Undeniably, Pope Benedict XVI will be remembered as the one of the great popes of the 21st century and one of the great theologians of our time, a Pope of dialogue between faith and reason… a holy Pope.

But his indelible mark on the modern Church’s history will be his act of resignation from the papacy. This was no sign of weakness: no one will dare call him the Pope of the ‘gran rifiuto’. Dante’s misjudgement of Pope Velestine V is one too many. On the contrary, he is an ‘officer and a gentleman’!

His resignation shows his holiness and humility, solid theology, strong will and intellectual integrity. His exemplary decision told the Church in no uncertain terms that it needs to put into practice the paradigm shift willed by Vatican Council II.

In his resignation speech, he had discerned that in “today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of St Peter and proclaim the gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me”.

One wonders whether there can be a more self-effacing, gracious, and polite statement. To shepherd the Church one needs “strength of mind and body”.

Sadly, for hundreds of years, the Church has been hampered from moving on by fear and custom. Hence, it has turned itself into a fortress Church. Its teachings were often presented under the guise of tradition.

With his openness, modesty and change, the Pope has initiated a revolution in the Curia and the Vatican. Vatican III has started

Now there is no looking back! Certain critical decisions cannot wait, even if someone might feel hurt by the process.

Chapter nine of St Luke’s gospel makes this very clear: Jesus replied: “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” And in chapter 17, St Luke quotes Jesus saying: “Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” She looked back!

It is clear, especially after Pope Francis’s speeches during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, and the one-hour, 40-minute ‘press conference’ during his return trip, that the Pope truly wants to turn more than a page in the life of the Church. This is corroborated by his choice of lifestyle and by his way doing and undoing things.

Churchmen, at every level of the hierarchy, lay people and structures must stop “adapting to the situation”; instead they should change the situation. At a price, of course!

But if one delves deeply into the Gospel, this price is the prerequisite of discipleship. Pope Francis made it clear: “When the Church does not emerge from itself to evangelise, it becomes self-referential and therefore becomes sick”. He warned of “theological narcissism” and criticised a “mundane Church that lives within itself, of itself and for itself”.

With his openness, modesty and change, the Pope has initiated a revolution in the Curia and the Vatican as he seeks to clean up the Church and improve its gospel credentials. It is obvious that along the path he has chosen, he will make several friends as well as enemies. So he needs our prayers and following.

Vatican III, suggested by the Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, has started.

joe.inguanez@gmail.com

Fr Inguanez, a sociologist, is the executive director of Discern.

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