On March 13th and the 19th, the
Catholic world will celebrate the sixth anniversaries of the 2013 election
and inauguration, respectively, of Pope Francis’ Pontificate.
Six years is a long way to look back and to evaluate what has been
accomplished but, above all, to project the near future that awaits and
challenges us under the guidance of this man, this Christian, and this
pastor, recognized as a spiritual leader by and for all humanity.
Some Information About His Profile ...
His Pontificate has elicited admiration, and no one remains
indifferent about it, either by the novelty of his genuine personality as
a human being and as Pope or by the themes, accentuations and emphases of his
Petrine ministry.
Francis is, above all, a Latin American man, a Christian, and
a Jesuit priest who embraced and embraces the life and teachings of Jesus
of Nazareth in integrating them into his own life and his own teachings. And, this desire to want to live the Gospel of
Jesus Christ authentically, simply, transparently and without airs, is not
foreign to him, nor has it escaped the amazement and admiration of all, both
within and outside the Catholic Church.
His own temperament and his life as a Christian also make him an
intimate man and pastor – simple and humble – one who is like us. Jorge Mario Bergoglio is, as a man and as
Pope, a daily, simple, and authentic being in his words and gestures, in the
topics he addresses, in his attitudes and in his way of communicating and
getting close to everyone. ...
His way of being in the Church and in the world shows him as a man
who is conservative in his doctrine, but progressive in his attitudes and
approaches; as a good
pastor, welcoming, compassionate, and inclusive, and not exclusive (for
example, in his approach to the position of women and homosexuals in the life
of the Church) and as a Pope who has, wants and proposes a new way of
understanding the forms of government within the Church, to the point of
appearing and presenting himself as "anticlerical".
His Challenges and How He Has Answered Them ...
Restoring the trust and credibility of the world and of the
Catholic faithful in the Catholic Church, in its hierarchies, in its
institutions, and in its message is, without a doubt, the great
challenge facing the Church in this era of the Pope Francis’
government. The Pontificate of Francis is challenged by important
issues and problems – within and outside the Church – that must
be confronted and resolved for the life, existence, and work of
the Church in the world.
To
these problems and challenges, Francis has responded
by confronting them, without fuss or noise, but with all the
determination and seriousness that these challenges demand from the Leader and
Shepherd of the Universal Church.
In the remainder of this article, I briefly enumerate the big
challenges that I see facing the Pontificate of Francis and the responses
that the Pope has delivered in each case, during the six years of his
Pontificate.
First, it is urgent that the Catholic
Church, its authorities, especially its universal leader and guide, develop and
lead positions on the major issues concerning the Church and all humanity. It
is urgent that the light "does not stay under the bed, but that it gives
light to all those who are at home". It is urgent that the light
"shines amidst the darkness". It is urgent that the preaching of the
Church leaves the sacristies to illuminate the path of all men and women of
good will in the great issues, of all types, relating to human existence and to
life in society.
Responding to this challenge, Francis, as a Latin American man,
knows first-hand the various sounds, pains and profiles that the very serious
social problems facing today's man have, and, from the first hours of his
Pontificate, he has asked the Church to "go out to the peripheries". What this means and implies is not to only go to
the geographical peripheries, but also and, above all, to the central issues of
the world and of all humanity where the Church, perhaps, became peripheral. ... Francis, in all
his messages, is interested in everyday problems of all kinds where human
beings live with the certainty and conviction that the Gospel of Jesus may
enlighten and clarify the existence of every man and all men, with its mystery,
its problems, its lights and shadows (cf GS 22).Francis's openness to any topic
that interests everyone has been demonstrated in his many trips, messages, and
meetings with political and religious leaders from around the world.
Second, Francis
has pledged much of the last six years of his Pontificate to
a major reform within the Church that starts from the very heart of
the Vatican State organization and, in particular, from the Roman Curia,
its dicasteries, its organizational chart, accounts, etc. With the conviction that the testimony begins at
home, Francis appointed, at the beginning of his Pontificate, a
commission of Cardinals in charge of this reform, who serve as his
immediate consultants and advisors. This reform has not been
easy for the Pope due to the resistances that, in the very bosom
of Vatican life, have arisen and have become evident.
A third challenge, the most
mediatic of all, concerns the scandals that, in sexual matters, have
undermined the credibility of the Church, especially through the sexual
abuse committed against minors(pedophilia) by ordained ministers and of
consecrated men and women (bishops, priests, religious men and women). These sex crimes committed, an immense majority of them
decades ago and many others in recent times, today come to light thanks to
accusations, the payment of lawsuits and, above all, the immediacy of
the events in which we live today due to communication through the media and
social networks.
In this, as in the most important matters of the life of the Church,
Francis has taken the reins, has faced the issues, and has put the cards on the
table so that the subject can be discussed and aired openly and without fear. The government of Pope Francis has made drastic
decisions, legislated, met personally with the victims, has asked for
forgiveness, has punished, has reduced many clerics to lay life, has decreed
zero tolerance, but - above all – it has denounced the hypocrisy of our current
life in society in which hedonism and pansexuality prevail. It
is a pansexualist society and one that is libertine
in sexual matters in which priests and clergy are born, in which they are
raised and from which they come and, then, lose their minds
in sexual crimes - of all kinds - that occur daily by the hundreds
throughout the world and that are committed not only by the clergy, but
also by men and women of all conditions and stations of life.
Finally: all of
this sets a challenge more, and not less, important to the Catholic Church: the
current and growing scattering and/or fall in the number of Catholic faithful
in all latitudes, due to - in most cases - the problems mentioned above. Francis is aware of this and with his personality,
his accentuations, his life, and his Pontificate, gravitates, above all, toward
a Christian and ecclesial life in which the authenticity and quality of
Catholicism and discipleship in Christ among believers prevails over mere
quantity; and this quantity is a result of the testimony and Christians’
authentic following of Christ.
May God bless Francis so that, with the human and
Christian authority and authenticity he has shown in these
six years of his Pontificate, he may continue to guide the life of the Church and illuminate the path for all humanity for
many years to come.
