I think all people are excited and intrigued by this new Pope and the interesting journey he seems to be taking the church, dusting off some old dogmas and allowing a refreshing spirit of change to enter into the Vatican from the cloisters all the way down to the catacombs.
Of course the US media will be exclusively focused on the hot button social issues, but in a wide ranging and candid interview with a Jesuit publication in Italy and translated into english by Fr. Jim Martin (official chaplain to Steven Colbert), the Pope discusses his own personal failings, feelings on spirituality, the role of women in the Church, and why he has deliberately chosen to avoid divisively discussing abortion and homosexuality and why he meant all gays, not just gay priests, when he said he would not judge.
He, along with a team including Boston’s own Cardinal Sean (the only American I might add), are planning on an important meeting which some faithful are hoping includes releasing a wide ranging set of statements (possibly encyclicals!) addressing the clerical abuse scandal, internal curia reform, a new unifying focus on social justice, the role of women, and widening the role of laity in Church discussions.
The interview is worth reading, we see how intelligent and culturally engaged the Pope is from his love of Caravaggio, Mozart and Fellini to the love for his grandmother and how serving in the slums truly changed him from being an authoritarian priest to a pastoral one, and now a pastoral bishop.
I try to temper my hopes within a realistic framework. I think a focus on universal salvation (which I would argue is more patristic and orthodox anyway), uniting the church in mission to serve the needy, reaching out to other churches and faiths more constructively, cracking down on abuses and more importantly the insular culture of clericalism where they arise, and possibly re-examining celibacy should and could be on the table. And this Pope has indicated an openness towards those very changes. I hope adopting open communion and expanding the diaconate to women and considering more ways for them to serve, could also be but are less likely from the sounds of it.
But Popes, like Presidents, can use the bully pulpit and appoint the people who implement the changes. Much as we are still living under Reagan’s Court, we are living under John Paul II’s and Benedict’s College of Cardinals. It is the bishops Francis appoints and the manner in which he conducts himself in public that will have the greatest impact. He may not be a liberal, but he also does not sound like a hardline conservative either, and a Pope open to more dialogue within the Church and out in the world, a Pope chastising priests that alienate gays from the Church, that condemn women who’ve had abortions rather than consol them, who washes the feet of women and non-Christians, who is open to God’s grace saving every atheist and sinner, and who thrives on engaging the public, could make big changes just from these small gestures. John XXIII is fondly remembered by progressive Catholics, simply because he was open to discussing change. I think Francis is treading down the same path.
In recent years, I’ve read various reports about Catholicism in Washington. The Bush administration had some explicit ties to the Vatican. Robert Novak converted to Catholicism, as did a number of other conservatives. And of course Tony Blair did too.
So it’s actually noteworthy to have a Pope speak with tolerance, because that makes it harder for his converts to do so.
Salon observes today “Best Pope ever — still pretty awful,” which I think we have to bear in mind. Plus, as a veteran of 12 years of Catholic education, I can’t get the phrase “Jedi Mind Pope! Jedi Mind Pope!” out of my head.
But it’s all interesting, and encouraging. I’ll take my tolerance where I can get it.
Cardinal Sean isn’t the only American, the Pope himself is from South America, Argentina. I believe when you say that his is the only American, he is the only one from the United States.
I realize this is a minor issue, but as someone with roots in Canada, even as a veteran of the USMC, I am bothered by the ascertion that only people from the USA are Americans. /Nitpicking Mode Off
And there are some other Latin American bishops on the committee as well.
I attended one awful Mass at the church headed by the Monsignor who converted Bork, Brownback, Novak and Gingrich among others. Very mega churchy and the first anti birth control homily I heard in awhile. Needless to say didn’t go back. I also was the last person to interview Fr. Neuhaus on the air, and believe he had begun to regret his project a little bit. Robert George is the keeper of the Catholic neocon flame but even he freaked out at Francis over the latters opposition to Syria air strikes.
I think in the Paul VI and John XXIII mode, Francis will be open to dialogue and will be a moderate leader who pleases most Catholics while alienating the fringes. It’s the best we will get for now-but his bishops will be the ones who could carry out more wide reaching reforms.
but who is Fr. Neuhaus and what is his project?
was a Catholic priest who originally, I believe, was some class of a Protestant. He was very much anti-abortion, and compared the anti-abortion movement to the Civil Rights movement. He had close ties to the Bush administration and pushed an anti-abortion, pro-DOMA, anti-stem-cell, etc., agenda. He died about the time Obama took office if I recall correctly.
Frankly, he was one of the people who made me think holding on to a Catholic identity due to childhood cultural associations might not be worth it.
I thought I had posted the exact same post you did but I guess it never made it through. A longtime anti-war, civil rights marching Lutheran who switched to Rome for a variety of personal theological reasons (he persuasively argues that Vatican II achieved many of Luther’s objectives) while also moving to the political right. A very gregarious man and one of the best interviews I did, but he was certainly outspoken on the culture issues and it’d be hard for me to picture him embracing Francis’ remarks and shift in tone. We will see how his disciple Robert George responds.
The bishop of Providence was already quite vocally unhappy with this Pontiff.
I do not doubt that Francis and I disagree on gay marriage, and I suspect we have different conceptions of pro-life*, but I am hopefully optimistic.
But he’s the only ‘Murrican. Se’em sayin? Cuz ‘Murrica. and freedom.