Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Cosmos The In Lost

Home
Catholic
Benedict’s Unequivocal Endorsement Silences Francis’s Critics

Benedict’s Unequivocal Endorsement Silences Francis’s Critics

Last updated on: June 29, 2016 at 5:43 pm by Artur Rosman

Benedict’s Unequivocal Endorsement Silences Francis’s Critics 2016-06-29T17:43:00-07:00 Artur Rosman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Francis gets the endorsement we all knew was coming (Pope Benedict XVI performing a blessing during a canonization mass in St. Peter’s Square, October 12 [detail], 2008, Author: Rvin88; Wikimedia, CC by 3.0)

These are only hints and guesses,
Hints followed by guesses; and the rest
Is prayer, observance, discipline, thought and action.
The hint half guessed, the gift half understood, is Incarnation.
Here the impossible union
Of spheres of evidence is actual,
Here the past and future
Are conquered, and reconciled . . .
–T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Francis bashing is a popular pastime among reactionary Catholics (not to be confused with the orthodox Catholics).

Happy is the Catholic who hasn’t seen someone express the sentiment “We miss you Benedict,” which not-so-secretly implies disdain for Francis’s ministry. It is such a common phenomenon that Reuters even interviewed me about it.

What these reactionaries don’t seem to want to acknowledge is that they are the conjoined twins of the progressivists who emoted “crime against humanity” every time Benedict uttered a word without stopping to consider what he actually said in context. Comment sections get filled with prefabricated rubbish in the wink of an eye. It gets old, quick. Somebody should write a script that could generate these “discussion” thereby giving the potential commenters time to do works of mercy.

However, The Guardian reports that all attempts to use Benedict against Francis must stop (even if they won’t). Benedict used a special occasion to voice his unequivocal approval:

Benedict XVI has endorsed Pope Francis’s ministry in an unprecedented Vatican ceremony featuring a reigning pontiff honouring a retired one on the 65th anniversary of his ordination as a priest.

The ceremony in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace served in part to show continuity from Benedict to Francis amid continued nostalgia from some conservatives for the former’s tradition-minded papacy.

Francis had invited the entire Vatican Curia, or bureaucracy, to celebrate Benedict’s anniversary, and prelates turned out in force for the rare occasion of being able to greet each man in white.

Benedict liberates Francis and Gutierrez from their critics.

What’s most charming about the endorsement is how Benedict adopted Francis’s favorite genre to voice his support… the off-the-cuff statement:

“Thank you, Holy Father, for your goodness, which from the first moment of your election has struck every day of my life,” Benedict said, speaking without notes. “We hope that you can go forward with all of us on this path of divine mercy, showing us the path of Jesus toward God.”

Benedict’s vote of confidence may help quell conservative criticism of the current pope’s loose theology, lack of attention to liturgy and emphasis on mercy over morals.

Francis has recently dismissed new questions about the implications of Benedict’s resignation by insisting that there is only one pope – him – and that Benedict had pledged his obedience to him on the day he resigned.

He told reporters this weekend he felt Benedict “had my back” and was continuing to help the church through his prayers. He added he had heard that Benedict had even chastised some nostalgic faithful who were complaining about the “new pope”.

It’s hard to argue with that, especially given the form of the delivery. Granted, I have no doubt there will be reactionaries who will spin conspiracy theories around this. Mark my words about this, they will throw Benedict under the bus for making this statement. Their loss.

All of this can probably be chalked up to ignorance pure and simple.

Now that I think about it, this endorsement might also make Francis look bad in the eyes of self-professed “Catholic liberals.” Their loss too.

What’s forgotten is how Catholic commitments to calling for radical economic reforms, dialogue with Islam, engaging atheists, absorbing the best insights of Protestantism, and ecological conservation, which are so disturbing to reactionaries, were just as much part of Benedict’s pontificate as they are of Francis’s. Most people don’t know that the young Ratzinger was so theologically adventurous that his Introduction to Christianity was banned in the Warsaw Archdiocese for some time. The wizened Pope Benedict, not Francis, was the person who get Gustavo Gutierrez, father of liberation theology, author of the much read A Theology of Liberation, out of the theological doldrums way back in 2007 (I’d link this non-story, but you really should go and find it yourself if you didn’t know it by now).

Nobody noticed. Selective memory. This is how the hermeneutic of continuity gets lost.

I would call this phenomenon “Protestantism” if it wasn’t an insult to my Protestant friends who have been especially receptive to Francis’s message of mercy, which is, of course, a continuation of John Paul II’s message of me rcy.

It might be hard to say goodbye to yesterday, but it’s even harder to realize how much today and tomorrow resemble it.

If you want to better understand Francis on Divine Mercy, in the way that Benedict understands him, then take a look at my review of his book on the topic: Ask God to Shatter Your Heart

Please consider making a donation to this blog through the donation button on the upper right side of its homepage. We’re moving to a new place and things will be tight financially for the first few months.

Stay in touch! Like Cosmos the in Lost on Facebook:

Cosmos the in Lost

UPDATE, here is footage from the celebration as Benedict and Francis speak highly of each other:

Previous Post

June 26, 2016

Atheist Belief is an Homage to God

Next Post

July 4, 2016 Does America Have a Philosophical Soul?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #WhyRemainCatholic Abortion Advent Anti-Catholicism Arts Atheism Beauty Benedict XVI Bible Book Review Catholic Cinema Comedy Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey Czesław Miłosz Dariusz Karłowicz Devil Easter Eastern Orthodoxy Economics Environment Family Famous Atheists Who Weren't Atheists Guest Post Hans Urs von Balthasar HHS Mandate History Imagination Interview Islam Jean-Luc Marion John Paul II Judaism Just War Lent Literature Little Sisters of the Poor Liturgy Martyrdom Music News Paganism Patristics Phenomenology Philosophy Pierre Hadot Poetry Poland Pop Culture Pope Francis Poverty Prayer Protestantism Rabelais Race Remi Brague Rene Girard Russia Sam Rocha Science & Religion SCOTUS Secularization Sexual Abuse Sexuality Silence Solidarity Stratford Caldecott Synod14 Terrorism Top 10 Uncategorized Walker Percy War Weakened Edition World War II World Youth Day WYD Krakow

Select a Month July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE