Since Pope Francis was elected Pope on March 13, there has been a lot of jaw-dropping, especially among those “on the right-wing” – to use an expression the Pope used – but also those ‘on the left’, both Catholics and non-Catholics.
The immediate reaction to his election was that he would be a conservative. In Argentina, comments from certain quarters were so hard that British journalist Margaret Hebblethwaite considered them ‘unprintable’.
But as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is always in the eating. Because no one should beat around the bush: after Paul VI, at all levels of the hierarchy and the laity, there was a lull in the influence of Vatican II on the life of Church, to the extent that several members of the hierarchy and laity did their best to return to a sort of status quo ante (the way things were before).
Pope Francis has broken this mould. One cannot ignore a basic similarity between him and Pope John XXIII. Both Popes wanted a break with a certain ecclesiastical (as opposed to ecclesial) culture. John XXIII chose the name of the anti-Pope, Baldassarre Cossa, who pretended to be Pope John XXIII from 1410 to 1415. Thus, symbolically, John XXIII closes a dark chapter and turned a new page.
Pope Francis chose the name of a saint whose name, in spite of his radical imitation of Christ, was never chosen before. His request to the crowd to bless him before he would give his blessing indicates his radicalism, humility and his preferential option for the poor. By consistently referring to himself as the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis is giving a new imprint to the papacy.
Both Popes have demonstrated their conviction that what the Church really needs is not a cosmetic change, new branding or a better media image, but a paradigm shift; a shift initiated by Vatican II, which was unfortunately muzzled by conservative and restorationist elements. Let there be no illusion: these people still carry a lot of weight in the Church.
Both Popes sought substance rather than precedents and protocols. We all remember how Pope John XXIII was given the details about the way he should address President John Kennedy’s wife: as soon as she entered his room, he ignored the tuition, and saluted her by her first name: Jacqueline!
The Pope wants the paradigm shift Vatican II demands
Pope Francis willfully ignores formalities and is not interested in protocol.When he met Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner, in March, after receiving her official present he gave her a kiss. Similarly, when he received Jordan’s King Abdullah and his wife Rania, the Pope broke with protocol by bowing to the queen.
All these signs are very important. American philosopher and psychologist William James was not wrong when he wrote: “act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
However, what the Pope is saying both in his short daily homilies and lengthy interviews indicate that he wants the paradigm shift which Vatican II demands. His words in Lampedusa, his letter to the atheist editor of La Repubblica Eugenio Scalfari, his interview to Civiltà Cattolica, and another to Scalfari show clearly that the Pope has a road map and he is following it. He is ‘telling’ us to start thinking outside the box.
His words are deep, even though there are already some who view them as wobbly or hard, and perhaps exaggerated. This is to be expected from those who are either accustomed to, or comfortable with (or both) the status quo. The great reform he wants in the Roman Curia, including the Vatican Bank (Istituto per le Opere di Religione – IOR), is neither capricious nor shallow: it is simply radical!
As Cardinal George Pell said, “the Curia will have to lift its game”. The Pope said the Church had locked itself up in “in small-minded rules” and that unless it finds a new way upholding the truth and demonstrating mercy, its “moral edifice… is likely to fall like a house of cards”.
Another great Jesuit, the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, sustained the need of Vatican III. So far, Pope Francis has not given any indication about what he thinks of this idea. However, he has raised the curtain: Vatican II, Act 2 is about to start.
joe.inguanez@gmail.com
Fr Joe Inguanez, a sociologist, is the executive director of Discern.