The Face of Mercy / Daniel Conway

Pope Francis: Critic, comforter and promoter

“Now the real goal is … an increase in the real presence of the Gospel in the Church and the world. Concretely, I would sum up this goal under three headings: to inform, to correct, and to promote.”
(Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI).

When the pope speaks, whether from a prepared speech or off-the-cuff, he speaks with and for Christ, the head of the Church. The same can be said for all bishops who are successors of the Apostles and who are responsible—first and foremost—for the pastoral governance of their dioceses but who, when united with the bishop of Rome and with each other, also share responsibility for the universal Church.

Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, has written insightfully about the teaching role of the pope and bishops. He concludes that there is—or should be—no tension between the pope as the vicar of Christ and the bishops as the successors of the Apostles.

The teaching authority of the pope was one of the main subjects of the First Vatican Council. The role of the bishops was a major topic of the Second Vatican Council. Together, teaching in a collegial manner that does not in any way diminish the pope’s primacy, the bishops can speak forcefully, when in unison, about faith and morals, and about the major questions of our time.

In his recent apostolic exhortation, “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), Pope Francis fulfills the three functions that his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, says are fundamental to a bishop’s teaching ministry: to inform, to correct and to promote.

Information does not simply mean the communication of data. It means, above all, the formation of conscience. Every Christian is required to act according to a well-formed conscience. The teaching authority of the Church cannot impose its doctrine on anyone, but it can, and must, propose its understanding of the truth to all believers and to the whole world. The following is an example of Pope Francis’ efforts to inform consciences:

“Our defense of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection” (“Gaudete et Exsultate,” #101).

Here, the pope seeks to help us see the essential connections between right thinking and right acting. Anyone who loves life must defend all human life against all forms of injustice and inequality.

But “Gaudete et Exsultate” also contains examples of the pope’s efforts to correct the kind of distorted thinking that leads to serious errors. In fact, the Holy Father uses this apostolic exhortation to challenge those whom he considers “subtle enemies of holiness” to cast off their “narcissistic and authoritarian elitism” and embrace a more open, loving and forgiving attitude toward the struggles of ordinary people who seek to follow Jesus in spite of their weakness, selfishness and sin.

“When somebody has an answer for every question, it is a sign that they are not on the right road,” the pope says. “Someone who wants everything to be clear and sure presumes to control God’s transcendence” (“Gaudete et Exsultate,” #41).

Pope Francis has been accused of being intolerant of those whom disagree with him, but in fact he is simply exercising his apostolic duty as a shepherd to rebuke those whom he believes are endangering his flock by leading them astray. What Pope Benedict XVI called “the prophetic ministry of rebuking” is essential to the Church’s teaching ministry because it allows the pope and the bishops to speak forcefully and in unison about the most controversial issues of our time.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly today, Pope Francis actively promotes the Gospel of joy. He makes it very clear that holiness is not something that only a saint can achieve. All are called to experience joy, and all have the potential—aided by God’s grace—to become holy.

No one should be discouraged. God loves us as we are, even as he calls us to be better.
 

(Daniel Conway is a member of The Criterion’s editorial committee.)†