Pope officialliy de-emphasizes Papal Titles

[otjm]

Good question. The article speaks of other changes as well. It’s as if he doesn’t want others to view him as Pope.

That is not at all what is going on.

There have been multiple reports from when he was Archbishop (and Cardinal) including a number of them indicating that he had done a pretty good job lacing into other bishops in Argentina, concerning pomp, circumstance, demeanor, privilege, status, humility (or the lack thereof) and a general questioning of who the bishops were there to serve.

Keep in mind that while he is a Jesuit, he also has had a very strong Franciscan spirituality. And one of the strong characteristics of that is a very humble lifestyle.

There are bishops (and plenty of them) who look far more like “princes of the Church” than they do as humble servants of the Church. He has shunned the perks of being a bishop in favor of being the shepherd which the bishop is supposed to be; he has physically spent a great deal of time in the poor sections of his archdiocese (and when I say poor, I mean the slums).

It should come as no surprise to anyone that he is going to avoid much of the finery and the perks of office. He is not doing so as a comment to any of the past Popes (including Benedict and John Paul 2), but rather as a comment from a very Franciscan point of view as to what he sees priests, Monsignors, bishops, Cardinals, and himself as Pope need to be, and that is first and foremost a servant.

If you lived in a mud floor shanty, and you had someone who was a bishop come to see you in a chauffeured limo replete with liveried driver, and wearing a $1500 suit with clerical collar, odds are you would react differently to him than you would to a bishop who wore an old worn sweater, shoes that were clearly worn and old, a clerical collar and got there walking several blocks after having taken a bus to get near. You would acknowledge both as bishop, but odds are extremely strong that you would see the one bishop as living “high on the hog” in his fancy house, and be an essentially unapproachable figure; and you would see the other one as a priest (bishop) of the people. He wouldn’t be putting on airs.

Right or wrong, we have a Pope who thinks that clericalism needs to be addressed; that there are too many bishops who see the office of privilege rather than of service, and who very seriously takes to heart what Christ meant when He said “What you do to the least of these, you do to Me.”

The tiara went out some time ago. So have other bits and pieces which have attached themselves to the Papacy over time. This is a Pope who wants to carry the message of the Gospel as St Francis would. All of which says nothing at all about prior Popes; it only speaks to the here and now and the message this Pope is guided to give the Church and the world at this time.

As a side note, it was reported that someone had asked Sean Cardinal O’Malley what he would wear had he been elected Pope, to which he answered “My habit, of course!” Cardinal O’Malley is a Franciscan, so we would have seen a change from the Pope wearing Dominican white, to Franciscan brown. Which, from comments, would likely have shaken people more than this Jesuit Pope has.

 

[Elzee]

This is my concern. The Church is not known for being savvy when it comes to how it communicates to the public or its ‘public relations’. My fear is Pope Francis - as Pope Benedict - may not fully realize how what they say and do is taken out of context in progress and liberal sects of Catholicism. Or maybe the do realize it and don’t care - but that seems hard to believe. They surely care.

For example - when Pope Francis said he wanted a ‘poor Church’ - people went crazy thinking he was going to sell the Vatican all its historical treasures. When he washed the feet of women I heard a priest say that "Francis has showed us we are not bound by crazy Church rules anymore - we’re smart people and can decide things for ourselves. " Actions or even words without clarification are damaging to the Church . With him seeming to downplay Pontifical titles, I can already see it now - the same church I went to on Easter will now be dissing Papal Authority (again) - citing Pope Francis himself (again) as his proof.

Not that I was asked, , but I think the Church would be better served, evangelized, and catechized if our Popes would clarify more of their actions and words in situations like this.

 

[bsroufek]

Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Also, “Whoever wishes to be my disciple must deny his own self, take up his cross daily and follow after me.”

Like St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis is following the gospel as literally as he can.

 

[Elizabeth502]

Two things can be equally true, simultaneously. (And in this case, they are.)

Pope Francis’ theme of his papacy is consistently one of detachment, humility, meekness.

The National Catholic Reporter will always slant a story if it can, in the way which supports its own limited agenda.

I have nothing against titles per se, nor anything against people in power who refuse titles. However, The Reporter absolutely hates titles. In fact, it dislikes church authority in general, by its own admission.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

This is my concern. The Church is not known for being savvy when it comes to how it communicates to the public or its ‘public relations’. My fear is Pope Francis - as Pope Benedict - may not fully realize how what they say and do is taken out of context in progress and liberal sects of Catholicism. Or maybe the do realize it and don’t care - but that seems hard to believe. They surely care.

For example - when Pope Francis said he wanted a ‘poor Church’ - people went crazy thinking he was going to sell the Vatican all its historical treasures. When he washed the feet of women I heard a priest say that "Francis has showed us we are not bound by crazy Church rules anymore - we’re smart people and can decide things for ourselves. " Actions or even words without clarification are damaging to the Church . With him seeming to downplay Pontifical titles, I can already see it now - the same church I went to on Easter will now be dissing Papal Authority (again) - citing Pope Francis himself (again) as his proof.

Not that I was asked, , but I think the Church would be better served, evangelized, and catechized if our Popes would clarify more of their actions and words in situations like this.

This is exactly the sort of thing that is happening in my parish. Whatever a person thinks of Pope Francis and his words and actions so far, it’s simply a fact that this is how he is being interpreted by many inside and outside the Church.

 

[J_the_Centrist]

I think he did this as a statement of humility and it has nothing to do with his title, nor of the titles of past Popes. From what I read everyone loves this Pope, even Atheists seem to like him.

I never visited this website before, but this site seems to be run by a group like say ‘Catholics’ United (quotes intended) based on how this story was presented. In addition, just look at the comments section, the sentiment there is something like some secular repressive site like the Huffington Post would have with all the anti-Catholic (Christianity generally in some posts) statements. This is NOT coming from a conservative perspective, I am a Libertarian not conservative, but I don’t like seeing our Church attacked like it’s just hunky dory, it’s unacceptable and these people are “tolerant” right? I don’t think that I will look to this site for information on our Church, if I’m wrong please let me know, I didn’t check it out completely and probably will after I post this. As of this moment I think I’ll stick with The Tablet and EWTN.

 

[Yerusalyim]

So long as we don’t forget our Traditions than it’s ok.

We cannot forget our Tradition and remain Catholic…however…papal titles aren’t about Tradition…they’re about tradition. I, for one, am happy to see the pope slowly shrugging off the trappings of the imperial papacy…and I’m no liberal…I’m a pretty conservative Catholic.

 

[SaintFrancis333]

We cannot forget our Tradition and remain Catholic…however…papal titles aren’t about Tradition…they’re about tradition. I, for one, am happy to see the pope slowly shrugging off the trappings of the imperial papacy…and I’m no liberal…I’m a pretty conservative Catholic.

I guess I am more stingy then. I like an authoritative Church. I know what His Holiness is doing. I agree with it. I just wish he’d do so while retaining the Church’s authoritative image (maybe that’s vanity). I dunno, I should have been born in the middle ages when Churches looked like castles, were the centers of their respective town and had gregorian chant. I’m just a 25 year old whose spirituality is a dusty old relic that doesn’t fit anymore in the modern direction of the Church’s traditions (small t)

 

[ellzeena]

That is not at all what is going on.

There have been multiple reports from when he was Archbishop (and Cardinal) including a number of them indicating that he had done a pretty good job lacing into other bishops in Argentina, concerning pomp, circumstance, demeanor, privilege, status, humility (or the lack thereof) and a general questioning of who the bishops were there to serve.

Keep in mind that while he is a Jesuit, he also has had a very strong Franciscan spirituality. And one of the strong characteristics of that is a very humble lifestyle.

There are bishops (and plenty of them) who look far more like “princes of the Church” than they do as humble servants of the Church. He has shunned the perks of being a bishop in favor of being the shepherd which the bishop is supposed to be; he has physically spent a great deal of time in the poor sections of his archdiocese (and when I say poor, I mean the slums).

It should come as no surprise to anyone that he is going to avoid much of the finery and the perks of office. He is not doing so as a comment to any of the past Popes (including Benedict and John Paul 2), but rather as a comment from a very Franciscan point of view as to what he sees priests, Monsignors, bishops, Cardinals, and himself as Pope need to be, and that is first and foremost a servant.

If you lived in a mud floor shanty, and you had someone who was a bishop come to see you in a chauffeured limo replete with liveried driver, and wearing a $1500 suit with clerical collar, odds are you would react differently to him than you would to a bishop who wore an old worn sweater, shoes that were clearly worn and old, a clerical collar and got there walking several blocks after having taken a bus to get near. You would acknowledge both as bishop, but odds are extremely strong that you would see the one bishop as living “high on the hog” in his fancy house, and be an essentially unapproachable figure; and you would see the other one as a priest (bishop) of the people. He wouldn’t be putting on airs.

Right or wrong, we have a Pope who thinks that clericalism needs to be addressed; that there are too many bishops who see the office of privilege rather than of service, and who very seriously takes to heart what Christ meant when He said “What you do to the least of these, you do to Me.”

The tiara went out some time ago. So have other bits and pieces which have attached themselves to the Papacy over time. This is a Pope who wants to carry the message of the Gospel as St Francis would. All of which says nothing at all about prior Popes; it only speaks to the here and now and the message this Pope is guided to give the Church and the world at this time.

As a side note, it was reported that someone had asked Sean Cardinal O’Malley what he would wear had he been elected Pope, to which he answered “My habit, of course!” Cardinal O’Malley is a Franciscan, so we would have seen a change from the Pope wearing Dominican white, to Franciscan brown. Which, from comments, would likely have shaken people more than this Jesuit Pope has.

I think this is an excellent perspective, thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut here. I feel as you do. The pomp and circumstance, while entertaining (which it is) and impressive (which it is) is, I think, opposite to everything Jesus taught and how He lived. My guess is, He’s not too happy about it. Even not being able to approach a Bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal, as a lay person is obnoxious imo. And then calling him Your Eminence and whatever else, why this smacks of feudalism. Live as simply as possible given the Vatican’s (I’m sure) insistence upon certain things and bring the Church back to the feet of its Master, if you can, Papa Francis.

 

[ringil]

I enjoy traditional Catholicism and often attend the TLM, with that I am glad to see the tiara relegated to the past. I am not a fan of the cappa magna either.

There are a few traditional elements (like the cappa magna) which are not tied to theology but to class difference in medieval and renaissance Europe and these I have no problem with letting go.

 

[Tigg]

This is terrible writing:

Headline: Pope Francis **officially **de-emphasizes papal titles
First Line: Pope Francis **has possibly **de-emphasized a number of the formal titles (…etc.)

Well, what can we expect from the National Catholic Reporter, whom Bishop Finn says should not even call itself Catholic.

 

[Elzee]

This is exactly the sort of thing that is happening in my parish. Whatever a person thinks of Pope Francis and his words and actions so far, it’s simply a fact that this is how he is being interpreted by many inside and outside the Church.

This is why liberal priests I know love him. They see an opportunity - legitimate or not (to be honest, I’m not quite sure yet) - to use the Pope’s words and actions to legitimize some of their rogue ways

 

[aemcpa]

I think this is an excellent perspective, thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut here. I feel as you do. The pomp and circumstance, while entertaining (which it is) and impressive (which it is) is, I think, opposite to everything Jesus taught and how He lived. My guess is, He’s not too happy about it. Even not being able to approach a Bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal, as a lay person is obnoxious imo. And then calling him Your Eminence and whatever else, why this smacks of feudalism. Live as simply as possible given the Vatican’s (I’m sure) insistence upon certain things and bring the Church back to the feet of its Master, if you can, Papa Francis.

This is the rotten fruit of Americanism. Hierarchy is ordained by God.

 

[ringil]

I enjoy traditional Catholicism and often attend the TLM, with that I am glad to see the tiara relegated to the past. I am not a fan of the cappa magna either.

There are a few traditional elements (like the cappa magna) which are not tied to theology but to class difference in medieval and renaissance Europe and these I have no problem with letting go.

I misread the title to say “tiara”. Disregard above post.

 

[Lucky7]

I guess I am more stingy then. I like an authoritative Church. I know what His Holiness is doing. I agree with it. **I just wish he’d do so while retaining the Church’s authoritative image **(maybe that’s vanity). I dunno, I should have been born in the middle ages when Churches looked like castles, were the centers of their respective town and had gregorian chant. I’m just a 25 year old whose spirituality is a dusty old relic that doesn’t fit anymore in the modern direction of the Church’s traditions (small t)

:yup: I think you nailed it on the head for me.

 

[kag1982]

This is the rotten fruit of Americanism. Hierarchy is ordained by God.

Bishops are servants, not lords or kings. Many bishops have forgotten this. Francis is gently reminding them of this through his actions. I think that an earlier poster had it right. It is easier to minister to people when you are approachable. Bergoglio was able to minister to migrants in the Buenos Aires slums precisely because of his lifestyle. He wasn’t a high ranking Churchman who was putting on airs. I think that continuing his approachable and informal style as Pope has helped him minister to many more people.

 

[Lucky7]

Bishops are servants, not lords or kings. Many bishops have forgotten this. Francis is gently reminding them of this through his actions. I think that an earlier poster had it right. It is easier to minister to people when you are approachable. Bergoglio was able to minister to migrants in the Buenos Aires slums precisely because of his lifestyle. He wasn’t a high ranking Churchman who was putting on airs. I think that continuing his approachable and informal style as Pope has helped him minister to many more people.

Even Pope Francis has made it clear that the Church is “catholic and hierarchical”.

 

[kag1982]

Even Pope Francis has made it clear that the Church is “catholic and hierarchical”.

He has pointed out on numerous occasions that priests and bishops are servants. They are to serve their sheep and be close to them. They aren’t to separate themselves from their flocks. They aren’t better or superior. The laity doesn’t serve them; they serve the laity.

 

[aemcpa]

He has pointed out on numerous occasions that priests and bishops are servants. They are to serve their sheep and be close to them. They aren’t to separate themselves from their flocks. They aren’t better or superior. The laity doesn’t serve them; they serve the laity.

And we, for our part, are to show them reverence and obedience. They ARE our superiors, and this by the will of God.

 

[kag1982]

And we, for our part, are to show them reverence and obedience. They ARE our superiors, and this by the will of God.

No thy aren’t. We don’t live in Medieval Europe where the peasants bow and scrape before the Church.