Pope Francis - The Imitation of Christ?

A recent discussion on Facebook really spoke to some of the thoughts I have about the Holy Father. So much so I thought it was worth sharing some of the ideas, considerations and conclusions from that discussion here.

When you think objectively about Pope Francis, you encounter a bit of a paradox - I know I do. The attitudes and behaviour which cause most comment often stem from what can easily be seem as a his conviction that these replicate those of the Saviour. The striking witness of his washing of the feet is an example of this, his kissing the feet of South Sudanese politicians, arguably even more so. Striking displays of humility....Right?

There is more. Much more. His evident dislike of ‘theologians’, is perhaps intended to mirror Our Lord’s dislike of the ‘doctors of the law’; his dislike of ‘clericalism’ (especially in dress) echoes the Saviour’s contemptuous remarks about (the Scribes and Pharisees (see esp Matt: 23:5). His ‘preferential option for the poor’, witnessed in much of what he says and does, again mirrors the preferences to which the gospel bears witness, as does his readiness to ‘sit down’ with those whom many of co-religionists regard as ‘publicans and sinners’. 

And if such ‘co-religionists’ are ‘scandalised’, so much, he may think, the better, for it is not that difficult to see in them the ‘good people’ who were ‘scandalised’ by what the Saviour said and did in the Saviour’s own day. Nor was Jesus always gentle with such critics - his language and in his actions bear witness to a frustration at the least, and more evidently, a genuine fury at the complacency, hypocrisy and greed under the various guises with which they confronted him.

 
But if this is indeed the case, why do so many remain so unconvinced??

If you are a faithful Catholic this question must at least give you serious pause for thought, as it has me on many occasions. Are those of us who find so many faults with the Holy Father not behaving just as the religious majority of Jesus' day did?

Personally, I think it is very healthy, very important and very Catholic to consider this question deeply and often, especially because we are talking about the Supreme Pontiff here with such an incredibly important office and legacy.

So what truth is there to the Pope's imitation of Christ?

Firstly, I think it is highly likely that Pope Francis himself does indeed consider he is acting in a Christ-like way. Take his recent ninety minute interview with Reuters (why Reuters? Why not a Catholic news outlet?). When asked about Holy Communion for politicians backing and promoting abortion, like Nancy Pelosi consistently does, the Pope said: 

“When the Church loses its pastoral nature, when a bishop loses his pastoral nature, it causes a political problem. That’s all I can say.”

I can imagine that the Holy Father thinks this is an imitation of Christ dining with sinners. But it seems really obvious to me that the purpose of Christ's outreach was to draw them to Him: "Go and sin no more!"...These are the very word Pope Francis seems to find it impossible to speak. 

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid." ~Prov 12:1

This behaviour is replicated by Pope Francis time and time again; with the predator priest Grassi, his horrific deal with China, widely considered a disaster in the Vatican, the rehabilitation of McCarrick, the list goes on and on!

The Second Vatican Council, much lauded by Pope Francis, calls for a mission of sanctification of society, where Catholics go out into society bringing the principles of the Gospel to bear on society (see, for example, Lumen Gentium n. 40). If a leading political voice, claiming to be a faithful Catholic while advocating a violently anti-Catholic position is not to be remonstrated with & corrected, who is to be corrected? When Pope Francis speaks of the Council not being applied, perhaps he should start by looking at his own lack of application?

Given the evidence, what else can be concluded other than that the Pope's apparent mimicry of Christ is purely cosmetic then? Thoughtless action applied without spiritual discernment which copies the form but mistakes the substance. It is a shop window performance with an empty shop.

True, some less discerning individuals are duped; they see this Public Relations carapace and mistake it for reality. 

The reality is, however, that he doesn't dislike theologians, he dislikes those who come to different conclusions from him. He's partial enough to Walter Kasper, for example.

He isn't bothered by clericalism, indeed he is so partial to it that he has created an entirely new clerisy based on personal connection. What he dislikes is clergy and particularly those clergy who believe in an ontological not pragmatic notion of Holy Orders. He reserves particular odium for those whose dress choices he deprecates. You have to admit that this is really strange and unbecoming of his office. Indeed, you can conclude that the Pope fails to convince here because his attitudes betoken a small-minded shallowness that is unbecoming in a Christian, let alone a Pope!

When we consider his showcase care for the poor, it does not bear close scrutiny; rather, close analysis reveals that he has elevated a number of economical and political positions to the level of dogma, such that he is able to excoriate those who may well share the desired ends but disagree with his chosen means. 

Given the political leaders he has shown himself most amicably disposed to, such disagreement with him by those who have the appropriate indoles saecularis (Vatican II again) would appear to be not only perfectly defensible but arguably of a higher moral character. His favoured political leaders have reduced their people to penury and servitude, to dependency on state apparatus. His favoured economic dogmas manifestly don't work, largely because they are detached from how economic activity works.

He is, only too ready to eat and drink with publicans and sinners - just so long as they come with precisely the right amount of celebrity and support fashionable sins. Unlike Our Lord, however, he seems incapable of calling them to repentance or even giving any indication that he thinks that is necessary.

So I do think Pope Francis is sure he is imitating Christ, but in reality, it is the worst kind of lip-service, because it pays perfunctory hommage to the Christianity it is very loosely based on while undermining the logic and doing damage the credibility of his office and the authority of the Catholic Church.