By Joseph Catena
As another Holy Season ends, Catholics and Christians worldwide reflect on the risen Christ and spiritual rebirth.
Pope Francis’ death the Monday after Easter served as a stark reminder that no one can escape death on earth. Our maker awaits us whether we have served him for nearly nine decades as Francis did or a baby who never had a chance to live.
Catholics must now reflect on the future of our church and the direction our new vicar of Christ will take us in.
Francis’ legacy is somewhat complex. He brought an aura of humility and humbleness, with his focus homed in on lifting the very poor. His modesty, however, was succeeded by his progressivism, especially compared to his two predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict, respectively. For all Benedict did to restore the church to its traditional roots, whether it was Mass language or freer worship at the Latin Mass, Francis seemed to challenge doctrine, especially when it came to tradition. The pontiff also veered into political realms and called for action on climate change and showed greater acceptance toward the gay and LGBTQ factions within the church.
In 2013, the first year of his papacy, he was asked about gay priests and famously – or infamously, stated, “If someone is gay, who searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” Other overtures included calling for the passage of civil unions for same-sex couples in his biography, Francisco. Although he endorsed civil unions as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he stepped it up by making a public statement as pope. His words, it was said, were out of compassion and not meant to change Catholic laws.
He openly flirted with American politics when speaking against U.S. laws regarding illegal aliens. In 2019, he went as far as donating a half million dollars to Mexican migrants stuck at the U.S. border. The funds went toward food, lodging and basic necessities. He often clashed with President Trump, both the 45 and 47 version, on his handling of the issue. His most scathing remark came in Trump’s first term, when Francis said, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.” Surely, Pope Francis was not shy about inserting himself in the political world. His views on unfettered capitalism were not very flattering either. He described the motive as “the dung of the devil.”
Francis, a Jesuit, whether intentional or not, embodied the old cliché that politics is indeed everywhere. In many ways, he also showed he was not immune to being part of the media and technology driven culture we live in. Whether Francis wanted to be or not, he will inherit the moniker of being “The Political Pope.” Whether that was a good thing or not for the Church is up for debate. There is no sin (no pun intended) in bringing awareness to the masses. Being informed is imperative to having an enlightened society. And there is no greater enlightenment when one can use it to guide their faith and perhaps bring that wisdom to others, especially nonbelievers.
The parallels between the recent 2024 U.S. Presidential Election and the upcoming conclave are unmistakable, and we would only be kidding ourselves if we pretended those parallels did not exist; an outgoing progressive whose ideology/theology can move forward versus (in this case, a possible) opposing traditional viewpoint seeking a more rightward shift.
However easy it is for Catholics to gear up for the conclave as though it is a political event, it is anything but that. As keepers of our faith, we must remain as steadfast responsible Catholics. We must pray that the Holy Spirit guides the conclave to elect a shepherd who possesses a steady hand, one who can unify and inspire others to join the flock. The leads to a question that we must honestly ask: Is the Church moving in the right direction? Are we embracing modernism far more than we should? Are we defending church doctrine and dogma, or are we falling into the trap of moral relativism because “God is all forgiving and loving,” and He accepts the worst of sinners? Political libertarianism is one thing, but does it belong in our Church? Can it belong?
Then there is traditionalism. Will the many who prefer to worship at a Latin Mass continue to be relegated to gymnasiums or meeting rooms outside of the church, or will they be able to remain respectfully and worship in the beautiful house of God? Francis’ apparent abhorrence for the centuries-old Latin or Tridentine Mass is puzzling, especially when Benedict loosened restrictions and honored it. In a 2021 “motu proprio,” which in Catholic canon law is a document initiated by the pope on his own volition and signed by him, that required priests to ask for approval of local bishops to celebrate the Mass. Francis told fellow Jesuits in 2023 that he thought Benedict’s allowances for the ritual were being used for ideological reasons and signaled a backward direction for the church. Ironically, Francis himself worshipped in this rite for well over the first 30 years of his life. When he became a Jesuit novice at the tender age of 21 in 1958, long before the Vatican II reforms of the 1960s, one can only safely assume there was a special affinity between Francis and the Latin Mass with its reverence, mystique, and solemnity. Is this not what at least somewhat initially attracted him to his vocation?
All we can do at this point is pray. First and foremost, we must pray for the eternal peace for the soul of Pope Francis, who served as our shepherd for 12 years. May he be with God Almighty. We must also pray that our next pontiff is guided by the Holy Spirit and leads the Church in the most Christ-like manner. Again, this is not the political church we must consume ourselves with. The prophetic church and the continued sacrifice of the Mass should be in our scope. The next pope must convey the message of the Church to the nearly 2 billion Catholics around the globe. This message may contain truths people do not want to hear, but must listen to, regardless of the times we live in. A sin is, after all, a sin. Morals and choice of lifestyle will be judged by God, as will our hearts.
When the white smoke clears, let us hope our new leader emerges with lucidity and steer clear of the many cliffs standing in our way.