Pope Francis and his tomorrow

 

                    

                                    

                                by Kenneth Bagnell

      

       It’s now over half a century since one of the world’s most admired Protestant ministers said something that is ever more wise and relevant: “What happens anywhere, matters everywhere.” The world is now witness to that truth. It came in utterances of Pope Francis, the provocative Jesuit, who on the eve of Christmas has shown great courage, in challenging the Vatican’s senior bureaucrats, the key men of the Curia, who, in theory, oversee the wellbeing of the billion or more member Catholic Church and its ministry.  In a word the Pope gave them a verbal spanking.  (Mainly for what a media network called, “its back-stabbing culture.”) The Globe and Mail headed its coverage: “Pope gives Curia a public dressing down…” No doubt many will applaud this. I understand and I admire Francis.

        My firm respect for Pope Francis is partly an outgrowth of the respect I have for his order, the Jesuits. They are virtually all intellectuals and integrity figures. Here, as very brief evidence, are three examples:

   Eusebio Francisco Kino (1645—1711). Kino was born in Tirol (a region that would become Italy) studied mathematics, cartography and astronomy in Germany entering the Jesuit order in 1665. He was, as a missionary, assigned to a region of what was then a Spanish colony in Mexico and an area that became a region of Arizona. Its people were illiterate. Kino’s objectives were in education, productivity and faith.  He rode horseback for twenty years over countless miles, founded over 20 missions, taught thousands virtually all aspects of agriculture, from seed planting to cattle ranching. (His initial cattle herd numbered 20 and in his two decades with the native people, it grew to 70,000.) As a cartographer he drew a map that was the standard reference of the region for over a century. History regards him as “Arizona’s first rancher.”

    Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. (1881-1955). A widely revered, if provocative, theologian, de Chardin also taught physics and chemistry, in Europe and far parts of the world. He was a greatly respected scholar and lecturer in theology, philosophy, geology and paleontology. (The latter involved him in one of civilization’s most historic events: the discovery of Peking man in the 1920s.) He travelled the world lecturing on numerous subjects from theology to botany.

   Bernard Lonergan. (1904-1984). A philosopher, theologian and world renowned Christian intellectual. Born in Quebec, he took degrees in theology, mathematics and classics. One of his highly regarded works is, “Insight: A Study of Human Understanding.” He wrote two books on macroeconomics. Lonergan spent terms as a scholar and professor at Rome’s renowned Pontifical Gregorian University, (founded 470 years ago), Regis College, Toronto and as a Professor of Divinity at Harvard University. A scholarly study of his collective work is now being produced through University of Toronto press. (It’s said to consist of 25 volumes.) In 1971, Lonergan was presented with Canada’s highest citation:   Companion of the Order of Canada.

        That’s a very small window on the intellectual and influential calibre of the order in which Francis was formed. It’s thereby natural, given his gifts, to expect him to be what he is: an activist Pope, dutiful in reflecting his inherent conviction on everything from theology to economics to ethics. He signalled this in the early days as Pope when, (to him) minor matters he introduced shocked his church: choosing common dress over regal costume, a modest vehicle over a customized one, and, above all, a common apartment over regal papal quarters. That was a signal that other perspectives would come on major issues including some that, given mainstream Catholic history, shocked many. (When asked about gay clergy he replied, “Who am I to judge?”) In strictly moral terms he’s on the mark. He seeks social justice. Fine. But there’s much more to be said — of a practical and political nature. And it should be considered.

   One is most obvious and Francis addressed it on December 23^rd, when he dealt with a quite ugly issue. It had been previously been outlined by an Italian journalist, Gianluigi Luzzi, who acquired Vatican classified documents that he revealed in a 2012 book called, “His Holiness: the secret papers of Benedict XVI.” It did not examine Benedict but it exposed the Vatican bureaucracy’s utterly unacceptable culture: cronyism, financial misconduct and money laundering. (I needn’t revisit the acts of sexual misconduct the journalist mentioned, since, sadly they are part of a world embarrassment.) The Associated Press agency called Pope Francis’ talk: “a speech without historic precedent.” It was a sharp rebuke. But, it may well provoke retaliation.  Francis is obviously on the right side of morality and, ultimately, we should hope, history, especially in his commitment to social justice. Anyone familiar with the basic tenets of Christianity knows its foundational elements embrace social justice, especially for the poor, the abused and disenfranchised.

    That said, social justice should not take over the Papal agenda. And there are those -– devout and intelligent Catholics — who worry that his point of view, expressed here and there, usually in casual media interviews aboard planes, may well leave an impression that his vision is given to social purpose, social change, social renewal, and so on. A more just society. Nothing wrong with that -– in fact it’s overdue. Nonetheless it’s not everything. In the shorthand of theology, “the horizontal should not replace the vertical,” – that is a life of spiritual devotion to God.

    One prescient Catholic who has said this emphatically, more than once, is the New York Times op-ed columnist Ross Douthat, a convert to the Catholic faith. He pays frequent and insightful attention to Pope Francis and has the confidence and courage to differ with him . One reference is well worth considering. Last October, in a column titled, “The Pope and the Precipice”, Douthat wrote in part: “Francis is charismatic, popular, widely beloved. He has, until this point, faced strong criticism only from the church’s traditional fringe, and managed to unite most Catholics in admiration for his ministry. There are ways that he can shape the church without calling doctrine into question, and avenues he can explore (annulment reform, in particular) that would bring more people back to the sacraments without a crisis. He can be, as he clearly wishes to be, a progressive pope, a pope of social justice — and he does not have to break the church to do it.” As I noted, it’s a point worth pondering by all of us, Catholic, Protestant, Judaic or secular.

 

 

         All my past blogs are archived on my website: your comments are welcome here: www.kennethbagnell.com.