Francis: the Pope of our Punishment?

As I write I am not long returned from tending our small flock of sheep and its ten lambs. While there was a lovely interlude of warm sunshine. As I walked back in the sky clouded over and now the sky has gone darker still, and there is the rumbling of thunder.

All of which strikes me as rather an apt image of the first few days of Pope Francis’ pontificate, up to today’s liturgical inauguration of his petrine ministry. There has been much basking in the sunshine of a new pope of so many firsts: the South American, the first Jesuit, the first Francis, for example. He is also the first pope I know of to eschew so consciously many of the symbols of his papal office. And we stop now that things are full steam ahead with this new pontificate, the sunshine might be about to fade and the storm clouds edge into our horizons.

When Benedict XVI his abdication I was quite taken aback and wrote a post that was seen by some as charged more than usual with emotion. Among the things said then was:

Surely the wilful misrepresentations of his [Benedict XVI's] teachings, the arrogant refusal to accept his attempts to reconcile those drifting from the Church and to restore order to the life and liturgy of the Church, the scandalous opprobrium heaped on him for the abuse crisis when he was one of the few who so clearly and consistently stood against it, the bile and venom spat at him – and not just by the world but especially by Catholics: all this is an indictment of God’s people just as much as of the world. …

… let us pray that in the Lenten conclave God will grant us the pope we should desire and not the one we have deserved by our culpable action, or inaction.

And on the election of Pope Francis, when assessing the signs he gave and the reactions to them in this post, I ventured to say that,

Pope Francis might not be the pope I was hoping for, but he seems like the pope we all need.

And still no mention of Vatican II…

So taking stock of Pope Francis’ radical stripping away of symbolism and his relatively minimalist way of celebrating Mass; his advocacy of concern for the poor and simplicity of life for all the Church; his stout defence of Church teaching on the moral issues most in contention today; the continued absence of any explicit mention of Vatican II as part of his rhetoric (except as an aside in a message to the Chief Rabbi of Rome rather than to the Church); and his repeated reference to the Devil and to the fact that not to be for Christ is to be for the Devil – all this makes me wonder if he is the rod of divine punishment for the Church. And this not least for:

• those who have over-valued the trappings and ephemera of liturgy rather than directing their zeal more completely to the proper celebration of what is the Church’s liturgy, its form and structure, its orientation, its essential Christ-centredness as opposed to its minister-centredness (from priest down to extraordinary minister of Holy Communion);
• those who have adopted the rhetoric (exposed in his last papal days by Benedict) of the the virtual Council, a political hermeneutic with power as its focus, rather than hermeneutic of faith in which the Second Vatican Council was intended to be conducted;
• those who have continued to white-ant the moral teachings of the Church, Catholics who deny Church teaching yet profess still to be faithful Catholics;
• those whose primary motivation is in practice to gain the good regard of the world rather than of Christ;
• those whose life and priorities witness more to worldliness than to the purity of the Gospel of the Crucified Christ;
• those who seek to refashion the Church to suit themselves, rather than convert themselves to the message of the Church; and
• those who see the things of God as personal possessions rather than gifts held in trust.

Each one of us is probably covered by at least one of the categories listed.

Most probably we are all going to be discomfited by this pope. He is going to make us all fear, and strike us all where it hurts us most. Already the world is beginning to turn on him as they realise his simple purity in material affairs is matched by an equally simple purity in matters of faith and morals. He has already discomfited his fellow Jesuits. Gird your loins, people of God – Pope Francis might be about to deliver the smaller, purer Church Pope Benedict saw as required over the coming years.

If Pope Francis should prove a rod of punishment, then its strokes will be the discipline of a loving father. Yes, God does punish us in this life, no matter what the recent saccharine gospel might tell you. He punishes us now that we might not have to endure punishment eternally, punishment far worse than anything we could suffer in this world.

Outside my window it is now pouring with heavy rain – large drops obscuring the view, striking the ground hard and soaking it in but a few moments, making for an early twilight.

And still no mention of Vatican II…

Pope Francis and the Falklands

Well, it was one of my first fears when Francis was elected – that Argentina’s government would ramp up the pressure to get its greedy hands on the Falklands. No matter that no Argentine has lived on them, and that the residents of the Falklands have overwhelmingly voted, all but three of them, to remain British. Little matter that the renewed campaign under Presidentrix Kirchner regarding the Falklands has more to do with distracting her citizens from her gross mismanagement of the country and its economy, than with any real matter of justice. Like most things, it has a history of greater or less complexity depending how you view it.

So no surprises then that the Presidentrix is already attempting to drag the new Pope into the affair, even though she reviled Cardinal Bergoglio when he was in Buenos Aires for his concerted opposition to her plans to attack the institution of marriage. Now he has become Pope, he is a friend all of a sudden, and the Presidentrix has whipped out another of her faces from the collection she maintains.

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner on Monday asked compatriot Pope Francis to mediate in the Falkland Islands‘ dispute with Britain at the new pontiff’s first talks with a head of state, as world leaders flew in for his inauguration mass. … Kirchner and Francis appeared to have avoided sensitive issues, with the president saying simply: “He’s our pope”.

The rest is here. The new Pope has made a point so far of doing things his own way. On this point he would do well to listen very carefully to the advice he will certainly be given: to speak words of peace, and stay out of the matter.

Now the knives are out for Benedict XVI

Ever so quickly as I should be working on some conferences, but this had to be remarked.

It did not take long. Pope Francis has not even been enthroned yet and some cardinals are laying daggers into Benedict; as he is no longer pope and his successor is in plain sight, he is now fair game it seems.

The first shock was to read, after a tip off, Cardinal Mahony’s Twitter page. It is beneath my dignity to link directly to it, but here is the string of tweets (going from last to first) in question:

Cardinal Mahony ‏@CardinalMahony

So long, Papal ermine and fancy lace! Welcome, simple cassock, and hopefully, ordinary black shoes! St. Francis must be overjoyed!!

 Cardinal Mahony ‏@CardinalMahony

At our meeting today with Pope Francis, I noted that is still wearing his older black shoes. I pray that he keeps them as a sign for us all

Cardinal Mahony ‏@CardinalMahony

Mass with Pope Francis: moving from HIGH Church to LOW and humble Church! What a blessing that we are encountering Jesus without trappings!

Cardinal Mahony ‏@CardinalMahony

Don’t you feel the new energy in the Church, and being shared with one another? We will experience a new Pentecost as the early Christians.

Snide remarks from an objectionable man. A man who clearly covered up with full intent and awareness the criminal sins of so many of his priests that he was forced to pay out US$660 million in one settlement alone to bring the lawsuits to a speedy resolution before people tried to see all the files, which as we know he steadfastly refused to hand over to police. Now there can be good reasons for that, but we know now his reason: to kide his clear and culpable complicity. This is not a case of a naive bishop trying to keep everyone happy. Far from it.

And this is a man who built a monstrosity of cathedral costing a king’s ransom, but who derides Benedict wearing the nicer things already in the papal wardrobe.

This is a man who “Religious Education” conferences gave a happy home to heresy for years, and the liturgies at which were often nearly pagan, and more often sacrilegious.

Compare him to Cardinal O’Brien who sinned when in his cups, years ago, with adults, and not that seriously. He withdraws from the conclave voluntarily, issues a short but abject apology, and then bows out to keep silence. Mahony has not apologised, went to the conclave despite the thousands of Catholics who begged him not to, has cast the blame on others and likened himself to a martyr and even to Christ, and who whined like a spoilt brat when his successor in Los Angeles withdrew permission for Mahony’s active ministry! The shamelessness of his snide remarks aimed at Benedict is appalling. Pray for him.

And Cardinal Lehmann has criticised Benedict for not having revealed all the contents of the Vatileaks enquiry to the cardinals. Instead, Benedict left the dossier for his successor to act on.  He says Benedict’s approach “could be misinterpreted”, which it seems is what he is deliberately doing.

But a modicum of rational thought will enable even the Cardinal to see that Benedict had no choice. If he had revealed all, he would no doubt have embarrassed some cardinals present just as they were about to enter conclave, and left a nasty mess for his successor to clear off as he flew away into the sunset. Benedict had the sense, considerateness and courtesy to leave his successor with a totally free hand in deciding what to do with the report. The Curia is the pope’s domain, and not that of a self-important, over-reaching and grandstanding diocesan bishop. Let him deal with his own diocese, which from memory has a few problems of its own.

Grrr. Back to work ….

 

Some papal pics

This is an awful moment to be trying to get work done: papal abdication, papal election, surprises and analyses of them, and just the sheer coping with so much totally unexpected change in the space of a month. I am trying to give a retreat to the Knights of Malta here at Douai. I had to tear up what I had begun to prepare for them since there was no way I could find the necessary attentiveness to finish it. Luckily, the good Knights are happy for me to work through these last few weeks with them, to attempt to extract the spiritual and evangelical meaning from them, howsoever tentatively. Bless you good Knights!

So with two more conferences to finish off, and sheep to feed, and a Holy Hour to celebrate, plus the normal monastic round of liturgy, posting might not feature highly today. Unless, of course, another ecumenical bonanza materializes, or Pope Francis reveals himself even more in his meeting with the media today. In time of need, one can usually squeeze a few extra seconds from every minute.

So, on a lighter note, some papal pictures from the last few days. They will all get bigger if you click them.

This photo is doing the rounds. Magnificent. Just after his election and dressing in the Room of Tears, Pope Francis heads from the Sistine Chapel to greet the masses, il suo populo. What was going through his mind?

Pope Benedict had been the first pope ever to watch coverage of the election of his successor.

The next morning, Pope Francis, who had returned to his room with the other cardinal at Sta Martha for the night, eschewed the papal limousine, and caught the bus with them to Mass in the palace he had just acquired. Are these pics from a cell-phone armed Eminence?

But catching the bus to work was nothing new for his Holiness, who did the same as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

After Mass he decided to make the customary visit to Sta Maria Maggiore, one of the four papal basilicas in Rome, a little earlier than usual. Again, the limo stayed in the garage. He hailed a passing Vatican police car!

At least in this he was acknowledging to some degree his need for increased security now. He later visited an ailing Cardinal Mejia in hospital, again by discreet mode of transport. His impromptu travels have the advantage of allowing no potential assassin time to plan. Nevertheless, I hope he does not expose himself so much that he becomes another pope to fall to an assassin. His welfare is not merely a private concern: in a profound way, he belongs to us now.

He brought flowers for our Lady.

And paused to pray also before the tomb of Pope St Pius V, the codifier of the so-called Tridentine Mass, or more properly now, the Extraordinary Form of the Mass; St Pius V was also a zealous reformer of Church and Curia. mmmm….

On the way back to the palace, he dropped in at the Domus Paulus VI, the clerical hotel where he had stayed pre-conclave. He grabbed his remaining things and, as you know by now, he paid his bill.

And they found the key in time for Pope Francis to enter his new apartment. I wonder if Benedict XVI left him a little welcome note? In Buenos Aires he had a small flat in which he cooked his own meals. It is unlikely this flat has a kitchenette…. yet!

Pope Francis had a little stumble yesterday. The media pounced on it. Some treated the media response with the scorn it deserved. No picture of it here. So an old man, sitting on an unfamiliar chair in an unfamiliar place, doing unfamiliar things, forgets the chair has a step and so has a little wobble. Piffling trifle. Let’s move on.

Pray for the Pope. You can use Leo XIII’s prayer:

O Lord, we are the millions of believers, humbly kneeling at Thy feet and begging Thee to preserve, defend and save the Sovereign Pontiff for many years. He is the Father of the great fellowship of souls and our Father as well. On this day, as on every other day, he is praying for us also, and is offering unto Thee with holy fervour the sacred Victim of love and peace.

Wherefore, O Lord, turn Thyself toward us with eyes of pity; for we are now, as it were, forgetful of ourselves, and are praying above all for him. Do Thou unite our prayers with his and receive them into the bosom of Thine infinite mercy, as a sweet savour of active and fruitful charity, whereby the children are united in the Church to their Father. All that he asks of Thee this day, we too ask it of Thee in unison with him.

Whether he weeps or rejoices, whether he hopes or offers himself as a victim of charity for his people, we desire to be united with him; nay more, we desire that the cry of our hearts should be made one with his. Of Thy great mercy grant, O Lord, that not one of us may be far from his mind and his heart in the hour that he prays and offers unto Thee the Sacrifice of Thy blessed Son. At the moment when our venerable High Priest, holding in His hands the very Body of Jesus Christ, shall say to the people over the Chalice of benediction these words: “The peace of the Lord be with you always,” grant, O Lord, that Thy sweet peace may come down upon our hearts and upon all the nations with new and manifest power. Amen.

AWESOME ecumenical news

If you read here regularly (and my thanks to both of you!) you might remember that I spent a little time looking at the ecumenical reactions to Benedict XVI’s abdication. First I combined the reactions of a Lutheran, Russian and Greek Orthodox prelates and the leader of the Bruderhof (in the anabaptist tradition), and noted how remarkably positive they were, especially when compared to the venom dripping from some Catholic fangs. Then we looked at the official statement from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople (the Orthodox ‘pope’ to put it very crudely and loosely) who wrote in unprecedented warm terms about Benedict, including this wonderful jewel:

We Orthodox will always honor him as a friend of our Church and a faithful servant of the sacred proposition for the union of all.

It seemed to signal that Benedict had furthered ecumenism much more than he was credited with by most commentators, and I hoped aloud that his successor could continue to build on this authentic and strong ecumenical foundation. Then Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, even more remarkably given the Russian Orthodox mistrust of the Roman Church, wrote in terms barely less fulsome, and he ventured to declare a hope:

I sincerely hope what developed during your active participation, a good trusting relationship between the Orthodox and the Catholics, will continue to grow with your successor.

So, imagine my stunned gaping when I saw a comment from the Restless Pilgrim alerting me to the fact that it has been announced that Patriarch Bartholomew will attend Pope Francis’ Mass of inauguration on Tuesday. This is BIG news. For the first time since the Great Schism began in 1054 the Patriarch of Constantinople, the acknowledged leading prelate among the Orthodox, will attend the enthronement of a pope. This is so immensely important I am speechless.

As discussed in an earlier post, the major obstacles to reunion between the Orthodox and Catholic communions of Churches are not essentially theological, though they certainly exist, but ecclesiological: the role of papal primacy in practice (for the Orthodox accept the principle already). While a brother priest among the Orthodox is not quite so upbeat about the theological differences, he highlights as the primary issue for now the need for mutual forgiveness between the two Churches before any theological reconciliation can be effected. Common worship is the sublimest forum for reconciliation and after almost 1000 years it seems to be upon us.

Benedict XVI has sown ecumenical seed of great richness; the opportunity now arises for Pope Francis to reap the harvest. Only God can give the growth of course, so let us pray for this encounter in worship on Tuesday. As the world grows ever more hostile to Christianity, the ancient churches should rightly seek to reconcile and confirm each other in Christian faith.

And if Patriarch Kirill will find it in his heart to come also next Tuesday, then I will renounce coffee till I die. This is so important that it is worthy of sacrifices that hurt. But for now, I will take what I can get. And Patriarch Bartholomew’s announcement is great gain indeed for us all. For now, I think I need a sherry…

Pope Francis to the cardinals: pointers to the future?

The text of the Holy Father’s address to the cardinals this morning is available. And it is charming. It is a simple speech in its vocabulary and construction, yet it seems pregnant with signals as to the way his petrine ministry will proceed.

Many of us have been struck by Pope Francis’ apparent desire to be his own man. His name, so novel yet so Catholic, is the strongest sign of that. He is not to be seen as a disciple of John Paul II, or Paul VI, or John XXIII, or Leo XIII, or even Benedict XVI. In fact, it seems he is not even to be labelled as a disciple of St Ignatius, the Jesuit founder. He is Peter with a large dollop of the saint of Assisi. While one cannot rule out that he is including reference to the Jesuit St Francis Xavier in his choice of name, it seems clear enough now that he is very much in the mould of St Francis of Assisi: the simpler dress, the simpler transport, the greeting of people, the encounter with Christ as central.

Neither, however, is he dismissing his predecessor. Far from it. Note first this lovely passage from this morning:

I extend an especially affectionate thought, filled with gratitude, to my venerable predecessor, Benedict XVI, who, during the years of his pontificate enriched and invigorated the Church with his teaching, his goodness, guidance, faith, humility, and his meekness, which will remain the spiritual patrimony of all. The Petrine ministry, lived with total dedication, found in him a wise and humble interpreter with his gaze always fixed on Christ, the Risen Christ, present and alive in the Eucharist. Our fervent prayer will always accompany him, our eternal memory, and affectionate gratitude. We feel that Benedict XVI lit a flame in the depth of our hearts, a flame that continues to burn because it will be fanned by his prayers that will continue to sustain the Church on its spiritual and missionary journey.

It is a fulsome and touching tribute. But are there some real hints here for us to note? The emphasis on the Petrine ministry – he is to be Peter first. His gaze fixed on Christ – the centrality of the personal encounter with Christ that Benedict XVI emphasized so strongly. Christ present and alive in the Eucharist – is this that start of a focus by him on the liturgy? The flame lit by Benedict in our hearts, and fanned by Benedict’s continued prayers – he seems to confirm Benedict’s future hidden life, but also his continued influence on the Church. Time will tell.

Let us never give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil tempts us with every day. Let us not give into pessimism and let us not be discouraged. We have the certainty that the Holy Spirit gives His Church, with His powerful breath, the courage to persevere, the courage to persevere and to search for new ways to evangelise, to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Christian truth is attractive and convincing because it responds to the deep need of human existence, announcing in a convincing way that Christ is the one Saviour of the whole of man and of all men. This announcement is as valid today as it was at the beginning of Christianity when the Church worked for the great missionary expansion of the Gospel.

Again Pope Francis mentions the Devil. This is what hampered Benedict the teacher – the constant obstruction of his divine mission by the demonic forces within and without the human fabric of the Church. Pope Francis seems intent on being a spiritual warrior, an exorcist. And here too he signals a commitment to the New Evangelization, an evangelization not only of the weaker members of the Church, but the whole world. He wants to make disciples of all nations. Coupled with his intention to confront the Devil at every turn, this missionary enterprise looks set to be in the classic Catholic mould: conversions and baptisms, not only the social service that has dominated modern missionary work. With wheaten bread must come also the Bread of Life, the Bread of Heaven.

Dear Brothers, have courage! Half of us are old: I like to think of old age as the seat of wisdom in life. Old people have wisdom because they know they have journeyed through life – like the aged Simeon and Anna in the Temple. It was that wisdom that allowed them to recognise Jesus. We must give this wisdom to young people: like good wine that improves with age, let us give young people this life’s wisdom. I’m reminded of what a German poet said about aging: “Es ist ruhig, das Alter, und fromm” – “age is the time of peace and prayer”. We need to give young people this wisdom.

He is not afraid to be old even in the midst of an ever more vigorously youthful Church. Age carries experience, and experience reflected and prayed upon brings wisdom. He has this to share, as had Benedict. It will be good wine, the vintage of the Lord.

I commit my ministry, and your ministry, to the powerful intercession of Mary, our Mother, Mother of the Church. Beneath her maternal gaze, may each one of us walk and listen to the voice of her divine Son, strengthening unity, persevering together in prayer and giving witness to the true faith in the continual presence of the Lord.

He emphasizes Mary yet again, an emphasis seen both in word and in action these last two days.

Pope Francis might not be the pope I was hoping for, but he seems like the pope we all need.

And still no mention of Vatican II…

Pope Francis – did you notice?

Slowly we can begin to notice little things about Pope Francis as we scrutinize and reflect. They may mean nothing or everything… or something in between! :-p

Schütz, over at Sentire cum Ecclesia, noted that in his first address to the people as pope, Francis did not use the word “pope” once, but he referred to himself as Bishop of the Church of Rome nine times. His article should be read for the context surrounding his observation. But the thrust of it is that Francis sees himself, so it would seem, primarily as Bishop of Rome. Of course he also made the point of saying that the Church of Rome presides in charity over all the churches.

Significant? It may well be. We must remember that in Argentina as archbishop of Buenos Aires Francis acted as ordinary for eastern-rite Catholics. Apart form suggesting that he may have more liturgical nous than the average Jesuit ( no offence boys), it suggest also that he has a strong awareness of the eastern Churches, and that this will colour his ecumenical approach. It was noted in posts here in the last couple of weeks that the Russian and Greek patriarchs felt that immense progress had been made in Benedict XVI’s pontificate, and hoped that this legacy would not be squandered. Perhaps Francis is precisely the man, with his eastern-rite experience, to further this ecumenical project. He is telling them he will not be the monarchical potentate of Orthodox nightmares, but preside in charity, first among equals, which is an understanding already established in Orthodox ecclesiology.

Schütz puts his own context as that of an ecclesiology fleshed out by a Lutheran friend of his, namely that the Church does not consist of churches, but in churches. In light of Vatican II we might say that the Roman Catholic Church is not the sum total of the true Church, but that the true Church, the Body of Christ, is en-limbed (to coin an ugly but useful word) in the various Churches that acknowledge the primacy of Peter and are in communion with his Successor. If this primacy could be clarified as primarily theological rather than of active governance, the Orthodox might be ready to resume communion. Indeed, the Orthodox would accept the Pope as court of final appeal with similarly relative ease. There is the filioque to consider, but that has been lived with before, and maybe it can be lived with again.

Today Pope Francis went to Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, where he paid homage to Our Lady Salus populi Romani, or “Protectress of the Roman People”. Again, this emphasis on his being primarily Bishop of Rome.

But he also went to pray at the shrine of Pope St Pius V, revered by traditionalists as the pope who definitively established the so-called Tridentine Mass, or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass to be more precise. Was this a signal to liturgical traditionalists not to fear?

Pope St Pius V was a Dominican. Traditionally the Jesuits and Dominicans have been rivals in many fields, and occasionally a little dismissive of each other, to put it mildly. Is this Jesuit pope signalling a little intra-ecclesial ecumenism!? Probably not, but it is fun to think on it a little.

Pope Francis’ style continues in the vein in which he has begun. He went to Santa Maria Maggiore not in his papal limousine but in an ordinary Vatican police car! He entered the basilica by the side door. Some may be discomfited at his apparent refusal to assume the full stature (thus far) of the Roman Pontiff. But it can be argued that the spiritual power of the Pope, the power of the keys, does not need any worldly bolstering. In fact, it might be argued, the Petrine power is best shown in fidelity to Christ as Servant of the Servants of God. The pomp of the papacy might then be more a moral pomp and grandeur, a splendour found in papal doctrine and upholding of the truth.

But I may be wrong. For now, we must watch our new pope and pray for him.

Getting to grips with Pope Francis

Driving back from hearing confessions at Farleigh School – great kids by the way – a news item came on referring to “Pope Francis”. It jarred, and my first reaction, for a split-second, was to wonder what the hell they were tlaking about. Pope Francis is going to take some getting used to.

Some are already having a hard time of it. On a traditionalist blog – no link but its initials are RC – commenters are going into hypermode over the new pope. For so many of them it seems the world is effectively coming to an end.

Of all the unthinkable candidates, Jorge Mario Bergoglio is perhaps the worst. Not because he openly professes doctrines against the faith and morals, but because, judging from his work as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, faith and moral seem to have been irrelevant to him. …

Famous for his inconsistency (at times, for the unintelligibility of his addresses and homilies), accustomed to the use of coarse, demagogical, and ambiguous expressions, it cannot be said that his magisterium is heterodox, but rather non-existent for how confusing it is.

His entourage in the Buenos Aires Curia, with the exception of a few clerics, has not been characterized by the virtue of their actions. Several are under grave suspicion of moral misbehavior. …

This election is incomprehensible: he is not a polyglot, he has no Curial experience, he does not shine for his sanctity, he is loose in doctrine and liturgy, he has not fought against abortion and only very weakly against homosexual “marriage” [approved with practically no opposition from the episcopate], he has no manners to honor the Pontifical Throne. He has never fought for anything else than to remain in positions of power. …

This is from the blog article to which commenters are adding such things as:

You guys can try to spin this all you want, Cardinal Bergoglio is a devout Vatican II modernist. He is as “traditional” and as “conservative” as Christoph Schonborn! Yeah, people change, but Bergoglio will have to be totally implanted with another ideological intellect by the Holy Ghost for him to change. I pray for that miracle, but I won’t hold my breath. Bergoglio is a product of the Vatican II rot which has permeated the Church of Christ for fifty years. Remember, he was elected by two thirds of the current college of Cardinals. Scary! …

I’m terrified, frankly. A flagrantly Modernist Pope again… it might as well have been Card. Schoenborn! …

Well, I said I would suspend my judgment until he acts, but boy it’s harder to do than I thought it would be, especially in this case. This looks like a win for the bureaucrats and progressives. Cardinal Rode, Meisner and Pell looked downright somber. If Sandri becomes Secretary of State, that tells us everything we need to know.

The hysteria is palpable at times. The main article is stunning for its libels, offered without a shred of evidence. In fact as Cardinal Bergoglio Pope Francis was considered to be doctrinally very orthodox, and notoriously intolerant of liberation theology. He speaks several languages (he studied in Germany for goodness’ sake!), his simplicity of life point at the least to a practical attempt at sanctity, and he wrote a strident letter that even the blog itself felt obliged to post given its condemnation of same-sex ‘marriage’. The letter is to the Carmelites of his dicoese, asking their prayers and sacrifices in his campaign against the legislation to legalize this form of ‘marriage’. He spoke of it thus:

Let us not be naive: it is not a simple political struggle; it is an intention [which is] destructive of the plan of God. It is not a mere legislative project (this is a mere instrument), but rather a “move” of the father of lies who wishes to confuse and deceive the children of God.

I think his opinion is clear, and it is hardly at odds with the Catholic Faith.

Indeed, no doubt a similar hysteria will soon emerge from the Catholic ‘left’ as they realise that this man committed to social justice might well also be committed just as strongly to the truths of the Faith. Then we can expect to hear that he is too old, unable to cope with Vatican being such an outsider to the Curia, at odds with his fellow Jesuits who see him as rigid, and perhaps some will even try to tarnish him with some sort of association with the Argentine regime in the days of the junta.

But spare a small trace of sympathy, of thy charity, for Paul Collins, who was acting as expert commentator for ABC Australia’s coverage of the announcement of the new pope. Paul Collins is a priest who stormed out of the ministry in protest at the Vatican’s investigation of his seriously flawed (to put it mildly) book, Papal Power. He has been a constant critic of Catholic teaching and Pope Benedict in particular. He now makes a lot of money as a celebrity ex-priest, called in for such roles as “expert” for the ABC coverage. So listen to his “expert” commentary below (thanks to a friend for passing this on to me). It is a “FAIL” on a monumental scale. I can only hope the taxpayer-funded ABC got back the fee it paid him. I seem not to be able to embed the video so please click the link below. How the mighty fall!

Two minutes of failed expert commentary

Viva Papa Francesco!

Further thoughts on Pope Francis

Things are beginning to sink in all round. Pope Francis is a man who defies a neat single labelling.

So far in a quick web survey there emerges that in Buenos Aires he took a strong moral line on such matters as same-sex ‘marriage’, to the manifest annoyance of the Presidentrix of Argentina. He is theologically “conservative” but strong on “social justice” (and as Dr Shaw rightly asks, why the “but”?!). He scaled down the episcopal style of life in Buenos Aires, living in a small flat, taking public transport to work and often cooking for himself. He is said to have refused several offers of curial posts, avoiding coming to Rome unless he had to.

Jesuits are notoriously un-liturgical. Many are suggesting that either he will place a low priority on liturgical matters, leaving things be, or he will positively dismantle the restoration of tradition.On traditionalist blogs some are going hyper about Cardinal Bergogolio’s alleged non-implementation of Summorum Pontificum and his hostility to tradition, yet it seems he allowed the old rite Institute of the Good Shepherd to open a house in his diocese. IN Argentina he had oversight for eastern rite Catholics, which suggest that he is familiar with the eastern liturgies.

I suspect his Jesuit simplicity will indeed see him adopt a simpler papal style, and that he will be vigorous in stamping his authority on the Curia. But for all the mainstream media’s wishcraft that he will simplify the Church by reducing its pomp and grandeur (this on the BBC) and opt for the poor and marginalized, this may be true to a degree, but they may find that he administers a dose of noble Roman simplicity that is far too strong for liberals and progressives. Simplicity for him may well mean, “Do as you’re told and don’t argue”, “Do it my way or no way”, “You are either for me or against me”, “It’s either yes or no, not maybe”. Simplicity can be very direct indeed.

Francis – is it Assisi or Xavier? Maybe it is both – Assisi appeals to all Italians, and certainly chimes with his hitherto simplicity of life; Xavier is a nod to his Jesuit order and to the role of evangelization in the Church.

Rocco Palmo provides a good ad hoc translation of Pope Francis’ first address and it has some interesting moments. Some snippets:

And before anything else, I’d like for us to pray for our bishop-emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord bless him and Our Lady keep him in her care….

Note his graciousness to Benedict, and his use of Bishop Emeritus, not Pope Emeritus. Very promising – Pope Emeritus jars immensely!

And now, together, let us start this road: bishop and people. This [new] path of the church of Rome, which “presides in charity” [over] all the churches. A path of brotherhood, of love, of trust between us. Let us pray always for ourselves: one for the other. Let us pray for all the world, that we all might know a great fraternity. I wish you that this journey as Church, that we begin today and on which my Cardinal-Vicar [of Rome] will help me, might be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city!

Fascinating – he confirms that Rome “‘presides in charity’ [over] all the churches”. What might this mean for his approach to ecumenism? Charity suggests that he will approach the other churches with humility and peace; presiding suggests that he will not shrink from the Petrine primacy one iota. And he plans to bear fruit in evangelizing the city of Rome! Evangelization, very Pope Benedict, very missionary, very St Francis Xavier.

And now I’ll give you my blessing… but first – first, I ask you this favor: before the bishop blesses his people, I ask that you pray to the Lord that he might bless me: the prayer of the people, seeking God’s blessing for their bishop. In silence, let’s please make a prayer for me….

Some are saying that he asked the people to bless him, and horrified they were too! But it seems that Pope Francis asked the people to pray for him that he might be blessed, which is another thing entirely. A bishop asking for prayers sounds mighty healthy to me. And so what if a pope bows to his people: it adds a little more substance to the last of the papal titles, Servant of the Servants of God. Recently I have been asserting that the media presentation of the Vatican Council, and the Council’s reception in some parts of the Church, was marked by a hermeneutic of power, especially with regard to lay activity in the Church, as was evidenced in the reaction to the Bishop of Portsmouth’s restructuring plans. Its antitdote is the hermeneutic of service, and it seems that Pope Francis will be happy to adopt that hermeneutic himself.

 

Is it just me? The entrée to the conclave

Conclave 2013

No doubt I was not alone watching a live feed of the opening rites of the conclave. Was I alone in my impressions?

As each Eminence took the oath, there was something profoundly moving to see each one make his promise to God, and before the face of the whole Church. The live feed enabled Christians in every land to watch in real time this solemn process. The new media have allowed us to be, if not present at, then present to the cardinals as they enter conclave. It was a truly international moment.

This internationality was fostered by the use of Latin. How confusing would it have been to have each cardinal use his native tongue? Since the oath is in effect a public event, witnessed by the Church, how could we have known each man had made the correct oath in his language? During the proceedings, how would the precedence among the languages have been decided without someone feeling slighted on behalf of his conlinguists? No, if ever there was a powerful argument for Latin as a language for the international Church, this was certainly one. An element of charm was added  by the different accents and pronunciations: the francophones rendering tango as “tongo”, or the germanophones using a hard “g” in evangelium, for example.

The broadcast revealed a wonderful mixture of the old and the new, technology and ancient ritual, the timeless present in this time. Such is the Church.

Anyway, Eminences. God bless you and guide you. We’re watching… and waiting…