Catholic Life Ministries

 By Robert Fontana

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope following the retirement of Benedict XVI (formerly Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger). I was surprised, like most people, by the words and behaviors of the new pope. He was very different from his two predecessors. He…

¨ chose the name Francis and as the new pope, asked us to pray for him.

¨ moved into an apartment to live alongside others.

¨ ate in a communal dining room.

¨ for his first papal trip, visited migrants on an island near Italy.

¨ washed the feet of Muslim and Christian inmates at a prison at Good Friday services.

¨ visited the wall in Ciudad Juarez adjacent to El Paso advocating for the rights and dignity of migrants.

¨ wrote an encyclical urgently challenging us all to care for the earth, our common home.

¨ instructed the clergy to leave the confines of the parish to mix with the people, saying a pastor should “smell like his sheep.” And…the church must be a “field hospital” more concerned with healing the wounds of suffering people than with defending its own interests.  And…the Eucharist is “not a prize for the perfect but a generous medicine and food for the weak.”

¨ advocated for peace and justice for refugees everywhere, especially those living in Gaza.

¨ called a Catholic parish in Gaza daily to express his love and learn how the people were surviving.

¨ spoke with and welcomed individuals and groups formerly marginalized by the church (divorced and remarried, gay and lesbian).

¨ apologized for the sins of the church against children and youth through clergy sex abuse and destruction of native culture through boarding schools.

¨ initiated a new way of being church through the synodal process in which clergy and laity alike pray through and discuss issues of church life to discern guidance of the Holy Spirit.

¨ appointed most of the world’s cardinals, making the college of cardinals a truly international body.

I am grateful for the above. Pope Francis loved Jesus and sought to be a pastor rather than a king. Remember the first words out of his mouth when he referred to himself not as pope but as bishop:

Brothers and sisters, good evening. You all know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him… but here we are.

He demonstrated that the church is a communion of disciples of Jesus, not a monarchy, corporation, or fund-raising apparatus. He showed us how to advocate and work for the common good, for what is life-giving for all people, not just Catholics. That is a witness sorely needed today.

However, there are areas of Francis’ ministry that were disappointing.

Clergy sex abuse: He had a lackluster approach to protecting minors and vulnerable adults from sexual predators in the church. His encouragement to whistleblowers who seek to expose sexual predators and bishops who protect these criminals was weak. Survivors of clergy sex abuse want a clear and unambiguous change to canon law that will suspend a cleric from ministry permanently for even one offense against a minor or vulnerable adult. (I would add to that to suspend any bishop or church leader who protected the offending cleric.)

Clericalism: I wish Francis had done more to ask the Catholic people how we experience clericalism in the church and what we think ought to be done about it. Lori and I have worked with many good, kind, compassionate, and competent priests. And we have worked with many who were simply bullies. They were bullies to sacristans and altar servers, bullies to their staff, and even bullies when visiting the sick and dying.

I think the problem goes back to their formation in   seminary with the notion that the priest is an “alter-Cristo.” He is the sacramental sign of Christ, head of the church. At Mass he is the last one to enter the church like a king entering court. He gives himself communion. And when Mass concludes, he blesses the rest of us, leaving himself out of the blessing. This is overstated and needs to change if the pastor is to “smell like the sheep.”

Women: Where would the Catholic Church be without the women who do most of the work in Catholic parishes, Catholic schools, Catholic dioceses, and social services? Yet women cannot preach, baptize, witness weddings, anoint the sick sacramentally, or preside at the burying of the dead. It is way past time that women be welcomed to the Sacrament of Holy Orders as deacons.

Celibacy: Pope Francis listened to pleas from South American bishops for a married clergy but caved to the backlash that came from traditionalists who demanded that he maintain celibacy for priests. This is silly and   sinful. We have married clergy in the Eastern Catholic Churches, and we allow married men who were pastors of Protestant churches and converted to Catholicism to be ordained priests. The bishops of Amazonia wanted to make the Eucharist and other Sacraments readily available to people who may only see a priest once a year. Pope Francis said “NO!” I guess celibacy is still more important to church leaders than is the Eucharist. Otherwise we would dispense of that discipline for the priesthood and ordain married men so that the Eucharist and other Sacraments can be readily available to all no matter where they live.

I am most grateful for the life and ministry of Pope  Francis, Bishop of Rome. He gave us the leadership that we needed at this time in history. I trust that the Holy Spirit will find a worthy successor whom I hope will take up some of the above issues. 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord; and may perpetual light shine upon him!