Praying for the Pope
03/10/14 04:34
I am not a member of the Roman Catholic Church. But I am a Christian and I am well aware of how much the Roman Catholic Church influences the perception of what a church is around the globe. And the members of that church are our sisters and brothers in faith. We believe in the same Christ. The things that divide us into multiple communions are far more minor than the things we share in common.
So, like many other protestants, I am a watcher of Rome and especially of the Pope. And Pope Francis is probably the pope of my lifetime who is most loved by Protestants. He has brought a breath of fresh air to an institution that seems to be so steeped in tradition that it was struggling to maintain relevancy in a rapidly changing world.
This Sunday marks a very important occasion in the papacy of Francis and an event that may one day be known as the most important (and perhaps most startling) change in the Roman Catholic Church of a generation. On Sunday, Cardinals, bishops, priests and lay Catholics from around the world will arrive at the Vatican to consider how Church teaching on the family relates to the reality of modern life.
But before I get ahead of myself, recall with me, for a moment the previous change in the Roman Catholic Church of our lifetime.
It wasn’t that long ago that the gulf between Roman Catholics and Protestants seemed to be too wide to bridge. My uncle refused to attend my cousin’s wedding when he married a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Families were torn by the differences between Catholic and Protestant Christians. And no one my age will ever forget the troubles of Ireland.
So it was a big deal back in 1962 when Pope John 23 (oops! It’s the Roman Church - Pope John XXIII) convened the Second Vatican Council, also known as Vatican II. The world’s 2,800 Roman Catholic bishops gathered in St. Peter’s Bascillica four times in the autumn of four consecutive years for a council that concluded in 1965. They instituted changes in the language of the Mass, from Latin to common languages; the direction that the priest faces when conducting the mass; and, most importantly to we Protestants, changes in the church’s approach to non-Catholic Christians.
It was as if a breath of fresh air had blown through the entire church. The changes in the Roman Catholic Church inspired changes in all of Christianity. We Protestants took another look at the ways we celebrated Holy Communion. We engaged in conversations leading to the Revised Common Lectionary. And we began to have regular conversations and ecumenical gatherings that included Roman Catholic priests and laity.
The process of reform started by Vatican II, however, seemed to stall as the Church moved into the 21st Century. Some of the most conservative voices in the Roman Catholic Church gained control of many of the official offices of the church and while Catholic laity seemed to be embracing progress, the hierarchy of the church seemed to be backtracking.
The topics proposed for this Synod of Roman Catholic leaders are possibly more dramatic and more far reaching than those of the 1960’s. Among the topics to be studied, discussed and reviewed include contraception, homosexuality, and whether Catholics who divorce and then remarry civilly should be allowed to receive communion.
There could be some heated discussions over those topics among the bishops and other church leaders.
The Pope has not promised change in church doctrine. He has hinted that new practices may emerge from the conversations.
So here is my take on the debate soon to spread around the world, for what it is worth.
I think that Pope Francis is right - new doctrine is unlikely to come from these conversations. First of all Pope Francis isn’t primarily a theologian. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI was a theologian and a leader in strengthening and proclaiming doctrine. I don’t see Pope Francis as the same kind of theologian.
And I also don’t expect the kind of radical changes in church practice to come from this Synod that came from Vatican II. Pope John XXIII was a very shrewd politician who understood the nuances of Vatican politics and knew how to count the votes and persuade people to change their positions. I can’t see Pope Francis as the same kind of politician.
I think that Pope Francis is, first and foremost, and always, a pastor. He simply loves and cares about the people that he serves. He doesn’t have a position to assert theologically or politically as long as the church can continue to express love and concern for all of God’s people. After all, he is the Pope who is known to make personal phone calls to respond to inquiries from non-Catholics. He is the Pope who expresses his desire to live a life of poverty in order to live amongst the people Christ has called him to serve.
This is the Pope who carries his own luggage, is happier in a motel room than a palace and can’t see why anyone would want to ride around in a limousine. This is the Pope who says he believes that everyone (not just Roman Catholics) has a guardian angel who protects and helps with making decisions.
Maybe that is what makes Pope Francis so interesting to me. I have invested my life in theological study and disciplines, but I am no theologian. I don’t think systematically. I’ll probably never write a book that arranges beliefs into a logical structure. I have lived in the midst of church politics. I have attended more Conference Meetings and General Synods and participated in more debates about church resolutions than many other faithful Christians. And I’ve been a member of the minority more times than I have been a member of the majority when it comes to taking a vote. I rarely can persuade others to my point of view.
But I love being a pastor. I love the people I have been called to serve. I grieve when they become angry with one another and say hurtful things. I mourn when they stay away from worship or leave the church.
So I think I understand much of Pope Francis. He’s simply in love with the church and beneath all of the theology and doctrine, beneath all of the institutional politics, the church is people.
My prayer is that the theologians and politicians will allow him to continue to be a pastor to the people of the world.
So, like many other protestants, I am a watcher of Rome and especially of the Pope. And Pope Francis is probably the pope of my lifetime who is most loved by Protestants. He has brought a breath of fresh air to an institution that seems to be so steeped in tradition that it was struggling to maintain relevancy in a rapidly changing world.
This Sunday marks a very important occasion in the papacy of Francis and an event that may one day be known as the most important (and perhaps most startling) change in the Roman Catholic Church of a generation. On Sunday, Cardinals, bishops, priests and lay Catholics from around the world will arrive at the Vatican to consider how Church teaching on the family relates to the reality of modern life.
But before I get ahead of myself, recall with me, for a moment the previous change in the Roman Catholic Church of our lifetime.
It wasn’t that long ago that the gulf between Roman Catholics and Protestants seemed to be too wide to bridge. My uncle refused to attend my cousin’s wedding when he married a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Families were torn by the differences between Catholic and Protestant Christians. And no one my age will ever forget the troubles of Ireland.
So it was a big deal back in 1962 when Pope John 23 (oops! It’s the Roman Church - Pope John XXIII) convened the Second Vatican Council, also known as Vatican II. The world’s 2,800 Roman Catholic bishops gathered in St. Peter’s Bascillica four times in the autumn of four consecutive years for a council that concluded in 1965. They instituted changes in the language of the Mass, from Latin to common languages; the direction that the priest faces when conducting the mass; and, most importantly to we Protestants, changes in the church’s approach to non-Catholic Christians.
It was as if a breath of fresh air had blown through the entire church. The changes in the Roman Catholic Church inspired changes in all of Christianity. We Protestants took another look at the ways we celebrated Holy Communion. We engaged in conversations leading to the Revised Common Lectionary. And we began to have regular conversations and ecumenical gatherings that included Roman Catholic priests and laity.
The process of reform started by Vatican II, however, seemed to stall as the Church moved into the 21st Century. Some of the most conservative voices in the Roman Catholic Church gained control of many of the official offices of the church and while Catholic laity seemed to be embracing progress, the hierarchy of the church seemed to be backtracking.
The topics proposed for this Synod of Roman Catholic leaders are possibly more dramatic and more far reaching than those of the 1960’s. Among the topics to be studied, discussed and reviewed include contraception, homosexuality, and whether Catholics who divorce and then remarry civilly should be allowed to receive communion.
There could be some heated discussions over those topics among the bishops and other church leaders.
The Pope has not promised change in church doctrine. He has hinted that new practices may emerge from the conversations.
So here is my take on the debate soon to spread around the world, for what it is worth.
I think that Pope Francis is right - new doctrine is unlikely to come from these conversations. First of all Pope Francis isn’t primarily a theologian. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI was a theologian and a leader in strengthening and proclaiming doctrine. I don’t see Pope Francis as the same kind of theologian.
And I also don’t expect the kind of radical changes in church practice to come from this Synod that came from Vatican II. Pope John XXIII was a very shrewd politician who understood the nuances of Vatican politics and knew how to count the votes and persuade people to change their positions. I can’t see Pope Francis as the same kind of politician.
I think that Pope Francis is, first and foremost, and always, a pastor. He simply loves and cares about the people that he serves. He doesn’t have a position to assert theologically or politically as long as the church can continue to express love and concern for all of God’s people. After all, he is the Pope who is known to make personal phone calls to respond to inquiries from non-Catholics. He is the Pope who expresses his desire to live a life of poverty in order to live amongst the people Christ has called him to serve.
This is the Pope who carries his own luggage, is happier in a motel room than a palace and can’t see why anyone would want to ride around in a limousine. This is the Pope who says he believes that everyone (not just Roman Catholics) has a guardian angel who protects and helps with making decisions.
Maybe that is what makes Pope Francis so interesting to me. I have invested my life in theological study and disciplines, but I am no theologian. I don’t think systematically. I’ll probably never write a book that arranges beliefs into a logical structure. I have lived in the midst of church politics. I have attended more Conference Meetings and General Synods and participated in more debates about church resolutions than many other faithful Christians. And I’ve been a member of the minority more times than I have been a member of the majority when it comes to taking a vote. I rarely can persuade others to my point of view.
But I love being a pastor. I love the people I have been called to serve. I grieve when they become angry with one another and say hurtful things. I mourn when they stay away from worship or leave the church.
So I think I understand much of Pope Francis. He’s simply in love with the church and beneath all of the theology and doctrine, beneath all of the institutional politics, the church is people.
My prayer is that the theologians and politicians will allow him to continue to be a pastor to the people of the world.