In the first part of this article published in the March 2015 issue of Methodist Message, I noted the tradition of the papal office and that the election of Pope Francis marked a number of ‘firsts’ in its history. Another distinctive of his papacy has been his very intentional focus on international ministry.
A Pope for the world
The cardinals that Pope Francis has appointed represent, in his own words, “the deep ecclesial relationship between the Church of Rome and the other Churches throughout the world.” Since he took office, the College of Cardinals, who hold the highest office in the Roman Catholic Church and also elect the Pope, has become markedly more international.
Those appointed by Pope Francis in 2014 and those to be appointed in 2015 come not only from Europe, but also from Argentina, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Tonga, Uruguay and Vietnam.
His travels abroad evince the same priorities. In 2014 he visited Israel, Jordan, Palestine, South Korea, Albania, France and Turkey. In 2015 he has already visited Sri Lanka and the Philippines, with visits planned later in the year to Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay as well as France and the United States.
Pope Francis’ visit to South Korea in 2014, where there are some five million Roman Catholics, signals that Asia will be a priority for his papacy, with more than 131 million members across the continent. It has also been reported he is willing to visit Iraq, but that “at the moment it is not the best thing to do”.
His pronouncements have likewise reflected his priorities. His first Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel was published in 2013, and a sampling of the subject headings leaves the reader in no doubt: “A Church Which Goes Forth”; “An Ecclesial Renewal Which Cannot be Deferred”; “No to the New Idolatry of Money”; “No to the Inequality Which Spawns Violence”; “Yes to the New Relationships Brought
by Christ”; “No to Warring Among Ourselves”; “We Are All Missionary Disciples”; “The Evangelising Power of Popular Piety”; “The Kingdom and Its Challenges”; “The Special Place of the Poor in God’s People”; “Dialogue Between Faith, Reason and Science”; and “Personal Encounter with the Saving Love of Jesus”.1
Even more incisive was his Christmas Greeting to senior members of the Curia in Rome on 22 Dec 2014 which, from all reports, was received with silence and tepid applause. At the time of writing this article, the official text had yet to be released since this Pope often departs from prepared manuscripts, but the substance of what he said has been widely reported.
Making clear that he included himself in his admonitions, Pope Francis identified “the illnesses that we encounter most frequently in our life in the Curia… illnesses and temptations that weaken our service to the Lord”.
Considering oneself ‘immortal’, ‘immune’ or ‘indispensable’
…masters who believe themselves superior to others rather than at their service.
“Martha-ism” or excessive industriousness
…immersing oneself in work, inevitably neglecting “the better part” of sitting at Jesus’ feet.
Mental and spiritual petrification
…hiding under papers and becoming procedural machines.
Overplanning and Functionalism
…Planning everything in minute detail, but falling into the temptation of wanting to enclose or steer the freedom of the Holy Spirit.
Bad coordination
…losing community like an orchestra producing an undisciplined noise.
Spiritual Alzheimer’s
…a progressive decline of spiritual faculties, most seen in those who have lost the memory of their encounter with the Lord.
Rivalry and vainglory
…when appearance and honours become the first objectives of life, leading to a false mysticism.
Existential schizophrenia
…those who lead a double life, the hypocrisy typical of mediocre people with advancing spiritual emptiness which degrees or academic titles cannot fill.
Gossip and Chatter
…the disease of cowards who do not have the courage to speak directly and so talk behind one’s back.
Deifying Leaders
…courting one’s superiors, thus becoming victims of careerism and opportunism.
Indifference
…through jealousy or cunning, rejoicing in seeing others fail rather than lifting them up and encouraging them.
The funeral face
…theatrical severity and sterile pessimism that are often symptoms of fear and insecurity.
Accumulation
…seeking to fill an existential void by hoarding material possessions.
Closed Circles
…when belonging to a clique becomes more important than belonging to the Body, and in some situations to Christ himself.
Worldly profit and exhibitionism
…Those who relentlessly seek to increase their power by slandering and discrediting others, even in newspapers and magazines.
There can surely be no church leader – of any denomination, clergy or laity – who does not wince at this confessional. It has the authenticity of one who speaks from experience, piercing the heart with realities that are readily recognisable and inexorably call all to repentance.
The cardinals that Pope Francis has appointed represent, in his own words, “the deep ecclesial relationship between the Church of Rome and the other Churches throughout the world.”
Look out for Part 3 of this article in an upcoming issue of Methodist Message.
3 See also his book of sermons and addresses, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2014).
Picture by neneo/Bigstock.com
The Rev Dr David Lowes Watson is an eminent Wesleyan scholar, author and Methodist minister of the Tennessee Conference, The United Methodist Church. He was keynote speaker at the Aldersgate SG 2014 Convention last May. This is the second of a three-part article by Dr Watson on the ministry of Pope Francis who has made international headlines with his decisions and actions since his election to the papacy in March 2013.