Pope Francis: “Thinking Out Loud” About Church?

Last updated on: March 7, 2014 at 9:59 am by Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

Pope Francis: “Thinking Out Loud” About Church? 2014-03-07T09:59:28-06:00 Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

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.

This week, Pope Francis raised some eyebrows when, in an interview, he discussed the possibility of the Church endorsing “civil unions” for homosexual partners. He asserted that marriage was indeed for men and women only, but seemed to propose a more open minded and pastoral approach to the question of homosexual relationships than some would expect from the Church. His comments, as they often do, have caused some degree of consternation among many faithful Catholics who are fearful that Pope Francis is somehow seeking to dilute traditional teaching. Simultaneously, many progressives in the Church rejoiced to hear the Pope articulate an agenda that was much more in line with their own vision.

Pronouncing v. Thinking Out Loud

This isn’t so much a post about civil unions as much as it is about an insight that occurred to me as I was contemplating the interview I referenced above. Specifically, it seems to me that we’re all used to popes who, when they speak, tend to pronounce “what is.” I don’t use the word “pronounce” in an authoritarian way, as in an “I have spoken, thus shall it be!” sense, so much as in an authoritative sense, as in the “these are the facts that represent the boundaries of the conversation” sense. Both JPII and BXVI were more what I would consider authoritative pronouncers in their public comments. There were very much theology professors and writers. Their style was much more careful when it came to their public pronouncements and when they did speak to an issue, it was usually to draw the boundaries that would constitute what were reasonable points of discussion and which were not. Their public commentary tended to take the form of authoritative pronouncements that didn’t shut down discussion, but clearly defined the boundaries between what was on the table and what was not.

That said, I think because most of us are used to Popes speaking this way, we are all prone to take Pope Francis more seriously than he may even take himself. I don’t mean to suggest that we shouldn’t take what the Pope says seriously, but it occurs to me that rather than pronouncing in even
the more authoritative manner of his predecessors, Pope Francis style of speaking is much more like, “thinking out loud about the Church.”

What is, “A Pastoral Approach”?

As a counselor, I will often “think out loud” in session. I reflect what I hear the client say and whether I agree with it or not, I let the client know it’s safe to talk about these things in my presence. It may be my intention to move the conversation toward solutions that are far from what the client is saying, but in order to do that, I need to let the person know that I have heard them, that I am genuinely listening, and that I sincerely understand and care about the concerns that their comments reflect. Pope Francis isn’t a therapist, but he used to be a psychology professor, and he is very much a pastor, and good pastors will often use a similar technique of reflecting and “thinking out loud” as a way of both beginning a thoughtful conversation and trying to bring everyone along in the search for solutions.

The more I watch Pope Francis, the more I have come to believe that often when he speaks, and especially when he speaks in interviews, he is not pronouncing as Pope, but “thinking out loud” as the Church’s “primary pastor.” Before beginning a serious discussion about particular solutions (e.g., the Extraordinary Synod) he wants to make sure you know you’ve been heard, not just as a technique, but sincerely, from the heart. Further, he wants to be sure you to know that he will take your concerns seriously as he moves forward to articulate the Church’s vision.

I think the faithful will be much less likely to panic when Pope Francis speaks if they can adopt the perspective I am suggesting. Pope Francis is not–at least to this point–a “pronouncing pope.” He is a “thinking out loud about the Church” Pope who is inviting the world to think out loud about it too so that perhaps, together, we can find a way to translate and live up to eternal truths in a manner that is consistent with the past but makes sense both in the present and for the future.

Sticking My Head in the Sand?

No doubt some readers will accuse me of sticking my head in the sand, and that may be, but I don’t think so. It would be different if the Holy Father was not consistently affirming Church teaching in his comments, but he always does, and never in that off-hand way that progressives tend to do so that they can maintain plausible deniability that they are not, in fact, seeking to undermine the very teachings they are tipping their hats to. Pope Francis,it seems to me, is much more confident both asserting that Church teaching is what it is and respecting that. Even so, it seems important to him to show that respecting the historic and traditional truths of the Church does not mean that we can’t think out loud about how to apply those truths in this post-Christian, post-modern era. Instead, Pope Francis’ approach of “thinking out loud about Church” may lead to a greater devotion to tradition because we will have discovered ways to make the old things new again.

Church

Previous Post

March 6, 2014

She Likes Me! She Really Likes Me!

Next Post

March 12, 2014 A Psychopath Gives Parenting Advice

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anxiety atheism Attachment Church Conflict Resolution Counseling Depression faith Family forgiveness Gender Happiness Health Humor Marriage Mental Health Mental Illness Mindfulness morality More2Life Radio Parenting Personal Wellness Personality Disorder Popcak Psychology News reconciliation Relationship religion self-help Sexuality Spirituality stress theology of the body Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 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 June 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 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River?

Select your answer to see how you score.

James Nicodemus John the Baptist Peter