In many ways Pope Francis is emblematic of the polarized times we live in.
In his latest message for World Communications Day (theme Speak with the heart: Veritatem facientes in caritate), Francis, who marks 10 years as Pontiff on Monday, March 13, released what may amount to a cri de coeur as he considers the world around him.
We live “in a historical period marked by polarizations and contrasts — to which unfortunately not even the ecclesial community is immune,” he sadly notes.
His desire for communicating “with open heart and arms” is not popularly held today. The milestone he is marking has brought forth a profusion of performance reviews from all directions – his most ardent supporters and his most vehement foes, progressives, archconservatives, and common pew sitters, all assessing the good, the bad, and the ugly of Francis’ style, theology, politics, and judgment.
Some reviewers are remarkably lenient, even indulgent, defending every utterance and action. Regrettably, many of his judges see themselves as critics in an opposition role rather than one of criticus, its original Latin meaning someone who chooses or decides.
But both too often deal in absolutes, and that, as the Pope’s Communications Day message says, is to exploit communication, contrary to its intended objective of listening and speaking with a pure heart and working to find common ground with others.
It’s not difficult to cite unfair criticisms that have sometimes overshadowed Francis’ papacy.
The Pontiff is routinely faulted for caving in to China’s communist government in the Holy See’s agreement allowing Beijing to appoint bishops, or for insufficiently criticizing that government’s treatment of the Muslim minority Uighurs. Obvious parallels exist with Pope Pius XII and his decision during the Second World War to work quietly in the background to rescue Jews rather than publicly condemning the Nazis and risk reprisals against them. Likewise, it may be up to future historians to uncover what Francis did to keep some semblance of religious freedom alive during the extreme religious persecution taking place in China. (The complexity of Francis’ challenge in China becomes more apparent considering how shrewdly China has been able to take advantage of Canadian and U.S. governments and intelligence services with election interference and a spy balloon.)
The controversy over the Traditional Latin Mass and Francis’ “crackdown,” as his critics call it, is another tempest that should never have developed. Francis’ regulations on Traditional Mass are easy to criticize, until one consider the serious disharmony some traditional Mass supporters have fomented in some dioceses, where the old form of the Mass is pitted against the new, resulting in divisive tensions among Catholics. It may be that the implementation of the Pope’s motu proprio Traditionis custodes could have been managed more sensitively, but surely the dioceses in which it’s causing the most controversy have some responsibility for applying it in a pastoral manner.
Similarly, the Pope’s endorsement of COVID vaccines became controversial, even though it wasn’t the pronouncement itself, but what people made of it, that caused division. For supporters it was practically dogma, requiring that Catholics comply, while critics lambasted him for urging the use of a product that was tainted with connections to abortion. In hindsight the Pope’s endorsement should have been seen as the public service announcement it was, one that was consistent with Catholic teaching while in hindsight perhaps overly trusting of the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety.
In the polarized world Francis draws our attention to in his World Communications Day statement, the criticism heaped on him can often be attributed not to what he does, but to the way people portray him and use his actions for their own purposes. Popes don’t choose which issues will get the most public attention, and for the most part controversies about the Pope’s latest outrageous comment or decision can be invalidated simply by looking at the original source.
Pope Francis epitomizes Church teaching about the papacy. Popes may be infallible in doctrine on faith and morals, but are mere mortals when it comes to behaviour. And while Francis may have had his share of awkward and imperfect decisions, it’s often forgotten that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI had their share of criticisms for how they handled matters, from the sexual abuse crisis to Vatican governance and finances.
We mark Pope Francis’ tenth anniversary with gratitude for his many gifts, and with compassion and tolerance for his failings. As he says so well in his Communications Day message, the world needs media in which “communication does not foment acrimony that exasperates, creates rage, and leads to clashes, but helps people peacefully reflect and interpret with a critical yet always respectful spirit, the reality in which they live.”
Who among us is not affected by a Pope who says, “I dream of an ecclesial communication that knows how to let itself be guided by the Holy Spirit, gentle and at the same time prophetic … a form of communication founded on humility in listening and parrhesia in speaking, which never separates truth from charity.”
To mark the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is promoting a worldwide prayer initiative asking the faithful to pray at least one Hail Mary for the Pope’s petrine ministry. As part of the initiative, a special online map will feature virtual lighted candles, representing the prayers of the faithful who will have registered. The map will be presented to the Holy Father as a gift and in support for his ministry. To participate, register at decimus-annus.org/site/index. For more information visit bccatholica/decimus-annus.
