Press the title below for the English commentary from Silere non Possum about Castel Gandolfo and Pope Leo’s short visit there today.
No matter what one says about Pope Francis, I do think he was a workhorse, what might be called a “workaholic”. I don’t think he ever took a real vacation in his 12 year long papacy. Personally, I don’t think that’s healthy for anyone and for the poor souls who had to have him throughout the summer disrupting the Italian lifestyle of daily and summer rest, especially during the month of August.
Pope Benedict XVI loved Castel Gandolfo and every pope before him in my memory.
I find Pope Leo XIV to be a real gentleman. He may not be a Pope Benedict XVII or Pope John Paul III and he certainly won’t be a Pope Francis II, but he will make the best of not canceling Pope Francis like Pope Francis canceled Benedict and JP II. I think Pope Leo XIV simply won’t do that to Pope Francis. But any changes made by Pope Leo to Francis’ legacy will be a refinement not a cancelation.
For rad-trads, that will be disappointing. But for the Universal Church, that is what needs to be done to secure peace in the Church and bring the majority of Catholics back to the center, respecting the Church, her Councils and her leaders but with openness to the needs and concerns of lower clergy, religious and laity.
Vatican II and a pope’s post Vatican II vision for the Church cannot be implemented in the most authoritarian pre-Vatican II way. Pope Francis tried that and he cause polarization galore after two previous papacies that made progress in re-establishing unity and peace in the Church.
2 comments:
Everyone needs to step away and decompress. Fresh perspective results. I hope Leo takes advantage of the access he enjoys to this beautiful place.
Im sure the local economy would welcome a return to normalcy.
Get the place lived in as a Papal retreat - not a stuffy museum.
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