Robert B Kaiser, a commentator on the Second Vatican Council, in his book, “Pope, Council, and World: The Story of Vatican II,” quotes the famous American Roman Catholic systematic theologian, Father John Courtney Murray, S.J., concerning Pope Saint John XXIII:
“He (John XXIII) raised some questions himself – notably, the great, sprawling, ecumenical question – to which he returned no definitive answers. He encouraged the raising of other questions, both old and new, both theological and pastoral – and even political. The symbol of him might well be the question mark – surely a unique symbol for a pope.”
Father Murray’s description of John XXIII could easily be applied to our current pontiff. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis, could just as easily be characterized with that same question mark. Our Holy Father, Francis, is very much his own man, and is very much going to steer the barque of Peter where he believes it should be, under the sure guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Far from, as has been suggested by some, a rudderless ship, the Church is venturing out into deep waters, waters that can be choppy and rocky, but still has her captain firmly at the helm. True, Francis is not the theologian that Benedict XVI is and no one is claiming that he is. Benedict is among the finest minds in the contemporary world and he is a treasure to the Church and to western civilization. True, Francis is not the philosopher that Pope St. John Paul was. John Paul’s Theology of the Body will be among the many, many gifts which this man, perhaps the greatest of the 20th century, has left to the world. It is our contention that the world in general will discover more and more the treasure that this theology is to family life in the future.
It would be facile to declare Francis as the “pastoral” pope as if the rest of the popes were not also pastors. This would be an insult to the lives and work of John XXIII and Paul VI, among others. No, Francis is leading the Church to the boundaries, taking us to places that other popes have tried to lead. The big difference is that the world is paying attention.
In his meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, Pope Francis evokes the great Blessed Paul VI’s meeting with Athenagoras I and continues Paul’s legacy of seeing the Orthodox as brothers, not rivals. Likewise, in his comments on the airplane returning from Turkey to Rome, most especially his comments on Synodality, he evokes Paul VI.
In his prayer time at Instanbul’s Blue Mosque, our Holy Father did exactly what his immediate predecessor, Benedict XVI, did in 2006, namely stopping in prayer and adoration, getting to the root of true interreligious dialogue, which Pope Francis described as: “Not only must we praise and glorify him, but we must adore him.”
Likewise, in his outreach and cry for the rights of the downtrodden, Francis most especially calls to mind John Paul II, whose work and prayer brought freedom to much of the world held under the oppression of communism.
No, we cannot view Pope Francis as a break or a change in the actions and attitudes of the pope. He is in complete continuity with all his immediate successors and with all the popes since the Lord Jesus charged Peter with the responsibility to “build my church.” Any differences, if there are any, are completely stylistic and due to the contemporary atmosphere in which we live.
The biggest difference is not with the papacy, but with us. We as a Church and as a world are paying attention to this pope, due to his personality, his openness, his excitement. The question is, are we going to pay attention to him, not just as a personality, but as the true Shepherd of our faith? This pope is for many a question mark, but in truth, he should be viewed as an exclamation point, emphasizing the truth, goodness, beauty and love that is God Himself and as a manifestation of the four marks of the Church – one, holy, catholic and apostolic.