IS
THE POPE CATHOLIC?
This tired old joke has
made a strong comeback, but not as a joke.
With the arrival of Pope Francis I, people are a starting to ask the
question in earnest. Not surprising,
either, because Francis is acting and talking like no other Pope in my lifetime
or probably in yours.
The most
recent departure from norm is the comment he made about gays during a news
conference on the way home from the World Youth Congress in Brazil. “Who am I to judge,” he asked and the
rhetorical question was so startling to reporters that it made the front page
of newspapers around the world, including the Washington Post and the New York
Times.
Who am I
to judge, they asked? That’s what Popes
do, cried commentators and comics alike, some seriously, some in jest. And it’s true that most pronouncements from
the Vatican reported in both the secular and religious media for the last half
century have had to do with the Pope condemning one thing or another or
excommunicating an errant priest or nun who dared to question Catholic teaching
and tradition.
As a
result, one could easily be excused for thinking that the only things the Pope
and the Vatican seemed to care about was abortion, contraception, sexual orientation,
same-sex marriage, and the condemnation of anyone who dared suggest that women
should become priests. And – oh, yes - solidifying
their power base.
Then here
comes Pope Francis talking and acting like a simple pastor to the world, in the
best sense of that term, declaring that God’s love and redemptive power extends
to everyone who seeks to do good and lead moral lives, including gays, people
of other religions or no religion, even atheists. Breaking tradition and outraging
traditionalists, he washes the feet of prisoners at a Rome detention center,
including two women, one a Serbian Muslim woman and the other an Italian
Catholic. He tells clerical careerists
looking to climb the next rung on the career ladder to get out of their offices
and chanceries and deal with real people and their real problems and
concerns. To the end, he has resurrected
the image of the good shepherd, pointing that a good shepherd deals with his
sheep up close and personal, to the point that shepherds must get down and
dirty and even smell like sheep.
By
casting his lot with the poor and the marginalized in society, and living in
accordance with that belief, Francis is not only modeling the behavior of
Francis of Assisi, his patron saint, but the example of the Man who started
this whole movement more than 2,000 years ago.
He too cast his lot with the poor and the outcast, hanging out with tax
collectors and sinners, including thieves and prostitutes, the very dregs of
society. And warning his followers not
to judge lest they be judged. His
message of love and forgiveness also included everyone. He was truly the world’s first Catholic
.
After
centuries of seeing Popes acting like imperial majesties, wrapped in the livery
and trappings of Medieval and Renaissance potentates, more concerned with power
than their original charter, it is exhilarating for us older Catholics in
particular to see Francis getting the Catholic Church back to basics and putting
Christianity’s founder and his message back in the driver’s seat.
Jerry
I would only argue that Catholicism itself was founded by Rome, not Jesus. Catholicism prevailed as the only form Christianity because Rome eradicated all other Christian groups. So Catholicism was a force of imperialism by design, from its inception (for the men in charge, that is).
ReplyDeleteThe Jesuits, however, have always held true to the original teachings of Jesus.
Now that there is a Jesuit at the helm, maybe the most influential form of Christianity in the world will finally begin to resemble an organization that sets the example Jesus did in his lifetime.
I am, more than ever, optimistic.
I hope nothing happens to him as he is walking among the people instead of riding in the Pope-mobile. I feel like, historically, it's the only the good leaders that get taken from us.
ReplyDeleteDo you think he will be able to make any actual changes to the way the church hierarchy operates? I also had a lot of optimism regarding Obama; I thought that if anyone could really change things, it would be him. But he really hasn't fundamentally changed anything, particularly with the economy and the ever increasing power of the ruling class.
I keep wondering why Pope Francis was chosen to begin with. Was it because he would be the most likely to put the church's house in order, or was it because he would be the best at winning back the hearts of the people without actually interfering with the power structure at the top?
What do you think?