Building upon his historic message to open the 100th Plenary, as the bench's elections unfolded on Tuesday morning, the Cardinal-Secretary of State Pietro Parolin delivered an even more extensive – and, quite possibly, even more significant – word, appearing at the Catholic University of America in Washington to propose Pope Francis as the ultimate figure of continuity with Vatican II, citing how he's "taken up anew" the Council's teaching and rebooted model of church.
My comment: Listen carefully (actually read carefully) what Cardinal Parolin says. He is much clearer in his presentations than Pope Francis is. Parolin quotes Pope Benedict's Christmas presentation to the cardinals at the Vatican extensively, especially His Holiness' "Renewal in Continuity" not rupture.
But more importantly, while we are "irreversibly" in the post-Conciliar Church, with vernacular liturgies, inculturation and the like, although the Cardinal doesn't say this, it also means a Church with a variety of "styles" or rites of the Mass and her sacraments which is inclusive of the pre-conciliar liturgy and sacramental system.
Then Cardinal Parolin correctly situates the laity's role in bringing the mission of the Church to the secular world, be it their families, their work places, their politics. It is here that "clericalism" has thwarted the mission of Vatican II for the laity. Priests have "churchified" the laity and made them mini-clerics working for the institutional Church, being lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and the like, but little or no emphasis on the family as the Church in Miniature, the role of the laity in the world, especially to make known what the Church's teachings are and embodying these teachings in the public square and in politics!
I think that Cardinal Parolin even nuances the role of Bishops' Conferences and synodality more so than Pope Francis does.
Overall, if Cardinal Parolin becomes Pope Francis II, I think there will be more peace and clarity in the papacy and thus the Church than we have now. And as Pope Francis II, there will not be the cult of the personality surrounding Him or too much talking off-the-cuff. He is a mix between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, more towards Benedict, in personality.He is more balanced than Pope Francis. And of course, he's Italian to the core so of course there will be back-room maneuvering which leads to a "bella figura" (a nice look on the surface). Of course "che bella figura" in Italian can be a sarcastic/ironic remark too to refer to actually ugliness and many Italians use this against Pope Francis! Of course you have to hear the voice inflection and facial expression of the Italian using this term!
Back to Whispers: While publication of Parolin's text has been prohibited – Lord only knows why – gratefully a fullvid of his Italian address is around, with a captioned translation in English....
And here it is, it lasts less than an hour and is important to read--I hope we get a written text soon!
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