The Church After Pope Francis
By Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia
I have personal memories of Pope Francis that I greatly value. These include a friendly and generous working relationship at the 1997 Synod on America when we were both newly appointed archbishops, his personal welcome and warmth at Rome’s 2014 Humanum conference, and the extraordinary success of his 2015 visit to Philadelphia for the Eighth World Meeting of Families.
He devoted himself to serving the Church and her people in the ways that he believed the times required. As a brother in faith and a successor of Peter, he deserves our ongoing prayers for his eternal life in the presence of the God he cherished.
The Francis Pontificate: Inadequate
Having said that, an interregnum between papacies is a time for candour. The lack of it, given today’s challenges, is too expensive. In many ways, whatever its strengths, the Francis pontificate was inadequate to the real issues facing the Church.
He had no direct involvement in the Second Vatican Council and seemed to resent the legacy of his immediate predecessors, who did. But these were men who worked and suffered to incarnate the council’s teachings faithfully into Catholic life.
His personality tended toward the temperamental and autocratic. He resisted even loyal criticism. His pattern of ambiguity and loose words sowed confusion and conflict. In the face of deep cultural fractures on matters of sexual behaviour and identity, he condemned gender ideology but seemed to downplay a compelling Christian “theology of the body.”
He was impatient with canon law and proper procedure. His signature project, synodality, was heavy on process and deficient in clarity.
Lacking Evangelical Zeal
Despite an inspiring outreach to society’s margins, his papacy lacked a confident, dynamic evangelical zeal. The intellectual excellence to sustain a salvific (and not merely ethical) Christian witness in a sceptical modern world was likewise absent.
What the Church needs moving forward is a leader who can combine personal simplicity with a passion for converting the world to Jesus Christ; a leader who possesses both a courageous heart and a sharp intellect to match.
Anything less won’t suffice.
___
Originally published at First Things. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
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The team at the Canberra Declaration have great respect for our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Catholic Church. We also have great respect for the Catholic Church as a denomination Catholics make up 50.1% of the Christian global population which accounts for 2.5 billion people. We also honour Pope Francis for leading the Catholic Church over the last 12 years. Our passion is for John 17 unity amongst us ALL as followers of Christ. Having said all that many Catholics have had grave concerns about the Popes actions and pronouncements which in many cases have been twisted by secular media keen to bring disrepute on the Christian Faith. The team at the Canberra Declaration share their concerns. We spoke to our managing editor who herself is a devoted Catholic to seek advice on how we could fairly and graciously cover these issues in the wake of the passing of Pope Francis while at the same time giving due honour to the Pontiff. So, this story was chosen for publication by a devout Catholic who is deeply committed to God. Sole Deo Gloria!!
Francis was a Heretic who deviated from Biblical teachings and the Vatican and International Media have been silent on attacks on Christians , etc. During his Papacy we saw the biggest departure from the Church, especially by the Young in the West,EMPTY churches and the rise in Drugs, Abortion,Pornography, Children kidnapped to be used as Prostitutes, the destruction of the Family, etc. Churches in places like in England + Scotland turned into mosques, Muslim attacks on people going to Christmas Markets, etc. Sharia Law imposed in UK and jailing of anyone who critices the religion of Islam or the hundreds of UK kidnaps and rapes of Under-age girls (and some youths )by Muslims who only get “Community Service “!Now we have Germany trying to outlaw its Right Wing Party , in France the arrest of Marine Le Pen , and in Romania of the Right Wing Leader to prevent them from ever coming to Power , ie to be pro-Christianity ! During his Papacy there was the biggest esplosion in attacks(rapes , murders, homes and churches destroyed )on Christians in Syria, Egypt, Ethopia , China, India , Congo, Phillipines by Rebel Muslims,Pakistan,Nigeria, etc , but , we never heard about them at Mass or in the Media.
Australia is on the path to getting Sharia Law . We have more Muslim MPs per head of population than any other group —and more are standing as GreensIslam Candidates.Unless a miracle happens, in a few years our national flag will be the Black Islamic and Christianity will be banned–beheadings State instituted of “Unbelievers” who refuse to convert to Islam ( ordered by the Koran and Hadiths) of Jews whom they call “monkeys “, followed by beheadings of Christians whom they call “pigs “.REPENT and PRAY or we are DOOMED with our political Leaders who are , like King Charles , pro-any religion as long as it is NOT Christian ! We Christians are now the most persecuted people in the World. FIGHT BACK ! DON’T STAY SILENT !Choose who you vote forin this election carefully .