“That’s not what he really meant to say…”
These are increasingly common words spoken on behalf of Pope Francis.
Increasingly, Catholic bloggers are having to compile montages of quotes to show the strain of orthodox continuity in the Pope’s interviews. For many traditionalists, it is the frightful spectre of a Jesuit pope ascending the throne of Peter just in time to undo all of the damage control and growth wrought by John Paul and Benedict in the wake of Vatican II. Now, many fear, we stand to lose all that has been set aright. In this, many speak openly and disparigingly of the new pope, contempt dripping in a manner not unlike the leftists in their assessment of John Paul and Benedict.
Right or left, orthodox or progressive, it is all a manifestation of the same underlying spiritual illness…
Pride.
Are we only to submit to papal authority when the mood, or mode suits us? Do we place stylistic predilection over our duty to respect and obedience to legitimate episcopal and papal authority? Is our faith on the orthodox side of the aisle so fragile that we get a case of the vapors at the least departure from our preferred norm? To be certain, this pope is dangerous. His style is that of…
Jesus.
He reaches out to sinners and dines with them.
He gives interviews to atheists.
He eschews the pomp and splendor that is his due for something very, very different.
He accords women unusual influence for his day.
He has reached beyond the broad parameters carved out by John Paul II, and has been warning us that great change is on the way.
In all of this, we must never, ever, EVER lose sight of this most central reality:
He. Is. Peter.
Unless the day comes where he breaks with defined teaching, he will have my respect and obedience, and I will keep any transient dyspeptic moments to myself.
Yes, there is great potential for misunderstanding when he speaks off the cuff, but ultimately, little room for harm. Those whose faith is well-informed and rock-solid cannot be rattled.
Those who ridiculed John Paul and Benedict may hear him when the truth is spoken in a different way. At worst, they will simply look for any justification to persist in their unbelief.
Those who are weak will need us to be Francis’ defenders, to explicate his teaching and show its continuity with all that has gone before. It is the Parable of the Sower.
Change is coming with this pope, much needed change. He comes from those people below the equator who have been largely invisible to us in the faithless north. He speaks for them, and from their experience of the Church. He was elected to effect the changes that Benedict saw as necessary, but was too infirm to effect.
The coin of the realm in all of this will be faith and obedience, especially from those of us who revere John Paul and Benedict, who count ourselves the orthodox backbone of the Church. This is no time for that backbone to become arthritic.
Francis is going to need every one of us.
I’m with Peter.
UPDATE: Ongoing Fallout from the interview analyzed here in Part I.
Read Part II here.
Coming Home 
Very nice!
[…] UPDATE: Dr. Gerard Nadal, who is pretty darned conservative, speaks up for Peter and also asks for deep breaths: […]
Here’s the key to understanding Pope Francis and the Catholic Church. Jesus Christ is the center of everything. He is First. He is Last. He is the center of your life. If he is not, start over again at “Jesus Christ is the center… .”
Everything that comes out of Pope’s mouth is NOT infalable. Thank you Holy Spirit. I think I remember when St. Paul corrected St. Peter. We have no St. Paul now, so I don’t know about the rest of you, I have to save my soul. If I lead anyone astray by lies I will be held responsible. I follow capital T Tradition and everyone else can fall off the cliff. I ‘m staying with Pope St Pius X and his fight against modernism which we are now immersed in to the point of only Heaven can help!
Domminus Vobiscum
[…] Snip: […]
What I don’t understand is: what has he said that necessitates “obedience,” or how is it disrespectful to critique his statements or try to contextualize them? There is a false orthodoxy which says we must “obey” and comply with everything a Pope thinks. There are so many levels to these “interviews,” part of which is the old “audience and purpose,” which need to be considered just as much as when we consider the audience and purpose of Pius IX and Leo XIII.
I’m with Peter too. But he is my Holy Father. The Church is a family. When I am hurt or worried, I might complain a bit.
I am sure this is the last Pope to resent that.
Giving interviews to the press and speaking so informally precisely INVITES that kind of conversation. If he doesn’t want that, he can stick to enyclicals. 😉
[…] "That's not what he really meant to say…" These are increasingly common words spoken on behalf of Pope Francis. Increasingly, Catholic bloggers are having to compile montages of quotes to show th… […]
[…] Dawkins Terrifying – F. Phillips, CH The Heart of Bergoglio – Robert Royal, The Catholic Thing Pope Francis: Rupture vs. Change – Dr. Gerard M. Nadal, Coming Home Pope Francis’s Love-based Argument for God’s Existence – […]
I’m with Peter as well! Thank you for your fine article, Dr. Nadal.
“Yes, there is great potential for misunderstanding when he speaks off the cuff, but ultimately, little room for harm. Those whose faith is well-informed and rock-solid cannot be rattled.”
It is because I have a well-informed and rock-solid faith that I can point out poorly communicated thoughts of the Pope. This to help those whose faith is not so well-formed and who believe that every utterance of the Pope is infallible.
For examples his most recent interview. Is youth unemployment and the loneliness of the elderly the greatest evil today. I disagree. Is proselytism “nonsense?” The most charitable read is that this is poorly worded and should be so called.
As a well-formed Catholic I do this as I pray for the Pope and respect his office as I have in the past and as I will continue to do so. As I also do for those who misinterpret my comments.
Our Pope has said that we have to go out in the streets to find the people rather than just being willing to welcome them when they come. This is exactly what he is doing. He is meeting with those who feel alienated (“the sinners”) to make them know that he cares about them. As for “proselytism” — in Catholic documents this refers to the use of manipulation or coercion and is not evangelism that relies on the effective presentation of the truth. Many dictionaries might lump evangelism and proselytism together, but this merely shows their ignorance in the matter and the more refined nature of the
Catholic discourse. Just as the Bible can be quoted to draw the wrong conclusion, so can the Pope’s remarks. This is a problem of human language and not the Bible or the Pope for that matter.
Beautifully stated. Thank you.
Since we have a papal saint factory in Rome these days, he should just canonize himself, then quit so that we can possibly get a pope again who understands the magisterium of the Church.
He is going to be every bit the disaster JPII was – possibly even reaching the level of Paul VI.
Well said Daniele.
This pope will probably be known at the greatest Evangelist – to the unwanted, the confused, the lost, the rejected, the old, the poor, the Atheist etc etc.
You know, the sort of people that Jesus would be reaching out to (is reaching out to)
Oct. 2nd: I believe that Pope Francis has the heart of a Shepherd and he is reaching out to the lost and the lonely and I trust him; but someone told me that Pope Francis said that two of the greatest evils of our time are youth unemployment and the loneliness of the elderly – is this true? Surely unemployment and loneliness are not the greatest evils…we need to try to help the unemployed and the lonely but at least they are alive….the blackest evil is the ongoing slaughter of human babies in the wombs of their mothers – by the millions; and this mass slaughter of the innocent destroys women and families too…and Mother Teresa said that the root of all violence is this mass slaughter of the innocent for, she said, if we would kill the innocent baby in the womb, what would we not do?
Most Catholics do not read the bible therefore they can be miss lead.
I have heard many people say I like to read the book before I go to see the movie, well, do your self a favor and read Mathew ch. 24. And instead of being occupied with your favorite shows look around the world and you will see the movie is half way thru.
Jesus said heaven and earth pass away and my word will not pass away.
Pope Francis said the catholic church will become like a small card board home and it will collapse if he does not make changes, well my lord Jesus the Christ told St. Peter you are a rock and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
We’ve come a very long way since Peter. To reach the world with the Truth of Jesus
Christ deposited in the the Catholic Church we needs a team management approach
with qualitied people who skills and love would fulfill the needed criteria to
successfully accomplish such an vast enterprise. Our Holy Father needs advisors both clerics and the laity to help him.
Somehow I’m reminded of God’s letters to the seven churchs in the book of revelation. I’m sure there’s a message in there applicable to both traditionalistcs and progressives.
I actually had a dream about Pope Francis the other night. He had holes in his socks 🙂 The thought of someone of his stature having holes in his socks like many a poor folk I found rather comforting and brought a smile to my face.
I really have difficulty with people who attack anyone who questions what Pope Francis said in the two interviews, which the Pope initiated and meant for public consumtion. Sorry we have every right to discuss what the leader of the church is saying. As for the idea that his statements are addressed to the “general public” and that is why he is using common language, I suggest he take a lesson from Benedict, whose writings and speaking reflect an amazing respect and dignity towards those he addresses.I agree with one of the previous comments. The lonely elderly and unempoyment deserve and receive attention from the catholic church. In case he was not aware of it care of elderly is a major part of the Respect Life movement in the church.However there are over one million babies being aborted in the US every year. The catholic church, contrary to what Francis says must speak out against this. The retreats and counciling towards women and men who suffer post abortion is witness to the mercy of God. People of faith have every right to ask, just where is this pope coming from?
Thank you Dr. Nadal! We do keep our pride in check. Our Holy Father is Peter, now in our time, the leader of of us all in the church, conservative, liberal, is doesn’t matter. I would urge all to stop and listen, calmly, to the Holy Father, putting any prejudices aside, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We have in Pope Francis an extraordinary leader for our time. We need to see through the fog of our presumptions, giving him our love and respect.
Amen!
I expected good things from this pope, but his humility, courage, wisdom are truly inspiring to behold. Like you say in the article, he comes from a culture where faith is very much alive and engaged in every day, not just at Sunday mass.
[…] UPDATE: Dr. Gerard Nadal, who is pretty darned conservative, speaks up for Peter and also asks for deep breaths: […]
Make no mistake, the Truth has been revealed to you.
My beloved Pope Benedict XVI was persecuted and fled, as foretold. I have not appointed this person, who claims to come in My Name.
Jesus to Mankind via facebook
[Teresa, Jesus gave us the Apostles and the Church. Can you get a bishop to authenticate revelations coming through social media? That’s part of the process. Thanks. G.N.]
[…] « Pope Francis:Rupture vs. Change […]
Please God, send us another St. Athanasius! Or our Lady’s triumph! “At the present time there is a remnant left, selected out of grace.” Romans 11:5.
[…] Pope Francis: Rupture vs. Change […]
Show me the “converts” that are coming to the Truths of the Faith through this pope’s words. Show me their new-found openness to the immovable Moral Doctrines of the Catholic Faith. Show me. Cite it. Because all I’m witnessing is left-wing liberals who are simply giddy that this popes is bending the rules to THEIR modern relativistic version of “truth”.
It is fair to say that the pope’s communications with the world are going to be spun – this is a given. What is not a given is that the communications need to begin in such flawed manners as used by this pope. By what he says, the way he says it, and by the things he omits to say, he leaves lots of room for imprecise communication that provides fodder for the enemies of Christ. The office is not one of Arch Bishop in a predominately Catholic country, the office is world-wide and off-the-cuff things said by the pope need to be considered in that light before he opens his mouth. Confusion does not come from God, and neither do confused communications, these come from the person who is the pope, not his office. To me it evidences Francis’ pride, he is too proud of being “simple” he is too proud of being Jesuit, and he just says what he says when he wants because, that’s right, he is too proud to think he shouldn’t. After all it is humble to just say what you think – right? Well, what about consequences, this is a larger office and the world-wide responsibility means that what he says is under greater scrutiny and to ignore this and help create confusion, which is clearly what he has done, does not assist the church. Personally I believe he has damaged the pro-life movement by his exceedingly crappy interview given to the masters of spin. He either needs to get a grip or take a hike, all the baby kissing and hand holding and BS phone calls notwithstanding we need somebody with less ego. I know he is all kinds of humble – right? Well maybe humility for a “humble” guy is to be humble enough to change style to fit the office instead of thinking somehow it is all the same. The role of the pope is for the whole church and if your little humble interviews are used to stick it to people who actually DO the pro-life work in charity against the culture of death, then you do them a disservice by such egoistic behavior in your “humble” way. Humility is not about living in some small apartment or making a few phone calls it is about really really accepting responsibility and making changes to yourself to do the job, not assuming you can wing-it. If he is so about the alleged collegiality – then why has he not been collegial enough to listen to those who have “chastised” him for not speaking about pro-life things in more supportive and meaningful ways. He talks in code, and reminds me of Fr, McBrian, I mean he says he is “a son of the church” or whatever, well there are tons of people who claim that and offer no pro-life assistance at all, and in fact many who do just the opposite. Jesus gauranteed the church, not the pope himself, this new guy needs to get a grip, get a reality check and start being a shepherd who uses his stick for something other this knocking around the sheep in the fold because they make too much noise for his ears. He needs to defend life and not play to his own ego among his own special little group of oh so special Jesuits. Oh so he tells gynecologists, who are visiting, not kill babies – big whoop. If he had any man berries he would ask every parish to establish a home for pregnant women in crisis and not accept any government money while doing it. Now that would be leadership. Just think of all the referrals those thankful people at NARAL would rush to send over – right?
No, Strife. All you are witnessing is the giddiness of the intransigent. You and I will never see all of the converts, but God does. This pope was elected, we presume, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Until the day comes when he breaks with defined teaching, he will have from the the respect that goes with this presumption of the Spirit’s leading.
He hasn’t saId one thing that wasn’t in accord with the Catechism. His form of expression draws unbelievers in and creates opportunities for evangelization (not proselytizing). He will make us uncomfortable, but he gave us fair warning at the beginning. When he makes me so, I consider the comment in light of the Catechism and the context of his remark. Upon reflection, I see how he’s applying the teaching in a practical way to a current issue. Our task is to be ready to explain, with charity, “the rest of the story.” The Holy Father is teeing up opportunities for us to evangelize. Our part is to hit the ball.
[…] first I linked to a day or so ago, but if you missed it: Pope Francis: Rupture vs Change (“He. Is. […]
I’m sticking with Peter, even if Francis isn’t.
“Yes, there is great potential for misunderstanding when he speaks off the cuff, but ultimately, little room for harm. Those whose faith is well-informed and rock-solid cannot be rattled”
Unfortunately, there are many more, much more whose grasp of the faith is fragile at best. So when the Pope goes around saying we are putting too much emphasis on abortion and homosexuality, the loud pro-death and pro-homosexual lobby are shouting hip hip hooray!
How a Pope can say that the constant talk about abortion is too much when millions of babies are dying. Does he not realize that this “too much” emphasis is precisely what is getting the job done – baby slaughterhouses are being closed and even previous murderers are seeing the light of Christ?
Marc,
I hear you. If you look art the Categories Box to the right of the page, you’ll see over 780 articles in 4 years, mostly on abortion and related issues. However, Francis said that these things don’t need to be discussed all the time, and he’s right. Addressing many of the social and spiritual ills that lead to unplanned pregnancies and ultimately abortion is a great way of cutting abortion off at the source.
From my discussions with other Catholic writers and leaders, word is getting back to Rome about how the Pope’s comments are playing here in the States. So, we’ll see what develops. That said, this pope has spoken forcefully against abortion, both as Cardinal and as Pope. The media are doing what they do best, though.
Faith and obedience are not contradicted by necessary criticism when the need to speak is urgent, when the issues are serious. The Holy Spirit is also given to the faithful to discern truth. There are graces given that show us the unimaginable consequences of sin after death. Pope Francis confuses and possibly misleads his listeners in some comments he has made, and that is something one cannot be silent about. It is not disrespectful to point out error, or the semblance of error, when souls are at stake, even if it the Holy Father who is the source of potentially erroneous statements. This we are called to do, so that no one should perish. There is no conflict between charity and truth. The Holy Spirit helps us to discern truth from untruth, and to speak as necessary if we must. The one who speaks truth is the one I will trust, for the Lord attracts no one to himself with falsehood or confusion.
“Never forget the infinite possibilities that are borne of faith”
St Therese of Lisieux.