An
interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings in
Rome recently. The interviewer was a
Jesuit priest Antonio Spadano, editor of The Italian Jesuit Journal who was
acting on behalf of several other Jesuit Journals worldwide all of which
published the interview. The first
question he was asked was: ‘Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?’ He
replied, after an astonished pause: ‘I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition...The
best summary is the one that comes from inside and I feel I most true is this:
I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.’
With utterly refreshing candour and openness he is allowing people to
see Catholicism in a new light. The
interview is well worth reading in its entirety. For copyright reasons I am only allowed to
quote short sections of it. If you are
computer literate you can find it on www.americanmagazine.org/popeinterview He admits ‘in my experience as a Superior in
the Society (of Jesus) I did not always do the necessary consultation and this
was not a good thing. My style of governance
as a Jesuit at the beginning had many faults.
I found myself Provincial when I was still very young. I was only thirty six years old. That was crazy. I had to deal with difficult decisions and I
made my decisions abruptly and by myself.
Some
time ago he set up a body of eight Cardinals – all from outside the Roman Curia
– to assist him with their guidance and advice.
They have just met with Pope Francis in Rome – having consulted with one
another by phone. In the interview he
spoke of this development: ‘I do not want token consultations but real
consultations. The consultation group of
eight Cardinals, this ‘outsider’ advisory group, is not only my decision, but
it is the result of the will of the Cardinals, as expressed in the general
congregations before the conclave and I want to see that this is real, not
ceremonial consultation.’ You will
remember that all the Cardinals had several days before those who were eligible
to vote – the under eighties – went into conclave. It is interesting to know that it is they who
came up with the idea. I’m sure we will
be hearing more about this group of eight.
It is encouraging that the Cardinals as a whole believe in the type of
collegiality that many had expected – but were denied – in the fifty years that
have elapsed since the Second Vatican Council.
In
the interview he was asked: ‘What should be the role of women in the
Church? How do we make their role more
visible today?’ He says that these are
‘deep questions that must be addressed.
The Church cannot be herself without the woman and her role. The woman is essential for the Church. Mary, a woman, is more important than the
bishops. We must therefore investigate
further the role of women in the Church.
We have to work harder to develop a profound theology of the woman. Only by making this step will it be possible
better to reflect on their function within the Church. The feminine genius is needed whenever we
make important decisions. The challenge
today is this: to think about the specific place of women also in those places
where the authority of the Church is exercised for various areas of the
Church.’
He
was asked: ‘What kind of Church do you dream of?’ He said: ‘I see clearly that the thing the
Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of
the faithful. It needs nearness,
proximity. I see the Church as a field
hospital after battle. You have to heal
the wounds of the injured person. Then
we can talk about everything else.’
In
recent weeks the Pope has made a series of appointments in the Roman
Curia. When a Pope dies or retires, the
members of the Curia resign. The new
Pope normally re-appoints them until such time as he comes to a new
decision. The most important position in
the Curia (or Papal Cabinet) is the Secretary of State. He is like the Prime Minister. Cardinal Bertone held that office but due to
a lack of diplomatic experience was widely perceived as ineffective. The Papal delegate at the Vatican Bank, the
head of the Congregation of the Clergy and head of the Synod of Bishops have
also been replaced – all by men who are widely experienced in complex
negotiations with various governments serving as Papal Nuncios in Venezuela,
Uruguay, Columbia and Brazil. It remains
to be seen if they can live up to the aspirations of Pope Francis who said in
that interview that priests should be ‘pastors, not clergy acting like
bureaucrats or government officials.’
The Vatican Bank could very well be a casualty of these reforms. Perhaps the Church and Pope Francis would be
happier without it!
