Hyper-analysis of Pope Francis’s Angelus this Sunday will likely run well into the week. That’s not because of anything he said or didn’t, but because of his brief and previously unannounced visit to Rome’s Tiber Island Hospital right near the Vatican for a pulmonary CT scan on Saturday morning. Francis also cancelled his Saturday appointments because of a “mild flu”—to hear the Holy See press office tell it—then telecast the noonday prayer of Marian devotion from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
Pope Francis had what appeared to be an IV drip going on Sunday, and told people he has “an inflammation of the lungs” that would keep him from reading his Angelus address himself.
“How sick is the pope?” is a reasonable question, but the answer continues to be: “We don’t know.” The attempt of the Holy See press office to be out in front of the business this time didn’t really help and arguably even spurred speculation. Official Vatican press organs have not distinguished themselves—not only under Francis—for their forthrightness in these regards.
What we do know is that Pope Francis is about three weeks shy of 87 years old, suffers chronic illness of various kinds, has undergone multiple abdominal surgeries within the past three years, and has made several more-or-less unscheduled visits to doctors in recent times.
So, pray for his speedy and full recovery, but don’t expect anything one way or another. Er papa nun è malato sinché n’ è morto—the pope ain’t sick ’til he’s dead—is the old Roman saying. While it doesn’t precisely hold these days, the state of papal health is more guessed at than known.
Even if Pope Francis bounces back from what appears to be mostly lingering flu-like symptoms, the ineluctable fact is that there is more of his pontificate behind him than before him, and speculation about how long he really does have is both natural and of a piece with speculation about what comes next.
Meet the new boss
The global Church is in the grip of several different crises, sometimes overlapping and sometimes converging, rarely manifesting in anything close to the same way in any two geopolitical regions and never—not a word anyone ought to use lightly—admitting one clear avenue of address.
The College of Cardinals is weak by any measure—whether it be intellectual heft or administrative prowess or political acumen or even general likeability—while the members of the College are practically strangers to each other.
Much has been made of Pope Francis’s efforts to remake the College in his image and after his likeness, but the idea that he should know much more than anyone else about the real personalities and abilities of the men he has created lacks verisimilitude.
They’re going to have a hard time seeing their way to one another, when the time comes.
Here are three things the cardinals should consider when they do eventually get together, and three things for Church watchers both amateur and professional to keep in mind as the business unfolds.
Don’t try to fix everything
First, whoever gets the job will be inheriting a substantial mess, so it will be important to pick someone who won’t try to fix everything all at once.
Yes, you read that right.
The problems facing the Church are too many and too deeply ingrained—not to say entrenched—to admit of swift remediation. Choosing one or two or at most three major priorities and then working to improve both performance in those areas and general leadership culture through those areas will have a better chance at success than an attempt to overhaul the entire outfit all at once.
That isn’t to say that the new guy—whoever he turns out to be, whenever we get him—won’t need to clear the decks. Clearing the decks seems entirely appropriate and even necessary under the circumstances. It is one of the things both Benedict and Francis could have done and arguably ought to have done, but neither did.
John Adams, the second President of the United States, kept George Washington’s cabinet when he came into office. That decision, which he took in view of preserving continuity as the “spirit of faction” seized both the people and the new American political elite, allowed backbiting in the body to continue and eventually led to sclerotic dysfunction.
The Church’s central governing apparatus in Rome already has that.
The flip side of that coin is that it would also be a mistake for the next head man to bring in his own guys from outside. The cardinals could choose an inveterate curial insider, or someone almost entirely unused to romanità, or someone in between. Regardless of their choice’s profile in this regard, the fellow will be tempted to surround himself with familiar and trusted advisors and subalterns. He should resist that temptation and prefer to elevate middling lifers with proven track records of quiet competence.
Finding them will be tricky, inexact, and hit-and-miss.
Take a beat, but not two
That last consideration shades perceptibly into the second thing the cardinal electors ought to consider, which is that they ought to choose someone who will take time—but not too much—to pick his core team and put them in place.
The Roman curia is a bureaucracy, whatever else it may be. Bureaucracies are at best tolerably good at doing what they do. What they do is to handle matters of specific competence, so the head man doesn’t have to occupy himself directly and personally with every matter somehow requiring his official attention. The recent reform of the Roman curia did not put the outfit in form for action.
Pope Francis’s capital idea for that reform was to make the Roman curia fit to serve the Church’s evangelizing mission. That sounds great, but the fact is that ordering the curia to such a mission cannot make the bureaucracy fit for ecclesial purpose. It has rather bureaucratized the Church’s missionary mandate.
This was on display when the Dicastery for Divine Worship overstepped its bounds so far as to dictate what parishes can and can’t put in their bulletins regarding various Mass options, and then retroactively obtained the legal wherewithal to do what it proposed to do.
More recently, Pope Francis explained to the DDF head that his office isn’t only or even primarily concerned with questions of baseline doctrinal congruity but with ensuring that the practice of theological inquiry is directed toward “increasing the understanding and transmission of the faith in the service of evangelization, so that its light may be a criterion for understanding the meaning of existence, especially in the face of the questions posed by the progress of the sciences and the development of society.”
That is a broad mandate, whatever else one says or thinks of it.
Practically, it gives DDF carte blanche not only to review but to revise lots of stuff—from textbooks and catechetical materials to major academic theological tracts—that Rome has spent a good deal of time and energy learning to let be. It is license to engage in almost inquisitorial oversight of theology and theologians. Only, DDF will not be looking for hints of doctrinal error. DDF will be looking for consonance with a specific pastoral and evangelizing vision.
Reining that in or rolling that back will require great strength, deftly applied.
There and elsewhere—in financial reform, legal reform, reform of the Vatican’s administration of justice in the Church, just to name a few high-profile areas—the old maxim about personnel being policy will apply in spades.
It isn’t that changing the names on the doors to the corner offices will solve all or even any of the problems—not directly—but it is to say that real reform leaves blood on the floor, blood best and most helpfully spilt sooner rather than later. The cardinal electors need to pick someone willing to spill it. That will be tough for them, because it will mean putting their own heads on blocks.
Talk a good game, then follow through
The third thing for which the electors need to look in a successor is willingness to cultivate good relationships with the press.
The contemporary papacy requires someone who understands the watchdog function of journalism and realizes that the interests of the news media will sometimes align with those of the principals the media cover but never perfectly or permanently.
That could translate to the new guy holding regular—weekly?—press conferences. It could mean letting the press office function as a press office is supposed to function, i.e., with a chief who is in the room when big questions are discussed and decisions are being made, so that he or she can cultivate real rapport with journalists on the beat and keep the Vatican in front of stories that are going to break in any case. It could involve fostering a culture of media awareness throughout the curial apparatus.
It ought to involve some combination of all three.
For those of us watching from home, the perennial wisdom largely holds. Those who go into a conclave as pope usually come out as cardinals, so, don’t put too much stock in prognostication. Do not expect the new guy to be anyone’s dream candidate. Profiling is important, necessary, and inevitable. That said, it is sketch work at best. Finally, remember that the Church is very big and very old, and has survived all kinds of popes operating under all sorts of internal pressure and external constraints.
One final thing: Don’t expect a brief or bloodless conclave, whenever it comes.
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Here’s one more thing the cardinals should consider when they do eventually get together to choose:
No more Jesuitical popes.
Chris
In regards to your 3rd item establishing a good relationship with the press. Damm the press full steam ahead. Forget about worldly things and continue in the Word and be true disciples and know the Truth.
I agree, Samuel. The Press is composed of many dishonorable people, many of whom are anti-Catholic and cannot be trusted.
If I were to be so bold as to offer the College of Cardinals three pieces of advice regarding the next Conclave, my three recommendations would be 1. Don’t take any advice from Journalist Chris Altieri. 2. Don’t take any advice from Journalist Chris Altieri. 3. Don’t take any advice from Journalist Chris Altieri.
“The College of Cardinals is weak by any measure — whether it be intellectual heft…” This is not only insulting but also absolutely untrue. Among the cardinal are former academics with doctoral degrees, while some others without doctorates are intellectually sound.
You are one hundred percent correct. They brought lots of wonderful ideas such as liberation theology that got a lot of them murdered.
Actually, a next papal conclave isn’t inevitable if this pontificate, in the grip of several different crises, creates such a mess brining the intervention of God and the Final Trial that is inevitable.
The scariest part about Jesus’ sign for His Second Coming, is that, yes, the Mathew 24 “Desolating Abomination” “Standing in the Holy Place”, will have Christ given authority in our Catholic Church. Through apparitions and locutions, the Blessed Mother and Jesus are desperately warning us to Divine Mercy in My Soul, 635, “prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day!”
There is a slight difference in Jesus’ delivery in His apocalyptic quote from Zechariah. Zechariah’s prophecy states “strike the shepherd…” Jesus quotes it as, “I will strike the shepherd…”. USCCB Bible notes reference both Zechariah 13 and Matthew 24 “The Destruction of the Temple Foretold”, to Jesus’ Matthew 26:31 ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed’, quote. I think we are definitely at the Jesus striking the Shepard, Destruction of the Temple Foretold, stage of the apocalypse.
Zechariah 13:7 Oracles Concerning the End of False Prophecy. The Song of the Sword.
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the one who is my associate—oracle of the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. In all the land—oracle of the LORD—two thirds of them will be cut off and perish, and one third will be left. I will bring the one third through the fire; I will refine them as one refines silver, and I will test them as one tests gold. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people,” and they will say, “The LORD is my God.”
Interesting assessment but not one I suspect is shared by the Cardinals themselves. This is a College of Cardinals where the US and Europe are afterthoughts (at best) and as such, are expected to follow not lead. My guess: look to the East.
I don’t know about other nationalities, but the U.S. cardinals chosen by Pope Francis strike me as uninspiring, selected for their blind loyalty to the pope and their radical leftist views. Perhaps, even association with Theodore McCarrick? Other men of stature – Archbishop Chaput and Archbishop Gomez have been passed over, gravely weakening the College of Cardinals.
In the next conclave, the Holy Spirit will have His work cut out for Him.
I think you are right Francy. I’m an old IrishAmerican who witnessed the good of the Irish missionaries here. We don’t have them any more sadly. Last time around I wanted Pell or Boston’s Sean but they were blocked by the ultra liberals. So when my “boys” weren’t chosen my mind set turned to our North African Cardinals. Yep, and if they are ignored, I know an Indian with keys to his basilica and he isn’t even a Cardinal yet. IMHO, He’s too GOOD/HOLY! … like Pell and O’Malley were.
A helpful article. Clear and succinct. Thanks.
Any day I would pick a perhaps middling but pastoral oriented and humble Pope like Francis who accepts his own limitations and the inevitable disfunctioning of some of Church’s bureaucracy over an arrogant,self-assured,know-it-all executive Mr. Altieri apparently wants, if the tone of this elitist, insider who knows all secrets narrative is any indication of Mr. Altieri’s papal preference.
Only a fool would consider Francis humble.
Humble Pope?
He’s the least humble, most dictatorial man that ever sat on the chair of St Peter. The worst in the history of the church.
Pray for his conversion back to Christ!
The working class is with the Papa in Rome.. Remember St Pete is looking down on us . Your opinion is noted and respect is earned not given because you wear a robe or work in a office.The Papa has my respect and I would bend the knee and kiss the ring for him and only him . I am one of the Mount Cashel Affair boys.. lived a life of service in the French foreign legion,As a fisherman, Unions Unifor 598, As a Mine rescue man who was injured saving another miners life. I did all the hard things so others didn’t have to and Saint Peter protected me in Chad, On the Sea and in the mines. Now I have joined the Knights of Columbus because of the Papa in Rome and my godfather and uncle Andrew Mullaly who bent the knee and kissed the ring of Pope John Paul in Saint Peters church .. I am willing to leave at anytime but won’t for Papa’s sake because I was taught fidelity and honor and I see the spirit of Saint Peter in the Papa in Rome and St. Pete is smiling on him not you. We are only men but St. Peter sees our deeds and our mistakes .. remember Saint Peter is looking down on us unless you are a false believer and using the Church for your benefit and comfort and remember the Lord never abandons the rightous, it’s why I’m still walking around willing to serve until called home. I fear nothing but your fear of change and We must change to survive … Do not be a child of Cain and turn against your brother Able but a child of Seth.. measure your words with knowledge not ego because this is just your opinion not the father’s in heaven. Walk with the Saints not the sinners
You would bend and kiss his ring if he would permit you. Perhaps you haven’t heard. He doesn’t want your germs anywhere near his hand.
I for one think its an absolutely terrible idea that the next pope or any pope should hold weekly press conferences. How anyone can think this is a good use of a pope’s time I do not know, but I guess we have to have some forgiveness for a journalist putting journalism at the center of the universe. Further, has not Mr. Altieri noticed that the press corps has its obsessions and liberal bent and tends to slant everything in the direction of its distorted worldviews (think, for instance, of the racial and political lens through which much of the mainstream US press distorts coverage of things in this country, i.e. mistakes made by police officers in high pressure, split second decisions, or how a riot at the capital turns into an insurrection that threatens “our democracy”). Distortions would also bend and mis-shape what would come out of such weekly speaking and reporting from the Vatican and put the Church’s actions into the 24/7 news cycle in ways that are unpredictable and likely to be far more unhelpful than Mr. Altieri seems to realize.
Make that two of us Mark. I would like a pope who never, ever, speaks to journalists. That is not his job at all.
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic
Four excellent points: the cardinals don’t know each other; strategic action rather than trying to fix everything; selection of a core team with “quiet competence” and yet capable of cleaning house; and credible relationships with the media.
Four comments:
FIRST, about avoiding blind votes at the conclave, the members can benefit from the thorough and balanced profiles of 19 papabili: Edward Pentin (editor), “The Next Pope,” Sophia Institute Press, 2020. https://www.ncregister.com/features/is-the-next-pope-on-this-list-of-possibilities
SECOND, within my archdiocese, after all of the disruptive themes of today already had done their damage on a local scale (1970s and 80s), a later archbishop did two things: he worked personally with a consultative and very successful pastoral council (partly because it did not imagine itself as a “synod”), and he cut off all ties with a previously exploitive and exploited local media.
THIRD, and furthermore, a responsible relationship with the media might already be under the buss, if a possibly proposed and broad, pre-conclave social gathering is in the mix. Influence peddlers like governments, the media, social media, and rainbow billionaires. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/11/22/a-synodal-reform-of-the-papal-conclave/ Not sure, here, whether the media are accurately understood as still performing only a consistent “watchdog function.” The 1875 tale of the Gingerbread Man and the Fox comes to mind.
FOURTH, thinking even more fancifully and disruptively, who’s to say that the next pope will come from the ranks of cardinals? The role of cardinals in papal elections came in A.D. 1059, but the selection need not be a cardinal. Earlier, a monk was selected—Gregory the Great in A.D. 590. In A.D. 1294 after 27 months of sede vacante, an 80-year-old monk became Pope Celestine V. The cardinals ran the show and, understandably, he retired back to his monastery after five months.
Might hope that after a possible stalemate, the next conclave discovers a so-called “compromise candidate” (possibly on Pentin’s list, above) who, according to Altieri’s criteria, is actually better suited than any on the initial slate of candidates? Neither a so-called “backwardist” nor an ideological “forwardist,” but a rare shepherd capable of the impossible papal office, “in season and out of season”?
“First, whoever gets the job will be inheriting a substantial mess, so it will be important to pick someone who won’t try to fix everything all at once.”
I’m confused as to how Catholics can believe that there are any cardinals today who believe if they were to be elected pope would be inheriting a substantial mess but rather would continue to make ever more substantial and damning messes.
I am confused….all this administrative stuff sends chills down my spine….we are running a church not a world wide business conglomerate…..I understand the need ror responsible leadership and order but good lord we a missing the leadership of Christ in this and the greatest among them will be the servant of all…we do not have a king francis or king john Paul for that matter…the church of Jesus Christ is an organism not an organization albeit we do need structure…we need to re direct the leadership down to the local level like it is intended with bishops having more authority than they do and when they meet in a spirit of collegiality answers are given and problems solved on a world wide basis with the pope as arbitrator as the Holy Spirit gives him utterances…I am sorry but there is to much emphasis on the pope and his role…this should be the focus…and lastly any true leadership is going to come from the laity, the people of God….you can.t be a leader if you have no followers and I for one will not blindly follow anyone who strays from the faith in teaching and morals as has been laid down from Jesus and his apostles through the magisterium as guided by the Holy Spirit and scripture…..
Read through article and comments, which all reflect antagonism with present Church leadership, from the author’s practicality flavored with post conclave overhaul, to compromise candidacy, to despair. Mixed together they point to failure of message.
All the ideas of the Flagship Document Evangelii Gaudium are good except for the message. An evangelical Church joyous, charitable can indeed successfully witness to Christ if the message is integral with the Gospels as given. Insofar as assertiveness in transmission that would flow naturally. His Holiness takes issue with conversion as something akin to Antichrist, whereas the omission of repentance and remission of sin requires conversion. That omission is against Christ’s message, in effect against Christ himself.
Bishop Barron, ever faithful to the Church, has come to that conclusion in regards to the universal Synod’s working document, its similarity to the Synodale Weg’s. Consternation and despair has overtaken the faithful because we have at present a Church with no cohesive message that represents Christ, a message with no exclusivity, no conversion to truth, that is, except for those of us who refuse to succumb to the vacuous message of despair, who must stay firm in the faith and fight the good fight, whatever may prevail now or at the next conclave.
Thank you.
A fatal and significant flaw in Bishop Barron’s comments on the Synod is set forth in his very first lengthy paragraph, yet many people praising the Bishop for his pushback on a few synodal themes not in line with Catholic morality have not recognized the dangerous flaw in Bishop Barron’s overall approach and what it portends for the Church.
In the first paragraph of his reflections, Bishop Barron enthusiastically recounts and accepts the false narrative of the need to “listen” to many supposedly oppressed “marginalized” groups within the Church. This narrative is just another manifestation of left wing, Marxist-type propaganda rubbish that is being used by leaders of the Synod to promote its agenda of destroying the traditional hierarchical Church established by our Lord. Because of this, many wrong prescriptions will be provided by Bishop Barron and others to “cure” non-existent problems and thereby bring about greater problems based on numerous falsehoods accepted as truth.
So any faithfulness to the Perennial Church exercised by Bishop Barron is seriously compromised by his problematic faithfulness to the overall synodal agenda. Praise for the Bishop’s expression of some orthodox views should be seriously tempered by the recognition of his eager willingness to accept and promote false and harmful narratives.
J.M.J.
The only thing that we must Pray for is a Faithful man to be elected to the Papacy by only Faithful Cardinals.
Clearly there are two religions residing within The Catholic Church, The Church Of The Faithful, who affirm The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, and thus the fact that “It is not possible to have Sacramental Communion without Ecclesial Communion, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost; for it Is “Through Christ, With Christ, And In Christ, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque), that Holy Mother Church, outside of which, there is no Salvation, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, exists.
By resigning the ministerial office of the Papacy but retaining the forever”office”, The MUNUS, Pope Benedict affirmed the fact that The Office Of The MUNUS is where The Papacy retains Our Sacred Heritage, The Deposit Of Faith that Christ Has Entrusted To His One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic Church, Through Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, And The Teaching Of The Magisterium, grounded in Sacred Tradition And Sacred Scripture.
“The truth cannot impose itself except by virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entrance into the mind at once quietly and with power.”
This is our Sacred Heritage.
“Salvation is of the Jews”, from The Father, Through The Son, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque).
https://biblehub.com/drbc/john/4.htm
“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst for ever. 14But the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.”
And thus we can know through both Faith and Reason, that to claim that it is possible for a counterfeit church that opposes The Ordered Communion Of Perfect Complementary Love, The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity, Through The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque), The Author Of Love, Of Life, And Of Marriage, And Thus The Author Of Our Unalienable Right To Life, To Liberty, And To The Pursuit Of Happiness, To subsist within The One Body Of Christ, is a lie from the start.
“It is now becoming clear that the very notion of being—of what being human really means—is being called into question. When the freedom to be creative becomes the freedom to create oneself, then necessarily the Maker himself is denied and ultimately man too is stripped of his dignity as a creature of God, as the image of God at the core of his being. The defense of the family is about man himself. And it becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever defends God is defending man.” – Pope Benedict’s Christmas Address 2012
One can only have an Apostasy from The True Church Of Christ, Christ’s One Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic Church, outside of which there is no Salvation, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost. And so by resigning the Ministerial Office of The Papacy, but making it clear that he maintained the MUNUS, Pope Benedict XVI, exposed the spirit of Apostasy that was attempting to subsist within The Body Of Christ but will not succeed due to the fact that there is only One Christ, and thus there can only Be One Body Of Christ.
At the heart of Liberty Is Christ, “4For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated, have tasted also the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5Have moreover tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come…”, to not believe that Christ’s Sacrifice On The Cross will lead us to Salvation, but we must desire forgiveness for our sins, and accept Salvational Love, God’s Gift Of Grace And Mercy; believe in The Power And The Glory Of Salvation Love, and rejoice in the fact that No Greater Love Is There Than This, To Desire Salvation For One’s Beloved.
“Hail The Cross, Our Only Hope.”
“Blessed are they who are Called to The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb.”
“For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
This is our Sacred Heritage.
“Salvation is of the Jews”, from The Father, Through The Son, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque).
https://biblehub.com/drbc/john/4.htm
Elect the most saintly Cardinal. Annul the previous pontificate. Reinstate those bishops that did not abandon the Gospel of Christ for secularism as shameless sycophants. Take the name John Paul III. Open the pontificate with the words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Or, elect Francis II and see Tradition go into centuries of hibernation until the entire forest of Faith is burned to the ground. Then, rebuild after the Dumb Ages.
Or, seek a middle way. Elect Pope Felix V and pretend the past never happened. Make the press laugh. Fill the Vatican with popular functionaries. Tell a joke to open the pontificate. Etc.
My sense is that God will reform the Church before the next pope even gets a chance. There are, as you say, many problems, all of them seemingly intractable from a human point of view. God is patient, and he will even allow Himself to be mocked…for a while. But in the end, the natural consequences of all the evil deeds will play out. I’m no prophet, so I don’t know what form it will take, but God will demolish, then rebuild, His Church. When the time comes, we can either help Him, or get in His way.
Change costs. Others will like it and others not. One thing for sure is that our Church is undergoing a transformation. The elderly Church members see their old world crumbling and replaced by a new one with new challenges and realities that need innovative solutions. From this perspective, and this is the whole point about being a leader for change, Pope Francis is doing a great job for the Church. Let’s pray for him.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. ” (Hebrews 13:8)
If there is anything passing away, it’s the Pope and his corrupt generation.
Yes, Pope Francis is doing a job for the Church. He is showing that the Church does not and will not change so long as Christ is its Head, and HE IS, if we remember scripture. Christ does not die, nor do His Words, nor does His Church.
Administrators (i.e., popes) come and administrators (i.e., popes) go, talking, speaking, and acting as if these things have eternal meaning.
Francis and others of his ilk are deceived. They may hope and believe, wearing their rose-colored lenses, that the Church will change. But remember. Christ transfigured once on a mountaintop and once from the underground cave, both times to greater glory. So shall His Church, and so shall His Bride.
Clarification: “these things” = the acts and speech of popes.
DISCLAIMER: FRANCIS IS THE DULY ELECTED POPE.
Now that this assertion is out of the way, I would suggest that the Papacy is already vacant since the Church doesn’t listen to him, if ever it did. Francis has been reduced to a Pope who spends his day kicking orthodox bishops out of their dioceses and functional roles in the Church. Could any sensible person imagine a shepherd who inspects his flock for the premium specimens and proceeds to starve them, alienate them from the flock, send them off to pastures where there’s nothing to graze on? Is this the Vicar of the Christ who spoke of a shepherd who, noticing one of the flock missing, left the 99 to go in search of it? I pray for Francis for obvious reasons.
“What we do know is that Pope Francis is about three weeks shy of 87 years old, suffers chronic illness of various kinds, has undergone multiple abdominal surgeries within the past three years, and has made several more-or-less unscheduled visits to doctors in recent times.” My mother a severe stroke when she was 49 years old, she suffer cardiac conditions that required two open heart surgeries. Every winter for the last 6 – 7 years of her life, she would land in the hospital with respiratory illness. She had multiple doctor appointments – multiple! Multiple infusions, multiple medication adjustments. She lived to 82. Is Pope Francis on hospice? Has he been given only six months or less to live? Has he been taken off his medications and is he now placed solely on palliative care and always confined to a hospital bed? Can we just stop this secular-like journalistic pondering about when Pope Francis might die and these regular reminders over the inevitability of his passing? Many of us do not like the actions of this papacy, many of us are appalled. Yet some of us are tired of Catholic journalists focus on this. Is Catholic journalism going to choose the next Pope? Stop talking and acting like ladies sitting around the hair salon or grumpy relatives waiting to read the will. How did all your speculation do in the choosing of this Pope? You are journalists, but you are Catholics first. Yes, pray! Don’t just imply “pray if you want” and move on to your next conjecture.
Pope Francis is the Pope, but I shudder at his lack of compassion. He has been the most confusing pope. Sometimes upholding church teachings and other times implementing weak ideas such as the synod. With his recent moves to remove Bishop Strickland and Cardinal Burke, he seems to be a vindictive person as well.
First time I’ve read cwn in a long time and it will be the last. What a shallow, bitter, self-righteous bunch of so-called Catholics it appeals to. Francis could do nothing to scandalize me as much as the editors and commentators have done here. Check for the plank in your own eyes…if the people of God could survive the dictatorships of John Paul 11 and Benedict we can survive just about anything. BTW, there is only one truth, Jesus Christ and no one I know of represents that without flaws.
You’re at CWR (Catholic World Report), not CWN (Catholic World News).
“Francis could do nothing to scandalize me as much as the editors and commentators have done here.”
If you’re not scandalized by the handling of Rupnik, then you are correct: nothing will scandalize you.
“What a shallow, bitter, self-righteous bunch of so-called Catholics … if the people of God could survive the dictatorships of John Paul 11 and Benedict…”
Not much self-awareness evident here.
excellent article. let’s pray for a holy father who will lead us back to holy mother church and our holy catholic faith.