While hugely popular across the globe with Catholics and
non-Catholics alike, Francis has struggled against fierce opposition
from the Vatican
establishment to haul the Roman Catholic church into the 21st century,
fought to reform its government, tried to persuade cardinals to revise
their thinking on the divorced and remarried, and been openly opposed by
rebel prelates.
Last week marked the start of Lent, one of the most important periods
of the church’s calendar, a time when Catholics fast, give alms and
reflect on humanity’s sinfulness in the run-up to their commemoration of
the crucifixion and of Easter. It is usually marked by quiet
prayerfulness, and on Sunday the pope, along with members of the Roman
Curia, will leave Rome to begin a five-day retreat. He will leave a Vatican beset by tension, turmoil and rebellion. There are even rumours that growing numbers of Vatican hands think he should quit. [...]
The opposition Pope Francis is facing puts the church into uncharted
territory. Massimo Faggioli, a leading theologian and Vatican-watcher,
said: “The Vatican status quo is behind this. It is a cultural and
political opposition that was already visible a few weeks after Pope
Francis’s election. They are against changing the style and position of
the church from a western one to a global religion.” [...]
According to Tina Beattie,
a British feminist theologian who organised “fringe” events in Rome
before the 2015 synod to get women’s voices heard, Pope Francis has a
“blind spot about women” and hasn’t listened enough to them, but she
admires him for attempting to have some dialogue.
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