Members share their thoughts on the Pope Francis papacy:
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Member comments:
From the pleasant surprise of his election, his Jesuit background, the name he chose, and his humility, I immediately saw in Francis reason for hope and an inspiration to strive toward the magis, the "more.” Laudato Si’ lit up my heart, reaffirming my feeling of being at home in this Church. I don't idolize him or agree with every word he says, or every action (or inaction), but even that endears him to me: We're both human and doing what we can with what we have to work with.
- Bob Slobig, Chicago, IL
He is a human being; he makes mistakes just like the rest of us, makes corrections, then moves forward. Most of all, he does not “pontificate.” Moreover, I am so honored to be a Pope Francis voter, considering all of life. He has made it clear that voting on one issue only is very short sighted and excludes not only the rest of our common humanity, but also world we all inhabit.
- Patricia Thomas, Aspen Hill, MD
Pope Francis is reopening the church doors to let in fresh ideas. I wish he were more proactive about women sharing power in the church, however.
- Anonymous
Francis challenges us to adopt and live a very wholistic understanding of creation, redemption and life.
- Barry Hughes, Australia
Pope Francis is re-orienting the Church towards the message of the Gospels: love one another, be merciful, don't be judgmental and care for each other especially those in need and the marginalized.
- Katharina Czerny, Ottawa, ON Canada
Unfortunately, the papacy of Pope Francis is not producing the fruits of reform and advance that so many would like to see, but the Catholic Church is a huge barque to steer and turn without losing too many of its crew and passengers through schism and capsize. My hope is that, though he might not fulfill all the hopes and dreams for change in his/our lifetimes, he will plant seeds which will see a modern, reformed and reforming church with a renewed integrity, relevance and message to the modern world.
- Robert Burke, New Zealand
When Francis proclaimed his year of mercy with a special invitation to Catholic-Christian women who may have had an abortion, I thought of my eldest sister and other women I know who have that guilt shadowing them. I was 20 years lapsed at that point and decided to start listening more to the new pope and consider a return. Francis is a one-of-a-kind, living saint; a spiritual friend. We pray for him every day.
- Nancy McGunagle, Kalispell, MT
The pope is ultimately unimportant. Local parishes have more heft and all are avoiding the issues of the day: LGBT concerns, women's voices, still a huge clericalism, and a distorted notion that the Roman Church is authoritative.
- Clyde Ebenreck
Maybe I expected more in a shorter period of time. Usually I love him but I still waiting for more opportunities for women (diaconate!) and more movement toward married priests. I’d also like him to silence these outspoken clerics who are political (Trump) advocates; they’re misleading many vulnerable people.
- K. Barnes, St. Louis, MO
The Holy Spirit is working through Pope Francis. I felt the breath of Spirit when his name was announced to the world and further when he humbly asked for our prayer. I pray the fire continues to renew and purify the Church and all of us, the people.
- Fr. Dave Super, Mahnomen, MN
Over-all, I am a big fan of Pope Francis...what follows is a big "However..."
In his trenchant commentary [NCR Sept. 9, 2020] on Jesuit Fr. Antonio Spadaro’s description of the kind of government Pope Francis is exercising, Michael Sean Winters makes the following important observation:
“One issue that Spadaro does not even mention is the role of women. The Amazon synod called specifically for a recognized ministry for women leading their communities. What is more, the pope had to look out at the assembled members of the synod and wonder why there were so few women and why the few women who were there did not even have a vote. I recognize that for a large section of the church, the issue of women in ministry is even more neuralgic than Communion for the divorced and remarried, but the current state of affairs is inexplicable and inexcusable and there are concrete steps Pope Francis could take to ameliorate it.”
Earlier in his commentary, Winters points to a significant Spadaro comment about Francis’s style of leadership/governance:
“Spadaro states that Pope Francis has no ‘agenda’ in the usual sense of the word. Instead, he wants to discern those moments when an authentic self-emptying permits a genuine encounter. Pointing to the Holy Father's 2018 letter to the bishops of Chile, in which the pope admitted he had erred gravely in assessing the situation, Spadaro writes: ‘Pre-packaged ideas are of no use and information may not be balanced and truthful: only encounter and immersion allow wise government.’ And, he adds, ‘And above all, there is no discernment regarding ideas, even ideas of reform, but on the real, on stories, on the concrete history of the Church, because reality is always superior to the idea.”
I think Spadaro has given us a key to understanding why Francis has been so slow to act on the role of women in the Church. To be blunt: Francis, like many Bishops (and Provincials) has very little experience of the real, the stories, the concrete history of women in the Church, from a woman’s perspective! He doesn’t hear stories as told by women. He doesn’t encounter/accompany many women of faith as they serve the Church. He hears ideas and demands (both from the left and the right). He hears the arguments framed around issues of power and control rather than service and commitment.
If Francis and other Bishops really want to understand the stories of women in the Church, they need to increase greatly their encounters with women. Women need to be “in the room” and “at the table.” But Francis and other bishops surround themselves with men, most of whom are celibate and also lack any meaningful interaction with women.
The Ignatian concept of discernment is, as Spadaro explains, a useful lens through which to understand Francis and his actions. And Winters is right to point out that at its core, the Spadaro article shows a pope who understands the Petrine ministry is fundamentally about unity, that the only unity available to the church is one created by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that all the plans in the world are no substitute for discerning the Spirit's will for the church.
When will the Church, and its leaders, discern that the gift of the Spirit is found as equally and deeply in women as she (the Spirit) is in men? When will the Church, and its leaders discern that denying women the opportunity for full life in the Church is divisive rather than unifying? Perhaps when its leaders really start listening to and understanding the stories and the concrete reality of women of faith who love their Church and want to serve her to the fullest extent possible by emptying themselves in the service of the gospel. As Sandra Schneiders, IHM and others have pointed out: The gift of the Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation is the same Spirit, whether the recipient is a man or a woman.
My brother and I grew up with the great blessing of a wonderful mother and seven incredible sisters. I have spent the last 47 years married to a woman who reminds me every day of the power of the Spirit in the lives of women. The pages of NCR, especially through its Global Sisters Report, are filled with examples of women whose lives are powerful examples of the Spirit working in our Church and world today. And once in a while there is a story about one of the thousands of laywomen ministers working in parishes throughout the world who are Spirit-filled.
How many more stories of women and the Spirit do we need before we recognize that it is past time for our Church to create opportunities for full participation for women in our Church and its leadership?
The time has come and that time is now!
- Jim Purcell, NCR Board Chair, Los Gatos, CA
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