On Saturday, March 7, I am scheduled to make a presentation about Pope Francis as part of a daylong women’s conference devoted to him at the Immaculate Conception Center, Douglaston. My presentation will be part of a panel discussion.
I have been intensely interested in everything Pope Francis has done since he became pontiff. As an enthusiastic fan, I am delighted that so many publishers are putting out books about him. The book that I have found to be a thorough study of the man and his thought is Austen Ivereigh’s “The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope” (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2014, pp. 445, $30).
On the cover of the book, which tells the story of how a man went from being a lower-middle-class child of Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires to being the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics across the world, is the following statement:
“This intimate, far-reaching biography sheds light on a largely untold story: the influence of Argentina’s nationalist movement on Pope Francis and the inspiration provided by early Jesuit missionaries; his early, radical embrace of a Church for the poor; his visionary but controversial leadership of the Argentine Jesuits; as well as the hair-raising tightrope he walked during the military dictatorship of the 1970s. Based on primary sources and dozens of interviews with his contemporaries, the book charts the remarkable stories of his time as bishop and archbishop in a period of crisis in the Vatican and contains fascinating insider accounts of his friendships across the boundaries of politics and religion, his courageous challenge to drugs and gambling mafias, as well as the hitherto untold story of how and why he was elected pope.”
In the Dec. 8-15, 2014 issue of the Jesuit magazine America, Peter Steinfels, a writer for whom I have great admiration, compares and contrasts Ivereigh’s treatment of the pope with the treatment the Holy Father receives in two other new books, Elizabeth Pique’s “Pope Francis: Life and Revolution” and Paul Vallely’s “Pope Francis: Untying the Knots.”
Different Interpretations
There are two chapters in Pope Francis’ life which have been given different interpretations. Both go back to his time as provincial of all the Jesuits in Argentina. There are claims that he cooperated with officials during the persecution of the Church and that he, at least indirectly, led to the arrest of two Jesuits. The other is the claim that as provincial he did not foster the changes encouraged by Vatican II, that he attacked liberation theology and didn’t follow the lead of the 32nd General Jesuit Congregation’s emphasis on the needs of the poor.
In reporting on the three books, Steinfels accepts Ivereigh’s interpretation which basically absolves the pope of wrongdoing.
Some interpretations of the pope’s comments during the recent Synod and forecasts about how he will influence the Synod this October indicate that it is important to know the Holy Father’s background. From someone who was relatively unknown two years ago, Pope Francis has become an international figure who has taken the world by storm. Both Catholics and non-Catholics sing his praises. For many, and I include myself, he seems to be leading the Church into a second spring, a renewal that reminds many of the excitement and anticipation that spread among Catholics and others during Vatican II.
That said, I am looking forward to the conference on March 7 as it will be an opportunity for me to share with others what we think the Holy Father is trying to do. It will also be an opportunity to sift through different interpretations of what he has already accomplished and what hopes some people have for the future.
I also hope those who have different reactions to the Holy Father will have an opportunity to express their views.
I have come to see through Pope Francis how important leadership is in a community. A leader can instruct and inspire us. Pope Francis has done this and I trust that under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, he will continue.
Father Robert Lauder, philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica, is the author of “Pope Francis’ Spirituality and Our Story” (Resurrection Press).
