By Edward Pentin
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ death this morning marks the end of a modernising and seemingly benign pontificate for most of the world, but for those who have followed it with any closeness, a time of turmoil, disruption and deep division.
Elected on a mandate of reform, Francis set out to make the Church less self-referential and more mission oriented, closer to the faithful and the peripheries, and more relevant to the times. In many ways he achieved this: those who would never give the Catholic Church a second glance, perceiving that she would not accept them, felt accepted and welcomed.
He strove to embrace Muslims, people with disabilities, migrants, the poor and the homeless, opening facilities for the latter in Rome and creating a Vatican department for the poor headed by the papal almoner whom he elevated to the rank of cardinal. His mission, he said, was to transform the Catholic Church into a “field hospital,” tending to people where they are, not judging them but offering them the Lord’s mercy and love instead.
Francis sought to give women more leadership roles in the Church and was noticeably and controversially eager to embrace LGBTQ people, forcefully speaking out against laws criminalizing homosexuality, disturbing many Catholics — especially in Africa — by allowing non-liturgical blessings of same-sex couples, and permitting civil unions, even though previous popes had firmly opposed such changes.
“He’s my hero,” said the singer Elton John in 2014, the first of many other celebrities, politicians, and well known figures — most of whom support liberal positions at odds with the Church’s teaching — who would go on to express their admiration for the Argentine pontiff.
Francis had a clear ideological vision. The Church’s teaching, he wrote in his 2013 manifesto apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), must “radiate forcefully and attractively” but not be based — although it ultimately was — on “specific ideological options.”
He aimed to create a more listening Church, an “inverted pyramid” that takes the People of God as its starting point — in sum, a grand vision of decentralization ostensibly geared towards creating a more democratic, localized Church “permanently in a state of mission” and seemingly capable of dealing with the complexities of the faith and human relationships in the world today.
But critics warned that such an approach was more akin to a Protestant model that departed from the Church’s apostolic tradition, threatening to undermine Rome’s authority, and the hierarchy in general. Cardinals expressed alarm, notably after a synod on the family in 2014 was rigged to produce a radical and modernist ideological outcome.
More significantly, in his eagerness to embrace the progressive tenet of inclusivity and his own, broad concept of mercy, Francis often set aside canonical limits to papal power, especially when it came to defending some of his friends accused of clerical sex abuse. This also applied to areas of the liturgy (on Holy Thursday, he washed the feet of Muslims and women which had previously never been allowed).
He ruled autocratically, not unusual for a pope who has all legislative, executive and judicial powers, but Francis issued more papal decrees, not dissimilar to executive orders, than any pope in modern history.
Under his watch, bishops, priests, religious and laity who had been bearing good fruit in terms of reverence, spiritual life, fidelity to Catholic doctrine, and booming vocations were cancelled or ostracized. “The more spiritual and supernaturally orientated they were, the more persecution they seem to suffer,” a Portuguese priest told Newsmax on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals. “Meanwhile, in other quarters, those who committed abuses against doctrine, moral teaching and the liturgy seemed to go unpunished and were allowed to thrive.”
More: https://edwardpentin.co.uk/pope-francis-dies-at-88-marking-the-end-of-a-tumultuous-pontificate/
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
Bk. x Comm. on Luke xxiv
(LifeSiteNews) — Father Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentinian Catholic priest in Gaza, is sounding the alarm on the continued bombardment of civilians by the Israeli Defense Force.
In a message sent to Aid to the Church in Need, Romanelli, who is from Buenos Aires, highlighted the escalating number of deaths that have occurred in the region.
“Recently the number of children killed in this war surpassed 17,000. More than 17,000! It’s terrible, terrible. We have had over 50,000 people killed in this war, and over 110,000 wounded, many of them amputees,” he said.
Romanelli is the parish priest of Holy Family Church in Gaza, which was been repeatedly targeted by Israeli soldiers. Just last month, bombing strikes came within 400 meters of the compound. In 2023, Israeli snipers were accused of murdering two women who were sheltering at the church.
“Seven more people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others inside the church compound,” declared Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. “No warning was given … they were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the parish.”
Romanelli is a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and has been stationed in Gaza since 2019, having previously spent time in Egypt. He pleaded for peace in his video message.
“One more day of war won’t solve the situation: it will only make it worse,” he said.
Prayer for the Election of a Holy Pope
In the Month of Mary and Under Her Immaculate Mantle
O Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—
we adore You, we praise You, and we thank You
for the abiding care You show for Your Church
through the gift of the papacy.
As the Church prepares to elect a new Supreme Pontiff, we entrust this sacred moment to Your divine providence.
Grant us the miracle of the conclave:
stir the hearts of the Cardinal Electors with the fire of a new Pentecost.
Let the Holy Spirit descend upon them with tongues of flame, that they may discern and choose a shepherd after Your own Heart—the one You have already chosen.
O Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of the Apostles, in this month of May, so tenderly dedicated to your honor, we turn to you with filial confidence.
You appeared at Fatima to three humble shepherds, warning of the trials to come upon the Church, but also assuring us of your promised triumph.
You called us to prayer, penance, and sacrifice—
and you promised that in the end, your Immaculate Heart would triumph.
Watch now over the cardinals, as once you watched over the Apostles in the Cenacle.
Intercede, dearest Mother, for the restoration of sound doctrine, that truth may be proclaimed with clarity and courage. Implore the renewal of Christian morals, that purity, integrity, and charity may be reborn in every soul.
Beg your Son for the restoration of the sacred liturgy, that it may once again form saints and sanctify the world.
Gather your children into one fold under one shepherd.
Heal wounds, dispel confusion, and restore unity in Christ.
Through the heart of the Holy Father yet to come, let the dawn of your long-promised triumph begin.
O Virgin Most Powerful,
we await with hope the new Vicar of Christ.
Clothe him with holiness, humility, and apostolic courage.
May he be a father to the poor, a voice for the faithful,
a guardian of the sacred, and a light in the darkness.
Come, Holy Spirit—
come through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
and renew the face of the Church.
Amen.
- Composed by Father Jay Finelli
