers: The Ratzinger Report (1987),  Salt  of the Earth (1996), and God and the World (2002).

Now Pope Francis has followed suit --an interview conducted in August, 2013, by Antonio Spadaro, SJ, with publication on September 19, 2013.

The main-stream press described the interview as "sending shock waves from the Vatican."

Pope Francis is quoted as saying, "The Church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you."

He also said, "During the return flight from Rio de Janeiro I said that if a homosexual person is of good will and is in search of God, I am no one to judge. By saying this, I said what the catechism says. Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free: it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person."

And he said, "The dogmatic and moral teachings of the Church are not all equivalent. The Church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently."

The full text can be found at America magazine's online site.

Such remarks (here admittedly taken out of context) brought forth a variety of responses and explanations.

For example, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said in a TV interview,  “I think what he’s saying is, sometimes, if we come across as negative, as complaining too much, we lose the folks. We’ve got to be positive; we’ve got to be fresh; we’ve got to be affirming. ... I think he’s on to something. He’s a good teacher.”

When he was first elected pope, reports emerged that as Provincial Superior, head of all the Jesuits in Argentina, young Father Jorge Bergoglio began his leadership by rolling back his predecessor's changes and returning pre-Vatican II values and lifestyle.

He insisted that moral theology be taught from a Latin text-book, a requirement that proved troubling to the novices who did not know Latin.

Liberation Theology was taboo.

An older Jesuit, interviewed at the time of Bergoglio's election as Bishop of Rome, gave a less than enthusiastic response: "Yes I know Bergoglio. He's a person who has caused a lot of problems in the (Jesuit) Society and is highly controversial in his own country...We have spent two decades trying to fix the chaos that man left us."

In his assessment, British author Paul Vallely in his book Pope Francis: Untying the Knots (Bloomsbury, 2013) writes that despite his demands Bergoglio was described by some colleagues and students as "a marvelous leader," "a very spiritual man, humble with strong convictions," "responsible for attracting a large number of young men to join the Jesuits at a time when the numbers had fallen."

Now, as we assess the style and theology of Papa Francesco, we are aware that Bergoglio at some time and for some reason underwent a spiritual, theological metamorphosis. He comes across as a different man. Vallely believes the change came from experience, personal experience of living with and for the poor.

The pastoral Bergoglio tempered the clerical Bergoglio, and the result is Pope Francis, the "pope of surprises."

Vallely notes in his book that Pope Benedict had returned to the old practice of saying Mass with his back to the people, but "Francis made plain that this practice had been overturned for good reason, to make the people feel more included in the Church's liturgy. If he had ever doubted that, he learned its truth in the slums of Argentina." Again, another assertion that experience, pastoral experience, is formative.

Robert Mickens, Vatican Correspondent for The Tablet, thinks that cardinals and episcopal conferences are waiting to see what the new pope does next. Mickens thinks many bishops are licking a finger and holding it up in the air, trying to determine which way the wind is blowing.

However you assess Pope Francis and his impact upon the Church, you have to admit that he has people talking. His simplicity of lifestyle, his openness to the crowds, his policy of consultation, his concern for the poor, his defense of outsiders, and his appreciation for the environment have all coalesced into a formidable presence in the Catholic Church.

For centuries the term "pontiff" (from the Latin pontifex, which probably means "bridge builder") has been applied to bishops in the Catholic Church. When referring to the pope, the Bishop of Rome, it is usually rendered "Supreme Pontiff."

Although Pope Francis seems to prefer the title "Bishop of Rome," it may be more fitting to apply the designation "pontiff," for his style and his teaching have certainly become a bridge between the hierarchs and the people of God.

New Pope Brings New Hope

Asking priest-friends what they think of the new pope, I hear most of them reply, "I have hope."

Pope Benedict's farewell used the image "disfigured face" to describe the Church of the twenty-first century.

He must have been thinking of the hierarchy's failure to manage the priest-pedophilia problem as well as the scandal emanating from the Vatican bank.

The choice of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as successor to Pope Benedict signaled the electors' intention to pursue a new regimen for repairing the Church and attending to its disfigured face.

Reports from the Vatican suggest that Pope Francis has taken on the challenge like a leader who knows that change is needed and who intends to make those changes.

There is not the least hint that Pope Francis will change dogma, but there is clearly reason to believe that he will alter the way the Church has been doing business.

His decision to appoint Vatican officials back to their old posts on a temporary basis sends a message.

Unlike his predecessors Pope Francis has been having lunch with Vatican employees. A bank employee who attended one such luncheon said, "He is genuinely interested in you and gives you his full attention...I can honestly say, I spent more time talking with this pope than the last two combined."

The menu, the bank employee further noted, "was nothing fancy...just a small salad, some pasta and a chocolate cookie for dessert. To drink, a choice of coffee or tea --No vino! --which you could tell disappointed some of the old guard."

Pope Francis is clearly a pastoral priest. His presence among and in the crowds is not a publicity stunt. He is simply being the open and loving person he has been for decades. The stories told of his behaviors as cardinal (riding the bus, living in simple quarters) give witness to a well-practiced modus operandi.

The hope inspired by the new pope is refreshing. His emphasis is not on externals; he shies away from pomp and circumstance. He is motivated by his spirituality. He knows Jesus.

His washing the feet of women on Holy Thursday upset some pope-watchers. They said, "He broke the law!" (The Holy Thursday rubric in the Roman Missal says, "The men who have been chosen..."). We can only speculate whether there were women among the disciples whose feet Jesus washed at the Last Supper. For Pope Francis, "disciples" obviously includes women.

That Vatican bank employee who cherished his time and luncheon with Pope Francis concluded, "I think he is going to be a very good Pope! And no one is going to tell him what to do. He is his own man. Let's hope he will be with us for a long time!"

The hope inspired by our new pope is like the dawn after a long night. It is a feeling of expectation that things will get better, that the Church will more faithfully reflect the Gospel and more engagingly fulfill its mission and ministry.

When the bishops at the Second Vatican Council analyzed their role in the Church, they said that "bishops should be with their people as those who serve...(that) they should arrange their own lives to meet the needs of the times...(that) they should ensure that the faithful are duly involved in church affairs.." (Christus Dominus, #16).

Pope Francis seems to have taken a page from the council document and from the Gospels.

A Franciscan-Jesuit ---he breathes new hope in an old Church, and the disfigured face is beginning to smile!

Pray for Protection of the Pope

We must pray for the protection of Pope Francis.

It is clear already that the new Bishop of Rome will not docilely follow the practices and conventions of his immediate predecessors.

His decision not to wear the customary red papal cape before stepping out on the loggia of St. Peter's the night of his election was the first sign that, in the words of Italian journalist Massimo Franco, "the end of the Pope-King and of the Vatican Court is over."

Jorge Brigoglio's previous life-style (his simple accommodations, his riding the bus to work, his pastoral ministry even as cardinal) will obviously carry over into his lifestyle as pope.

It has been reported that when he walked into the papal apartment his initial reaction was, "There's room for 300 people here --I don't need all this space."

The new bishop of Rome sounds more like Jesus of Nazareth and Francis of Assisi ("Go sell all that you have and give to the poor...Take nothing with you on the road...Deny yourself").

Pope Francis explained his choice of the name. He said that a cardinal from Brazil urged him not to forget the poor. That encouragement led him to reflect on Francis of Assisi and three aspects of the saint's life: self-imposed poverty, love of peace, and concern for the environment.

We must pray for the protection of Pope Francis.

As beloved as he already is, Papa Francesco will inevitably face rejection, ridicule, and even persecution for being different. Bullying simple souls is no more a stranger on the world stage or in Church circles than it is on a school bus or playground.

Some well-meaning souls will reject his way of doing things on the grounds that he undermines the dignity of his office and the authority of the Church.

Some will ridicule him for "catering to the poor," for reflecting the pastoral more than the dogmatic, for threatening the mindset of the more "conservative" members of the Church.

Some will persecute him for his perceived involvement or lack-of-involvement  in response to Argentine politics, for whatever he decides to do about the scandals in the Curia, for his response to pedophilia and its cover-up.

I fear for his life. We must pray for the protection of Pope Francis.

It is common knowledge that anyone who dares raise his head above the crowd has placed himself in danger.

"They" killed Archbishop Oscar Romero, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Sister Dorothy Stang, lay-missionary Jean Donovan, even Jesus of Nazareth.

Pope Francis' walking among the people, shaking hands, kissing babies, and simply being accessible put him in danger.

We do not pray that he change his modus operandi. May it continue. May his pastoral sensitivity pervade the Church. May his intention to pass on an optimism and hope to younger generations who are looking for spiritual guidance be realized. May his papacy bring about that new Pentecost so intently hoped for at Vatican II.

We must, however, pray for his protection.

Francis the Fourth

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio surprised us all when he took the name "Francis" as Bishop of Rome and pope of the Church.

Cardinal Albino Luciani broke with tradition in 1978 when he took a double name; he chose "John" to honor Pope John XXIII and "Paul" to honor his predecessor Pope Paul VI.

If our historical record is correct, Pope John II (533-535) was the first Bishop of Rome to change his name (unless you count Jesus' changing Simon's name to Peter); he had been Mercurius, and it must have seemed inappropriate for a pope to have the name of a pagan god.

In 938 the Bishop of Pavia in Italy, Peter Canepanova, was appointed pope by the emperor; out of deference to St. Peter, the new Bishop of Rome changed his name to John XIV. Sergius IV in 1009 also had "Peter" as his baptismal name and did not want to have the same official name as the Apostle.

Gregory V (996-999), the first German pope, changed his name from Bruno, and Pope Sylvester II (999-1003), the first French pope, changed his name from Gerbert. There has been the suspicion that both did so in order to sound more "Roman."

The last two popes to keep their baptismal names were Adrian VI (1522-23) and Marcellus II (1555).

Taking a new name upon becoming pope is a custom, not a rule. Cardinal Bergoglio could have become Pope Jorge I. Instead he chose Francis, the first Bishop of Rome to have that name.

Since he is a Jesuit, Cardinal Bergoglio might have been influenced by the example of  Francis Xavier, who died in 1552, one of the original group of seven Jesuits ordained in 1537. Francis Xavier has been called "one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the Church." He is invoked as patron of foreign missions.

Francis de Sales, who died in 1622, is a bishop and doctor of the Church, remembered for his encouraging lay spirituality and for writing his classic Introduction to the Devout Life. He is patron of writers.

And, of course, there is St. Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226, the founder of  the Franciscans. This Francis is known for his simplicity, asceticism, humility, mystical experiences.

I like to think that all three in this triumvirate could be his inspiration.

Francis Xavier lived as a poor man in order to serve the poor. It is said that he slept on the ground and chose a diet of rice and water. He died at age 46.

Francis de Sales, known as a wise, learned, and gentle teacher, explained the teachings of the Church and Bible, urging the faithful to develop their spiritual lives.

Francis of Assisi, according to one story, heard God say to him, "Repair my church," and in his own unique way Francis did just that, calling attention to the church's failings and encouraging its reform.

If the qualities of each Francis surface in the pontificate of Pope Francis I, then the Church of the twenty-first century will have experienced another humble, wise, and reforming leader --just what we need in a church with "a disfigured face."

Perhaps Pope Francis will be added to the triumvirate, and become thereby Francis the Fourth. We must pray for him.

(Father Richard McBrien's Lives of the Saints and his Lives of the Popes are two excellent, easy-to-read sources for learning more about the leaders and inspirers of the Church.)