The gospel according to Francis
As progressive pontiff prepares to visit U.S., one thing’s certain: more surprises are on the way
Pope Francis wants you to turn down your air conditioning, embrace car pooling and heed the scientists on climate change. He has called capitalism “the dung of the devil.”
And, in the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis, he wants every Catholic parish in Europe to take in a refugee family.
You could be forgiven for mistaking the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics for David Suzuki, or Bono.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina 78 years ago, may be the most progressive pope in recent memory. That is a refreshing relief to many liberal Catholics and church leaders, including a Belgian bishop who called for the church to recognize same-sex couples.
But to staunch traditionalists — and there are many in the U.S., where Francis will visit Tuesday to Sunday — the Pope is emphasizing the wrong things, instead of focusing on core Catholic teachings such as the need for prayer and reflection; respecting the sanctity of life; abstaining from birth control; and reserving sexual intimacy for heterosexual marriages.
Inside the Vatican, some bishops and bureaucrats oppose everything from the stance Francis has taken on environment regulation to his inclusive statements about gays and divorced Catholics.
Although internal dissent in the Vatican is nothing new, some are daring to voice their opposition publicly. “The Pope does not have the power to change teaching or doctrine,” Cardinal Raymond Burke, who Francis fired from his Vatican post in November, told a French news crew in Vatican City this year.
The Washington Post reported recently that Vatican insiders believe the Pope’s transformative style has polarized the powerful church hierarchy more than at any point since the 1960s reforms. The conservatives are retaliating through strategic leaks to media, including the Pope’s June environmental encyclical.
In the U.S. — capitalism’s global headquarters — many conservative Catholics resent the Pope’s freemarket critique and rallying call to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“The Gospels never talked about how to organize the economy,” said Robert Miller, a law professor at the University of Iowa and New York University.
“The church should be about making people holy, not about making the environment clean. The Pope is involving the church in things it doesn’t have to be involved in.”
Past popes have issued encyclicals on global issues. But Francis takes it a step further, by linking critiques of capitalism and excessive consumerism to the exploitation of the poor and to global warming.
“Francis has taken it to a new level and does it with more certainty,” explained Michael Higgins, a professor of religious studies and vice-president of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.
On social issues, Francis is seeking to make the church more inclusive, and more forgiving.
In the latest reform, the Pope has simplified procedures for Catholics to have their marriages annulled.
Monsignor Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Vatican court that rules on annulments, told a Sept. 8 news conference that the new rules were the most substantive changes to annulment laws since the papacy of Bene- dict XIV, who reigned from 1740 to 1758.
On gays, the Pope has been more evasive, but notably has said “it is not necessary to talk constantly” about gay marriage, homosexuality and contraception.
“Who am I to judge?” he asked in reply to a question about gay priests.
The Vatican’s synod on family matters next month will re-examine whether the church should allow divorced and remarried Catholics to take communion, a controversial proposal that is sure to ignite more heated debate between reformers and traditionalists.
The Pope’s personal style may also disappoint traditionalists accustomed to the regal decorum of the Bishop of Rome. Francis’ simple robes and thick-soled black shoes, for example, are in stark contrast to the elegant handmade red leather loafers favoured by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
When he was cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis was known as “Padre Jorge.” He travelled the city by subway and drank yerba mate (tea) in the shantytowns. He still keeps in touch with many of these humble parishes and barrios.
“He was always very low profile,” said Mariano de Vedia, an Argentine journalist who has written two books on the Pope.
“He was influenced by a theology of the people, which began in Argentina.”
As reformist as the pontifical pronouncements are, there is still an element of ambiguity. Francis hasn’t actually rewritten any church laws. He is just taking a more forgiving — some might say realistic — approach, and encouraging open debate about formerly taboo topics.
As millions of Catholics prepare for the Pope’s historic first visit to the U.S., one thing is certain: expect more surprises and more controversy.
“The church should be about making people holy, not about making the environment clean.” ROBERT MILLER UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PROFESSOR