R.I.P. Pope Francis
Apr. 21st, 2025 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fabrisseThe man made mistakes. No one will deny that. But, he later admitted to discounting one group of Church abuse survivors because they were accusing a friend of his. After he saw the evidence, he made a formal public apology to them and had a private audience with them while he was visiting their home country. He was as open as a Pontiff can be about accepting LGBTQIA people as human beings which was a step in the right direction and something a later pope can build on.
He emphasized that life was sacred and told governments not to condemn women who made the choice to abort, but rather to provide better care to them and their children so that the choice might not need to be made. And, like John Paul II, he said, if life is sacred, then the death penalty has got to go. As someone who has been viscerally anti-death penalty at least since I saw the movie Oliver at age 6 or 7, this made me happy even as it outraged many conservative Catholics, especially here in the U.S.
I am not Catholic. I did spend 4 years in Catholic school and took the religion classes. This is deep for world Catholics and we had best hope that we again get a pastoral pope and not an academic/policy pope like Benedict.
In my post from March of 2013, I referred to Pope Francis as a transitional Pope: an Italian, but one from the new world, older so he probably couldn't have too much effect on policy. Instead, he proved to be a robust man who reigned for 13 years. In my opinion, he was a good man for his times, and I hope he's prepared the way for the next pope to be more responsive to the worldwide congregation he'll serve.
If you're interested in the traditions and practicalities for the next few weeks, allow me to recommend the books (and films) of Conclave by Robert Harris which covers the current method for papal election. John Paul renounced the regalia of the papacy. John Paul II expanded the college of cardinals and made changes to the voting pool. If you're over 80, you are still a Prince of the Church, but you have no voice in the conclave. For the older method -- a tradition that goes back at least 500 years and probably longer -- I recommend The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West. John Paul II was the last pope to be elected that way. It's also a good read for those who don't remember the Cold War as the tensions of that time come through well.
ETA: Is anyone else worried about J.D. Vance insisting on meeting with Pope Francis yesterday? I mean, the smell of brimstone might have killed him.
He emphasized that life was sacred and told governments not to condemn women who made the choice to abort, but rather to provide better care to them and their children so that the choice might not need to be made. And, like John Paul II, he said, if life is sacred, then the death penalty has got to go. As someone who has been viscerally anti-death penalty at least since I saw the movie Oliver at age 6 or 7, this made me happy even as it outraged many conservative Catholics, especially here in the U.S.
I am not Catholic. I did spend 4 years in Catholic school and took the religion classes. This is deep for world Catholics and we had best hope that we again get a pastoral pope and not an academic/policy pope like Benedict.
In my post from March of 2013, I referred to Pope Francis as a transitional Pope: an Italian, but one from the new world, older so he probably couldn't have too much effect on policy. Instead, he proved to be a robust man who reigned for 13 years. In my opinion, he was a good man for his times, and I hope he's prepared the way for the next pope to be more responsive to the worldwide congregation he'll serve.
If you're interested in the traditions and practicalities for the next few weeks, allow me to recommend the books (and films) of Conclave by Robert Harris which covers the current method for papal election. John Paul renounced the regalia of the papacy. John Paul II expanded the college of cardinals and made changes to the voting pool. If you're over 80, you are still a Prince of the Church, but you have no voice in the conclave. For the older method -- a tradition that goes back at least 500 years and probably longer -- I recommend The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West. John Paul II was the last pope to be elected that way. It's also a good read for those who don't remember the Cold War as the tensions of that time come through well.
ETA: Is anyone else worried about J.D. Vance insisting on meeting with Pope Francis yesterday? I mean, the smell of brimstone might have killed him.
