THE POPE OF THE FUTURE

 

 

THE POPE OF THE FUTURE

“It matters little whether the new Pope be Bergamasque or not. Combined prayers should ensure that he be a wise and gentle man, and that he be a holy man and one who spreads holiness.” 

                                                                                                                                      Pope John XXIII

The papacy, despite its divine origins and its two-thousand- year history, still remains subject to change. Since the Church in the world, it reflects its secular matrix even to the point sometimes of aping its methods. Yet again and again, it takes stock of itself and seven key transitions in the papal history, from the Church’s political toleration in 313 through its long and often disastrous flirtation with power, occasioning numerous reforms resulting at times in divided leadership and more permanently in divided membership. We have all been keen to reading a lot into the last hundred years’ literature that re-emphasis on spiritual power, its centralization, its collegiality participation. We now find ourselves in the modern era, an era of theological pluralism and technological jeopardy, the papacy becoming less monarchical and more collegial, its focus less juridical and more pastoral and ecumenical. This is the hope that should give us hope of a revitalized Christianity.

We are now being called to strike out in a new direction new awesome responsibility for a Pope, for the mantle of papal tradition rests heavily upon his shoulders. No Pope reaches the Vatican without a rich knowledge of the Church history and a deep kinship with his predecessors. The papal tradition, however, need to retards decision-making. The many popes the Church has had in the past have gone through faced challenges resolved them by radical creative actions through tradition as a springboard, not just a barrier. The force of circumstances necessitating prompt and proper decisions is always coupled with the light of the Holy Spirit, so that the papal “householders brings out from the store-room things both new and old” (Mt. 15:52).

The question is this. What kind of pope are we longing for? This has to be grounded on the past and shaped and inspired by the present, but of course, not totally determined by it, for as Dean Inge warned: “The man who marries the spirit of the times soon finds himself a widower.” Much is based on pastoral nature of the Petrine ministry. Theologians are at their work trying to suggest ways of reforming the papacy. (cf. De consideration of St. Bernard of Clairvaux to Eugene III in the middle of the twelfth century). The personalities, institutions, and events of the future will continue to surprise us, but we can try to sketch the immediately apparent items on the papal agenda and the requisite qualification for the pope we expect tomorrow.

I)                  The Task Ahead

As the Pope learns to function less a monarch and more as a colleague and pastor, he may find his office proportionately more difficult and complex. Once his roles are fulfilled, as it can be with the help of the Spirit and the prayers and cooperation of the faithful, there will also be a welcome revitalization of the Christian Church. The issues the Pope faces are many and controversial, not all of them are susceptible of immediate solution, but they are required items on the papal agenda.

Vatican II

The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) marked the end of the counter- Reformation and introduced a new consciousness of the Church and its mission. Reaction to this differed. Peter Hebblethwaite, called it “the most momentous event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the century.” (The Runaway Church, NY:1975:10), and cardinal Siri of Genoa said it was “the greatest mistake in recent ecclesiastical history.” (ibid., p.12). Both views have their contemporary adherents. That the reforms of Vatican II have met some resistance should not be surprising. Nearly every general council of Church has been followed by serious crisis. Vatican I had its Old Catholics and later the Modernists, and Vatican II has its Traditionalists and Radicals.

The full promise of Vatican II has not yet been realized. It has not reached what John Paul II called “a maturity of movement and life.” In his first address as Pope, he said that the primary duty of his pontificate would be to promote “with prudent but encouraging action the most exact execution of the norms and directions of the Council.” (Origins (Oct 26, 1978), Vol.8, No. 19, 291). This commitment is most welcome, because Rome itself has often failed to apply some of the major theological and pastoral principles of the Council. If the Holy See consistently carries out the ideas of Vatican II and encourages the faithful to accept them, then the Council will become what it was intended to be.: an instrument of genuine reform and reunion. The church guided by the papal leadership, should continue to apply the teachings of Vatican II to the life of the universal and local Church by fostering the renewal of the liturgy, the laity, the priesthood, and the religious life. Such reform efforts may well significantly help in resolving the present vocation crisis. Fidelity to the directives of Vatican II is first and foremost the papal agenda

B Collegiality

One of the central themes that have risen in theological and pastoral fields is all about Synodality and in a more specific angle component of collegiality. The main question is: Are we walking together, in participation, communion and mission? That power and decision-making would be sharing of responsibility between the Pope and the College of bishops. The Pope needs a collective wisdom of the episcopate. Concretely, this means an aggressive move to decentralize papal governance of the Church; and to give greater autonomy to episcopal conferences and diocesan councils. This kind of cooperation should extend to all levels of the Church and the final arbiter in disputes, but he will emphasize his role as a fellow bishop who rules within rather than over the Church. Rigid centralization and anything that smacks of imperialism should have no place in clearly expressed by the Canon Law Society of America:

The making of the general policy decision at all level of the universal Church should be reserved to the Pope and the Synod. The function of the Curia is to assist in the execution of the decisions. In the course of such execution, the Curia may issue administrative directives concerned with interdiocesan or supranational questions. The Curia should have no administrative authority in purely local matters. (J.A. Coriden, ed., We, The People of God…A Study of Constitutional Government for the Church, Huntington, Sunday Visitor, 1968: 15).

C. Vatican Bureaucracy

The complexity and intransigence of the Church’s central administration are legendary. This means that the Pope we are all expecting tomorrow should work to improve the cumbersome Vatican bureaucracy by reorganizing the congregations, secretariats, commissions, tribunals and other offices with an eye to greater efficiency and pastoral sensitivity. The internationalization process, that was done by Pope Francis, should continue, especially in respect to middle-management positions and diplomatic posts where Italians seemed to be predominate. Younger personnel, whose theological views represent the broad spectrum of legitimate contemporary thought, should be employed. Likewise, the number of women, lay and religious, should be greatly increased in the curial offices. The women should hold executive or decision-making positions in the curial congregations. Lack of priestly ordination should not disqualify women from key administrative offices. Christians from other denominations should be invited to participate as consultants in the work of the Curia. In word, the Curia should reflect the reformed papacy: service-oriented, and responsive to the signs of the times.

D. Lay Participation

Vatican II recognized functional differences among members of the Church but also taught that the baptized share a fundamental dignity and equality. This theological truth, rooted in scripture, has only begun to be implemented in the practical life of the Church. Much more, therefore, needs to be done, and the papacy in transition should foster greater lay participation in decision-making. An immediate priority is to devise a new procedure for the selection of bishops that would allow for an active lay voice. Many Catholics would agree with the observation of Hans Kung:

“For as long as I can contribute advice and work, but am excluded from decision-making, I remain, no matter how many fine things are said about my status, a second-class member of the community; I am more an object that is utilized than a subject who is actively responsible.” (“Participation of the Laity in Church Leadership and in Church Elections” Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 6 (1969), 512.

E. Theological Issues

The Pope is the principal teacher in the Christian community with the responsibility of preserving the unity of faith and communion. Today, this task is awesome, because nearly every aspect of the traditional teaching on faith and morals is the subject of intense theological debate. The issues include: Christology; Mariology; ecclesiology; the sacraments; sexual morality; birth control; abortion; divorce and remarriage; priestly celibacy; ordination of women; communal absolution; and intercommunion. P. McBrien, suggests that the new Pope should symbolize his “unambiguous and progressive” leadership by revoking the teaching of Humanae Vitae against contraception; by abolishing mandatory celibacy for priests; and by beginning efforts that would eventually lead to the ordination of women to priesthood and the episcopacy, the first step of which would be admission of women to the diaconate. (Commonweal, p.561). Although John Paul II didn’t at a point accept this recommendation at this stage in his pontificate but doesn’t mean that it has died. Many would say that the coming Pope ought to issue stern warnings to theologians who approach heterodoxy; to excommunicate those who are clearly straying from the faith, and to allow only uniform texts approved by the Holy See to be used in seminaries. Others, insisting on necessity of historical consciousness and development of doctrine, contend that theological pluralism is essential to the growth of tradition and that of the process of reinterpretation is allowed to continue, then a consensus will emerge that will deepen our grasp of faith. An international group of well-known theologians, speaking before the election of John I, made a relevant observation about the Pope as teacher:

Free from anxiety, he should be able to give positive guidance rather than prohibition in all decisive questions affecting life and death, good and evil, including those matters where human sexuality is involved. He should not be doctrinaire defender of ancient bastions, but rather with all due respect for continuity in the Church’s life and teaching, he should be a pastoral pioneer of renewed preaching and teaching in the Church.

One of the most critical of all theological issues is the role of the magisterium or, to put it differently, the relationship between the theologians and the magisterium. Most may agree with Pope John Paul II that “the objective importance of the magisterium should always be kept in mind and safeguard” (Origins (Oct 26, 1978) Vol. 8, No. 19,293).

The old dichotomy between the ecclesia docens (the teaching Church) and the ecclesia discens (the learning Church), with the theologians relegated to the second group, must be rethought, for the charism of teaching is found in both theologians and bishops. The Pope should encourage responsible theological debate by giving positive support, guidance, and at times, correction. The Pope has the undeniable right and duty to teach and to preserve doctrinal integrity, but he should use corrective measures only rarely and always with due process.

F. Canon Law

The present Code of Canon Law, with its 2414 canons, was promulgated in 1917 and went into effect a year later. Early in the pontificate, John XXIII announced his intention to modernize the Code and on March 28, 1963, he established the Pontifical Commission for the Canon Law Society of America: “The revision of the law proposed to date is not acceptable in substance” (“A Statement Concerning the Revision of the Code of Canon Law” The Jurist, 38 (1978), 209). The commission has been criticized for the secrecy that surrounds the revision process; for the failure to incorporate the ecclesiological principles of Vatican II; and for the lack of broad consultation. The Pope that people expect should restructure the Commission, clarify its mandate, and improve its procedures. Since universal Church law is so vital an element in the life of the Christian community, its revision should reflect the true nature of the Church and the needs of its members.

G. Spiritual Leadership

In the world of wide spread unbelief, the papacy should help rekindle the spiritual aspirations of humanity. It is commonplace today to hear that western civilization has forsaken the spiritual and embraced the material. The West seems to come to its spiritual exhaustion, loss of courage, moral mediocrity, and rationalistic humanism. The human soul, he said, longs for the things higher, warmer, and purer than those offered by today’s mass living habits. The danger for modern man is that he would reduce the earth to a desert, the person to an automaton, brotherly love to a planned collectivization, often introducing death where God wishes life. The papacy should work tirelessly to move the minds and hearts of the people by exhortation and example. It should continue compassionately to heal the wounds that society inflicts on its members and to offer love, hope, and truth, all of which are necessary to build a renewed sense of spiritual worth. This will be fulfilled when the new pope has is to travel extensively as an apostle of Gospel spirituality. Papal travel should not be merely a public-relations device, but an opportunity for the Pope to demonstrate visibly his solidarity with all humanity.

The spiritual profile of a Pope can be well stipulated by St. Benedict who speaking of the qualities of the abbot of the monastery ought to possess, give a superb description of the kind of leadership that characterizes the head of the universal Church. In chapter 64 of his rule, written in the sixth century, St. Benedict advices.

“Once he has been constituted, let the abbot always bear in mind what a burden he has undertaken and to whom he will have to give an account of his stewardship, and let him know that his duty is rather to profit his brethren than to preside over them. He must therefore be learned in divine law, that he may have a treasure of knowledge from which to bring forth new things and old. He must be chaste, sober, and merciful. Let him exalt mercy above judgement, that he himself may obtain mercy. He should hate vices; he should love the brethren… In his commands let him be prudent and considerate; and whether the work he enjoins concerns God or the world, let him be discreet and moderate, bearing in mind the discretion of the holy Jacob, who said, “if I cause my flocks to be overdriven, they will all die in one day” (Gen 33:13). Taking this then, and other examples of discretion, the mother of virtues, let him so temper all things that the strong may have something to strive after, and the weak may not fall back in dismay. (St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries, trans. L.J. Doyle (Collegeville, Minn.: St. John’s Abbey Press, 1948) p. 83-84).