On this blog, I often complimented Pope Francis for His Holiness’ wonderful papal pilgrimages which were successful except the ones to Chile and Ireland, each with very small crowds at papal Masses and and riots in Chile over some stupid papal appointments of bishops associated with the sexual abuse of minors and Pope Francis’ determined defense of them and His Holiness’ choices. In Chile, it was a disaster!
But, Pope Francis’ high altitude papal news conferences always heard him saying something controversial and polarizing in his off-the-cuff remarks and these overshadowed his wonderful pilgrimage. Everyone talked about the interview not the trip!
Thanks be to God, among all the reversals of Pope Francis’ style and ethos, Pope Leo also reversed controversial news conferences give at high altitudes.
Pope Leo is measured in his off-the-cuff remarks and is careful not to overshadow all he did and said in his formal pilgrimage. Thanks be to God!
On his return to Rome from Lebanon, Pope Leo remarked on the Synodal Way in Germany, where many feel that Germany is heading for a new or neo-Protestant reformation. I think that is true too! Pope Leo downplays that, sort of. You need to read between the lines. My most humble but most astute comments are embedded in red within Pope Leo’s answer to the question posed by Anna Giordano:
Anna Giordano (Ard Radio): The Church in Lebanon is supported also by the German Church. There are, for example, some German aid agencies very active in Lebanon. So also from that point of view, it is important that the German Church stays a strong Church. So you probably know, that there is this (Synodaler Weg), Synodal Way, a process of change in the German Church going on. Do you think this process can can be a way to strengthen the Church? Or is is the other way around? And why?
[Pope, in English]: The Synodal Way is not unique to Germany; the whole Church has celebrated a Synod and synodality over the past several years.
There are some great similarities, but there are also some marked differences between how the Synodal Way in Germany has been carried forward and how it may well continue in the universal Church. On the one hand, I would say there is room certainly for respect for inculturation.
The fact that in one place synodality is lived in a certain way, and in an other place it is lived differently, does not mean that there will be rupture or a fracture. I think that is very important to remember.
(My comment: Here Pope Leo recognizes in a measured, sober way that some parts of the German synodal way have gone off the rails, manipulated by the rich and powerful and heterodox who cancel out the voices of the poor and orthodox): At the same time, I am aware that many Catholics in Germany believe that certain aspects of the Synodal Way that has been celebrated in Germany up until now, do not represent their own hope for the Church or their own way of living the Church.
So, there is need for further dialogue and listening within Germany itself, so that no one’s voice is excluded, (especially the voices of the poor and orthodox) so that the voice of those who are more powerful (and heterodox) does not silence or stifle the voice of those who might also be very numerous but don’t have a place to speak up and to allow their own voices and own expressions of Church participation to be listened to.
(My comment: but then Pope Leo adds a very discrete, “but, but, but): At the same time, as you know I am sure, the group of German Bishops has been meeting, for the last couple of years, with a group of the Cardinals from the Roman Curia. There is an ongoing process there as well, to try and make sure the German Synodal Way does not, if you will, break away from what needs to be considered as a pathway of the universal Church. (In this paragraph, but in a sober, read between the lines way, Pope Leo indicates that the Vatican and now with His Holiness’ leadership, but exercised through his cardinals, will not allow the German Synodal way to claim to be in union with Rome if in fact they are schismatic and heretical. Pope Leo indicates that some of their heterodox ideas and ideologies do in fact present the real threat of a breakaway by the German Church! Thank you Pope Leo for stating the obvious!)
I’m sure that will continue. I suspect there will be some adjustments made on both sides in Germany, but I’m certainly hopefully that things will work out positively. (And Pope Leo and His Holiness’ Cardinals at the Vatican will make sure it does!)
6 comments:
Bravo! Liberals in the Church remind me of the Russian Revolution. They are the Bolsheviks: noisy, with outsized influence. The rest of us are the Mensheviks getting trampled by them.
Father McDonald said..."On this blog, I often complimented Pope Francis for His Holiness’ wonderful papal pilgrimages..."
Father, that is true.
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Father McDonald said..."But, Pope Francis’ high altitude papal news conferences always heard him saying something controversial and polarizing in his off-the-cuff remarks and these overshadowed his wonderful pilgrimage. Everyone talked about the interview not the trip!"
Father, yes...that was a frequent assessment of yours — an assessment that I had found untenable.
In regard to Pope Francis' Apostolic Visits: Time and again, months and years later, the Faithful, as well as the news media, expressed great fondness in regard to Pope Francis' visits in question.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
You heard him, Father. MT has declared your position untenable. Where would we be without MT’s solemn findings?
Nick
In any event, MT’s (deliberate or ignorant? Sensing a theme…) false dichotomy between Fr AJM’s position and MT’s solemn judgment thereof itself doesn’t hold up. The visited people can appreciate the visit; any edification others might’ve received could likewise have been overshadowed by unnecessary gaffes and childish insults and name-calling.
As for the media, of course they loved publishing things they could use to embarrass the Church and Catholics. Journalists are overwhelmingly secularist. Holy holy holy journalists, or something, though.
Nick
And *this* is why I am a great admirer of our good Pope Leo.
His holy vocation isn't about himself - it's about the Holy Trinity and the teaching of the Church.
Pope Leo unfailingly thinks before he speaks, writes, and acts on anything. For instance, he probably anticipated being asked to pray with Muslims in a mosque and politely deferred. And he avoided visiting the Hagia Sophia. As one who has visited Istanbul and entered the Hagia Sophia, I can personally attest that it was one of the most jarring, saddest moments of my life. To see what had been a holy, consecrated church - on the level of importance at least equal to St. Peter in Vatican City - turned into (then) a museum and now a mosque, with Christian artwork covered by Islamic shields, tore me up.
Pope Leo also did not hesitate to speak up for the suffering of everyone in the Holy Land, but most particularly the Catholics, Orthodox, and other Christians trapped there in the midst of war. He spoke not only as a pope, but as a pastor.
IMO, Pope Leo has not made a wrong step in the 7-8 months of his pontificate, nor has he misspoken or misled anyone. He is fully in line with the teaching of the Church and the guidance of God and spreads it faithfully to all of us.
God bless and protect our good Pope Leo!
Father McDonald, the following is not an attack against you. I wish simply to support the claim that I had made yesterday.
Pope Francis (requiescat in pace) had visited Africa five times.
None of the manufactured "controversies" in regard to his press conferences had subtracted from the remarkable amount of love, and respect, for Pope Francis that had flowed from our African brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
Here is a seven-month old news story in regard to the above:
-- The impact Pope Francis made on Africa | DW News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu-cbTez9oo
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"The world mourns the death of Pope Francis and reflects on his words and actions.
"How will he be remembered in Africa? From a continent Francis embraced warmly, we hear from Africans themselves on what his papacy meant to them."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
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