Some answers to questions about Pope Francis

[Chatter163]

It’s pretty well documented that he pointed out Wojtyla in some of the General Congregations before he got elected, as his successor.

No, a strory was simply invented, circulated and recirculated–well after the fact, too. Nothing that is “highly documented.”

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

Read John Paul II’s biography by Carl Bernstein for the anecdote.

Did the book in question cite a source?

 

[mgsk]

Pope Francis didn’t seem to publish much over the course of a fairly lengthy “career” - I’m curious to see how long we’ll have to wait before he issues his first encyclical. It’ll also be interesting to see what topic he chooses to teach on.

I don’t know what this has to do with this thread. I just didn’t think it was new-topic worthy

 

[PJD1987]

Pope Francis didn’t seem to publish much over the course of a fairly lengthy “career” - I’m curious to see how long we’ll have to wait before he issues his first encyclical. It’ll also be interesting to see what topic he chooses to teach on.

I don’t know what this has to do with this thread. I just didn’t think it was new-topic worthy

I’m going to go out on a limb and say if/when he releases his first encyclical it will be about helping the poor.

I say “if” only because from what I’ve read and heard he’s much more about actions than words (although his Lenten letter to his diocese was very well done), and I honestly wouldn’t be entirely surprised if he just didn’t write any encyclicals.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Pope Francis didn’t seem to publish much over the course of a fairly lengthy “career” - I’m curious to see how long we’ll have to wait before he issues his first encyclical. It’ll also be interesting to see what topic he chooses to teach on.

I don’t know what this has to do with this thread. I just didn’t think it was new-topic worthy

I don’t think many bishops publish a lot. Certainly if someone was colle ting his homilies and talks there is probably a lot there, but I don’t think a bishops job leaves lots of time for writing. Also if you look at his career before he became a bishop he spent many years teaching in a Jesuit high school. Again not a job that leaves much time for writing.

I too am interested in see his first encyclical. I’d also really like to see his homilies collected in a book form. I wonder if anyone is thinking of doing this.

 

[mgsk]

I say “if” only because from what I’ve read and heard he’s much more about actions than words (although his Lenten letter to his diocese was very well done), and I honestly wouldn’t be entirely surprised if he just didn’t write any encyclicals.

Ah, I guess I was still looking at this aspect of the papacy through the lens of the last two (the only popes I’ve ever known). So you’re right, I suppose he’s under no obligation to issue one.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

I’m going to go out on a limb and say if/when he releases his first encyclical it will be about helping the poor.

My guess is that he will finish Pope Benedict’s encyclical on faith, just as Pope Benedict finished “Deus Caritas Est” for Pope John Paul II.

 

[Inego_de_Loyola]

I don’t think many bishops publish a lot. Certainly if someone was colle ting his homilies and talks there is probably a lot there, but I don’t think a bishops job leaves lots of time for writing. Also if you look at his career before he became a bishop he spent many years teaching in a Jesuit high school. Again not a job that leaves much time for writing.

Before that he was provincial(!!!) of Argentina. He has had a roller coaster career.

 

[PJD1987]

My guess is that he will finish Pope Benedict’s encyclical on faith, just as Pope Benedict finished “Deus Caritas Est” for Pope John Paul II.

Hm, I would like that and think it would be great.

I’m still not so sure that will happen, but I’d love to see it.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Before that he was provincial(!!!) of Argentina. He has had a roller coaster career.

I think he was a teacher first then provincial then went back to teaching briefly before he was made bishop. But yes a roller coaster career for sure!!

 

[JReducation]

"4. Can the pope change such traditions?

This answer is strictly mine. The answer is, yes. The pope is not bound by any law or tradition that is not contained in divine revelation. Nor is he bound by any precedent established by his predecessors. He calls his own shots. As much as we would like to bind him, we must remember that Christ gave him the power to bind and unbind, not us."
**
Serious prudence is necessary here or the relevance of Papal actions might seem diminished in the eyes of the congregation**.

Bold is mine. I think that His Holiness has made it perfectly clear that he does not care what the congregation sees or does not see regarding the papacy. He came very close to saying so this morning. In his meeting with the press, he told the press to tell the people not to look at the pope, but to look at Christ. He said that the pope is not the object of their attention, but Christ and the faith are.

He seems to be forging ahead to form a congregation that focuses on the poor and who is interested in building a poor Church. According to the Catholic media, he surprised everyone again today. (Note: I can only report what I read. I can’t prove that it’s accurate). Allegedly, he visited the papal apartment and in an expression of horror said, “I don’t need all of this space. I don’t like it.”

I’m wondering if he had ever visited the pope in his apartment. I guess most people never get to see the inside. From what I know of the apartment, it’s not that big. I guess it must look huge to someone who has lived in a studio for so many years. From what I know of the papal apartment it accommodates about five people comfortably. I know homes that are bigger than that. Maybe the rooms are very large. I don’t know. I’ve only read about it and seen floor plans. I’ve never been past the chapel. The chapel is very small. I bet you can’t sit more than 30.

I thought Popes St. Pius X and Pope Blessed John XXIII were Third Order Franciscans. I remember hearing a story about how John XXIII tried to resign from the Order to the head of the Franciscan Order when they met shortly after he was elected.

If I am wrong, I, at least, get a good education from Brother JR about how the Third Orders aren’t regulars and how all that works.

There have been more than 15 Franciscan popes. Four were regular Franciscans and 11 wee secular. Every pope from Pope Leo XIII to Pope John XXIII were professed Franciscans.

One does not have to leave his order, secular or regular, when one becomes a bishop. The papacy is not a sacrament. It’s an office. Therefore, there is no change in the person. He is still a bishop. In this case, he’s a Jesuit pope. Franciscans have never required that bishops withdraw, neither have Dominicans. I don’t know about other orders. Pius V was a Dominican Friar, hence the white papal robes.

Pope Clement XIV, Pope Nicholas IV, Pope Sixtus IV and Pope Sixtus V were Franciscan friars. They never ceased to be friars.

The only change is that when a man becomes the bishop of Rome, by default he becomes the pope. Popes are the major superiors of all religious orders. Therefore, the new pope is now the major superior of the Jesuits and every other order in the Church. In other words, the superiors general all answer to him, including the superior general of the Jesuits.

 

[severus68]

To be honest, I didn’t like how he asked the people to first pray for him instead of first blessing them. I don’t see it as humility just pandering to the base. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the Pope is conservative but really? I’m someone who is against Bishops living luxurious lives and having daimond rings because I think it is hypocrital but things like the Lateran palace are places of work and there have been a ton of Popes who still lived simply there like Pius XII and Pius X and Pius V. With all the stuff happening in Church, all it’s history etc… it’s impossible to work in a small seminary as a ton of militant atheists I’ve talked with pretended that the Pope do.

The Pope is the representative of Christ on earth. I don’t think he or any Bishop should live a life of luxury but even living poor like Pius X, Anthony Mary Claret, John Nuemann etc… these guys still showed their authority, didn’t hold back criticizing the enemies of the Church and still attessed that even though as persons they are still human, their authority comes from God and should be obeyed in those matters. All the rubbish articles by the secular media saying that the Church needs to change to their lustful ideals made me want to throw a brick at whoever wrote themfor being so ignorant. They’re not interpreting the Pope’s choice of humble living as a show of Christian virtue, they’re just laughing in our faces. We shouldn’t mind them of course because it’s not like their own perverse ideas are doing any good. I just wish the new Pope will be very strong and work to decrease and convert cafeteria Catholics.

As someone said above, the Papacy is universal. If a Bishop says that homosexuality and their perverse unions are A-OK, uproot him we don’t need him. If someone approves of women Priests, uproot him, deal and concemn all these heresies. It’s the right thing to do as it purifies Church teaching and it is also what devout Catholics want and need. These people need help; we don’t need pandering to the secular world which couldn’t care less about doing the right thing or examaning our own ideals.

For myself, I do not presume to make assumptions about our Pope’s motives and decisions. Although there are issues I would love our Pope to act on, I will not presume to tell him to tell what to do about other Catholics or to bother about the media etc.

God bless Pope Francis.

 

[severus68]

As a Franciscan I’m fascinated by this pope who has taken the name of our Holy Father Francis. Naturally, I’ve been reading anything that I can find on him: blogs, posts, fora, news articles, and tea leaves.

There are several questions that have been repeated on a number of sites. I thought I’d offer the answers that I have uncovered.

1. Which Francis?

In an interview, Cardinal Dolan said that when asked what he would be called, the newly elected pope said, “Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.” So that’s it. We have it from someone who was in the room when he chose the name.

1. Why St. Francis of Assisi and not St. Francis Xavier or St. Francis de Sales?

A Jesuit superior who was interviewed reported that His Holiness has a devotion to St. Francis of Assisi. He has always admired St. Francis of Assisi’s life among the poorest of the poor, his effort to rebuild the Church of his time, his fraternal love for all men, his belief that unless one embraces the poor one has no place in the Kingdom and his fidelity to the institutional Church.

1. Where was the red?

An old friend of His Holiness, Msgr. Figueredo, reported that the pope has always been very focused on the Bishop of Rome. He wants to drive home the message to the Roman people that he is their bishop. The red vestments traditionally worn by popes over the white cassock are really the marks of the papacy, not the dress of a diocesan bishop. I guess this tells us a little about one point on his papal agenda. Contrary to what someone said on another thread, it’s not that he does not know papal protocol. It’s his desire to put emphasis on the fact that he is the ordinary of the Diocese of Rome.

1. Can the pope change such traditions?

This answer is strictly mine. The answer is, yes. The pope is not bound by any law or tradition that is not contained in divine revelation. Nor is he bound by any precedent established by his predecessors. He calls his own shots. As much as we would like to bind him, we must remember that Christ gave him the power to bind and unbind, not us.

1. Is he against the Extraordinary Form of the mass?

If my Spanish serves me, I would say, NO. I found an article in Spanish that reports the contrary. Apparently, within 48 hours after the publication of Summorum Pontificum, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires identified a priest and a place to celebrate the EF. From what I’ve heard from Argentinians, there are not many priests in that diocese who are interested in celebrating the EF. That’s not the Archbishop’s fault. No bishop can impose the celebration of the EF on his priests. From what I have seen and read, he does not celebrate the EF. This does not mean that he will never do so or that he opposes it. We have to remember that just because someone does not do something; it does not mean that they oppose it either. I don’t eat Cheerios. But anyone who wants to may do so.

1. Is he Francis I?

No. He is Pope Francis. If we look at history, those popes whose names are not repeated do not have ordinal numbers after their names. Ordinal numbers are used when the name is repeated.

Thank you Br JR.

 

[severus68]

I will tell you what I told my brothers last night. Of course, you folks don’t owe me obedience. But I think I had something worth saying. I told the brothers
**
"The pope is not our property. We must not try to own him.

The pope is a person and deserves the same respect as any other person.

The pope has a right to freedom. Any attitude, any wish, any desire that imposes our will, our desires, our wishes on his person is a violation of his right to freedom. We do not violate another person’s right to freedom, anymore than we want our freedom violated.

The pope binds and unbinds. We do not. Whatever he chooses to bind and unbind, is is up to us to adapt, not him.

His Holiness is a Jesuit. He is not a secular pope as have been all of our popes this past 100 years. He’s a regular priest. He has a right to live out his Jesuit vocation, even as pope. Canon Law and theology protect this right. It is we who must get used to the Jesuit way of doing things.

His Holiness has a spirituality, ecclesiology and and worldview that are his own. We have no right to invade that or expect that he accommodate to our own. A servant is not the same as property.

Finally, the Holy Father is not a lab rat that should be put under observation by us. He is a human being with dignity and should be respected as such."**

Well said Br.

 

[Eufrosnia]

Bold is mine. I think that His Holiness has made it perfectly clear that he does not care what the congregation sees or does not see regarding the papacy. He came very close to saying so this morning. In his meeting with the press, he told the press to tell the people not to look at the pope, but to look at Christ. He said that the pope is not the object of their attention, but Christ and the faith are.

Well, if the Church and the Pope are confusing to understand for the congregation, then doesn’t it automatically make one question the whole claim of the Pope himself to follow Christ? How does one even learn about Christ in the first place if not through the Church and the Pope?

If one does not have the certainty to rely on the Pope as the office is defined, does this not undermine even our understanding or possibility of understanding Christ?

I am not sure Pope Francis said the exact thing you say above brother but if he did, then it is like shooting himself in the foot, so to speak.