Two issues above all remain a problem for him: child abuse and the role of women. Francis’s creation of a special commission to examine the global problem of children being abused by priests was considered a breakthrough. Four years down the line, and with the two abuse victims who were members having resigned, it seems no nearer to producing new ways of dealing with the issue. And despite Francis’s own zero-tolerance comments about abuse, there have been occasions when he has seemed unwilling to take action against those involved. [...]
There are certain changes that Francis has made. There is a new tone, focused on mercy and understanding, rather than rigid roles and condemnation of people. This is typified by his “Who am I to judge?” comment about gay people. He emphasises the church serving others and working with other Christian churches. He highlights the plight of the marginalised. He is a charismatic public figure, a successful one-man PR campaign for Christian values. But while the church may not have a reverse gear, its progress is at snail’s pace.
Two things above all are impeding its progress. The Vatican’s career bureaucrats are one. If Francis is to enact further change, he has to rethink their hold on power. The simplest way to deal with it would be to limit how many years they can serve in Rome to 10, or even five. He could also open up Vatican posts to lay people, men and women. The other big issue that needs to be addressed is the role of pope itself. Being a roving global peacemaker, managing a church of 1.2 billion people, trying to reform Rome, writing theological documents and being a spiritual guide – it’s hard to see how one human being can do all this, especially at the age of 80. When the cardinals went to the ends of the earth to find Francis, they handed him a mission impossible. His greatest legacy, as he contemplates the next five years, would be to rethink the role of the pope itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment