If the pope is unwilling to pass judgment on others, why haven’t Jason and the Callers adopted the same stance? They might want to consider this:
Francis’ emphasis on mercy is nearly ubiquitous. In a recent essay for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Enzo Bianchi, founder of the celebrated ecumenical monastery of Bose, offered a statistical analysis of the words used most frequently by Francis since his election. He found that the single most commonly used term was “joy,” more than a hundred times, followed closely by “mercy,” which the pope has used almost a hundred times.
This conviction that we are living in a kairos of mercy makes sense of everything else the pope said on the plane and, for that matter, most of what he’s said and done since his election in March.
It explains his unwillingness to pass judgment on gays, and it also explains his refusal to be drawn into a political diatribe when a Brazilian journalist asked him about recent laws in the country liberalizing abortion and permitting same-sex marriage. Asked why he didn’t address those issues during his trip, the pope said, “It wasn’t necessary to speak of them, but of the positive things that get young people going. Anyway, young people know perfectly well what the position of the church is.”
Pressed for his personal conviction, Francis didn’t duck: “That of the church. … I’m a son of the church.”
There you have it in a nutshell. Francis is no doctrinal radical, and there will likely be no substantive upheaval of the church’s positions on issues of gender and sex or anything else. On the one specific question Francis fielded along these lines, women’s ordination, he reaffirmed “that door is closed.”
The revolution under Francis is not one of content, but of tone. He believes it’s time for the church to lift up its merciful face to the world, in part because of its own self-inflicted wounds and in part because of the harsh and unforgiving temper of the times. This is a pope who will look for every chance to express compassion, steering clear of finger-wagging unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Old Life 
A very poor start by Francis, who’s to follow? If stuck bring back JPII or Benedict XVIII (if still around), at least they were interesting, intelligent and alive to the secular challenge.
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BTW, I’m enjoying Calvinism – a History but the bibliography has cost me big bucks.
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D.G,
I can’t speak for everyone at Called to Communion, but personally I am pretty much enamored by Pope Francis. He’s like a G.K. Chesterton in the way he embodies the paradoxical nature of the Christian faith. Chesterton was a man who refused to compromise or water down a single bit of Christain Orthodoxy, but at the same time he was a man with his head in the clouds, full of wonder and awe with God and his created world. People described him, as they do Pope Francis, as a man of profound joy. Pope Francis is uncompromising on doctrine and yet a man full of joy and wonder. This is the paradox of our faith. To have a faith with just joy and wonder without doctrinal meat just turns into pure cheesiness. On the other hand, to have a faith with doctrinal meat, devoid of joy and wonder, is just rigid legalism that feels like a miserable weight to carry around. I’m not sure what your post suggests or where the “Callers” are judging or where we don’t stand in union with Francis as believers who celebrate the mercy of God with great joy.
Peace in Christ, Jeremy
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Don’t you know that old red-socks is protecting you and me, and everyone?
“I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph…. God called Joseph—to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church…. How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity….Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation! The vocation of being a “protector,” however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone….
The pope “protects” those of us outside the one and only church: “But some in Jerusalem, when they heard this, became nervous and sent Barnabas…he saw that things were going well. And so the Church was a Mother, the Mother of many children. It became more and more of a Mother. A Mother who gives us the faith, a Mother who gives us an identity. Christian identity is belonging to the Church, because all of these belonged to the Church, the Mother Church. Because it is not possible to find Jesus outside the Church…. And the Mother Church that gives us Jesus gives us our identity…. Think of this Mother Church that grows with new children to whom She gives the identity of the faith, because you cannot believe in Jesus without the Church –
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“Pope Francis is uncompromising on doctrine and yet a man full of joy and wonder.”
Isn’t this a bit like crowning the World Series champ in April? This is your wish, but let’s see what the man does in the next decade, OK?
I do find it entertaining to follow this pope. Also, something interesting has happened in that I used to view Chrisitianity as consisting of Catholic then Protestant with all its subdivisions. Now I see it as all kind of subdivisions with RC being one of them. I don’t know if the CTC business has done that, but it would be an irony if that’s the case.
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Hi Jeremy, the paradox of our faith is to be joyful in light of knowledge of the truth? Is that what you mean? I don’t know what it’s like to be enamored by the Pope, but OK, good to see you hand around these parts to share that with us who aren’t quite enamored with this man. I reserve paradox of the faith for the incarnation, which I doubt you disagree, but to be enamored by the leader of yourr church, well, it’s interesting to hear your thougts at old life. No need to respond to me unless your feel led. I have to go to work.
Regards,
AB
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Mikel,
My thoughts of RCism are tracking yours, just FYI, RC being one of the many fallible Christian communions we find here on planet earth. For me, talking to the Callers taught me they are people just like us at old life. I feel quite sad they didn’t find in reformed theology what I found, but my heart wants to be warmed when I see one of them comboxing with us here. Likely CTC has led you and I to similar conclusions, we don’t need to follow their conclusions in their writings. Rather, we read them and judge for ourselves. See 1 cor 2 14-16.
Gotta run, see you around,
AB
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Jeremy, in case you missed the point, the Callers are harder on Protestants than the pope (JPII, Benedict, and Francis all rolled up into one). They are not about prosecuting Protestants, or proving Rome’s superiority.
As for paradox, try this one: Protestants are united and diverse. It was your rationalism that prevented you from accepting that one.
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How is it not cowardly for Francis to shrink back from pointed questions about the specifics of Catholic doctrine? All he is doing is acting like a politician. Man up, Francis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs
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“Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.”
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D.G.,
One of the reasons I participate in Called to Communion, comment here, and pray for unity, is because I’m convinced the Catholic Church is what my Reformed brothers are looking for, they just don’t know it.
Listen to how Archbishop Fulton Sheen once put it:
I think I like Chesterton’s words even better:
I don’t think we’re trying to judge Protestants or condemn them. The Catholic Church is simply amazing. It’s home. I think that’s what drives the guys at Called to Communion. I’m pretty sure Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI also joyfully welcome conversions to the Church.
Peace in Christ, Jeremy
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Erik,
When asked about women’s ordination Francis responded:
This sounds like a politician? Chris Christie perhaps.
Peace in Christ, Jeremy
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Jeremy, the fundamentalists that raised me sent me with tracks and a jingle to tell strangers in public places that me, a pimples faced teenager had the answer they were looking for but didn’t know it. I’ve found Jesus, dude. I mean, it was a trip engaging Bryan Cross and company, and being on the other end of proselytyzing. The Mormons did that to me too when I visted Salt Lake City years back. Again, eheart warming, but altogether pointless. What could the Pope or Joseph Smith possibly have that they know that I don’t?
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Jeremy, Rome is amazing, I’ll grant you. But even more amazing may be your naivete about the Vatican.
Anyway, what’s the point of converting when I’m going to wind up in purgatory whether I remain OP or convert?
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Erik, Francis is moving center. This is also the benefit of saying so much, you can pretty much say anything and sanctify it later or interpret it in continuity and cohesion but without rupture. It’s a sweet gig.
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“Anyway, what’s the point of converting when I’m going to wind up in purgatory whether I remain OP or convert?”
A better book deal?
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sbd, it wouldn’t take much to make my book deals better. Going to Rome is going too far.
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Jeremy,
If only he had been as courageous on the other questions he was asked.
Your love for Rome is like Jack Black’s love in the movie I had on this morning, “Shallow Hal”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMLZnY2nLcw
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Jeremy, I encourage you to keep reading and posting, as you feel led, here at OldLife dot org. I can understand former Presbyterians running a website to promote conversions to Roman Catholicism may have nagging doubts about their personal previous conversion decision assuaged when another convert enters their fold. Whenever you need us, we’re here for ya. Take care.
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Will Francis be zealous about anything — except PR, niceness, and being “not like all those popes and catholics you didn’t like”? Will he do anything about the gross idolatry and syncretism that still goes on, especially in the third world?
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Jeremy, nothing about what CtC does, for all it’s ‘good’ intentions, reminds me of RC culture, except for some of the schoolmarminess, and those are bad memories. CtC sounds and acts like protestant fundamentalism; from aggressive proselytizing, to claims of superiority, to hitching onto conservative social issues, all as part of christian transformation of the culture. I’m not sure what’s so ‘amazing’ about any of that. The better parts of RC culture were always parochial, even sectarian. The social gospel doctrine is old hat by now and a particular emphasis of Vat II. Which always makes me wonder how CtC deems to rule out entire schools of Vat II interpretation?
Benedict, the conservative, is/was himself an adherent of German liberalism and Francis is grounded in Liberation theology, that Francis is not a violent anarchist is no argument against his liberation theology, just as the fact that Benedict didn’t go as far as Kung is of little dissuasion to his theological commitments, particularly when his point of conflict with Kung comes over papal authority(infallibility), a rather ‘inconvenient’ truth.
Amazing? Meh. I find the Grace of God in Christ amazing, particularly when I know what I know about me.
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Not to be rude, Jeremy, but for a Roman newb you do prattle on in the most patronizing manner.
True, Bryan, Jase and the rest are about on par, but whatever.
Yeah, Chesterton was a witty fellow, but above and beyond that, the objection to which you are seemingly oblivious and which you must address for any kind of credibility with prots (good luck with that) is that the natural religious man loves to hear that he gets to play a part in his salvation; that his works, however infused, ultimately puts the finishing touch on his salvation.
Hence the gospel is not faith alone in Christ alone to God alone be the glory, but faith working through love.
Thus Chesterton’s tug and menacing love affair with Rome that all men have whether they have never heard the gospel of the Reformation or give it up.
It’s not pelagian, but it is semi-pelagian. Regardless it’s still damnable vomit, whatever those still in their trespasses and sins think it to be, be it G.K. or the natural man.
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Chesterton, in part four of his essay, Education: Or the Mistake About the Child, writes, “The difference between Puritanism and Catholicism is not about whether some priestly word or gesture is significant and sacred. It is about whether any word or gesture is significant or sacred. To the Catholic every other daily act is dramatic dedication to the service of good or evil. To the Calvinist no act can have that sort of solemnity, because the person doing it has been dedicated from eternity, and is merely filling up his time until the crack of doom.”
mark: Now that sounds like a guy “whole life world-view” Calvinists should be able to appreciate. Surely we can disagree about ceremonial gestures, and still all believe in grace. You know, the law is the gospel, is it not?
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/how-a-roman-catholic-anti-calvinist-can-serve-todays-poet-calvinists
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McMark, Luke 17:10:
So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;[a] we have only done what was our duty.’”
Or how about the admonition to live quiet and peacable lives working with our hands, or the simpleness and lack of ornation to word and sacrament cultic behavior.
All of that is pretty amazing in it’s own plainness.
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amen, sean, except to the apostrophe in “its plainness”…
I need to get out of English teacher mode.
Also out of cynical/ sarcasm mode.
Machen: The alternative in Galatians is not between an external or ceremonial religion….it is between a religion of merit and a religion of grace… Against the compromising solution, the Apostle insists upon a sharp alternative: a man may be saved by works (if he keeps the law perfectly)….
Christ, according to Paul, will do everything or nothing; if righteousness is in slightest measure obtained by our obedience to the law, then Christ died in vain….p 192, What Is Faith
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Bergoglio (his preferred means of address) is simply a stranger in a strange land. If someone at the Vatican is not already planning his demise, the intention there is certainly just to wait him out (he’s an old guy after all) until “business as usual” can come back into focus. After all, they have waited out many an anti-pope and even “the Great Schism” (1378 – 1417 — that one specifically, not any of the others. That one had the potential to hurt. The 1054 split only helped the cause).
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See how you do on this quiz about Francis and Benedict. I got an F.
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