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| Luis Antonio Tagle |
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| Pietro Parolin |
There have been whispering campaigns against the front-runners—Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a 70-year-old Italian and career diplomat, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, of the Philippines. The aim is to make them living proof of a conclave adage: He who enters a pope, leaves a cardinal.By the end of the movie a Pope is elected, but only after some twists, turns, and an inspired speech. I doubt that we will experience such drama at the real conclave, but as we have seen so far, life is full of surprises.
Parolin, for good measure, has shown he won’t be pushed around. Since the deliberations began, he has revealed the existence of not one but two letters from beyond the grave by Pope Francis, excluding one of the cardinals from the sacred vote.
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| Pope Francis in Krakow, 2016 (CNS/Paul Haring) |
To make lasting change in an institution, you need institutional skills. Francis’ disposition was pastoral, not administrative.Pope Francis eschewed the trappings of office and walked the walk. R.I.P.
In the Catholic Church, political power is concentrated in the Roman curia—the practically invisible coterie of busybodies, many of them high-ranking clergy, who administer the vast Vatican bureaucracy. The curia is staffed largely by Italians. Francis was an outsider from faraway Argentina, which put him at a disadvantage in his own house. He had no interest in the material trappings of power, forswearing the famous bling of the papacy. He preferred to live not in the luxurious papal apartments but in a simple room in the hotel on the Vatican grounds.
Francis was a shepherd. He had the smell of his sheep about him. The manipulators and inside players of the Roman curia ate him for lunch. He didn’t reform them; they reformed him.
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| Pope Francis (left) with his predecessor Benedict XVI in 2016 (Osservatore Romano/Reuters/WSJ) |
Pope Francis, who sought to refocus the Catholic Church on promoting social and economic justice rather than traditional moral teachings but presided over growing divisions in the church and struggled with the lingering scandal of clerical sex abuse, has died. He was 88.The most influential popes of the 20th century, for example John XXIII and John Paul II, modernized the church while leaving doctrinal matters largely unchanged. Pope Francis was an exception; he seemed more tolerant of same-sex marriage and communion for divorced catholics. He was not politically neutral; he spoke against capitalism and border enforcement.
The pope’s death, announced by the Vatican, came after he spent weeks in the hospital earlier this year to treat a serious bout of pneumonia. His health remained fragile after he returned to his residence in the Vatican.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a pope of firsts. He was the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Jesuit order, and the first to take the name Francis. He was the first in almost six centuries to become pope after his predecessor resigned. Francis also gave the papacy a less formal and more approachable image by spurning regal attire, riding in compact cars and making headlines with blunt comments at news conferences.
He was openly political, urging grassroots activists around the world to bridge the gap between rich and poor while calling on wealthier countries to better protect the environment. As Western politicians moved to close their borders to refugees, Francis advocated for them and other migrants. In February, he criticized President Trump’s plan for mass deportations.
Francis’ decisions over whom to appoint as cardinals—the men who will elect his successor—were notably strategic. He passed over prominent conservative bishops installed by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI in dioceses such as Los Angeles and Venice, and appointed others from places such as Tonga and Laos, far from the church’s major population centers. By the time of his death, the pope had named about two-thirds of the cardinal electors. A two-thirds majority of electors is required to select the next pope.My own personal sense is that the zeitgeist will lead the church to elect a more traditional, non-political Pope. We'll see.
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| Guillaume Bodinier, The Good Samaritan, 1826 (Wikimedia Commons) |
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.I've listened with half an ear to this passage (and Matthew's version in Matthew 5:46) dozens of times. It's about Jesus telling us to love our enemies, which sounds great in the abstract but which anyone with life experience knows is difficult in reality. But this is Jesus, who is always asking us to do hard things.
The debate between Pope Francis and J.D. Vance over the concept of "ordo amoris" (Latin for "order of love") unfolded in early 2025, centered around differing interpretations of this Catholic theological principle in the context of immigration policy. Here’s a timeline based on available information:Quite apart from who is right or wrong, I appreciate how this debate is on a higher plane than the usual sound bite exchange that we see on Twitter or the evening news. I do, however, note that there have been calls for the Vice President to "stay in his lane" and not debate theological matters with the Pope. In response, one of the tenets of the Protestant Reformation was that the individual stands before God, and, contrary to Catholic teaching, no intercession is needed by priest or Pope. Your humble blogger finds much to admire in the Catholic church, but he is not a member.The timeline shows a rapid escalation from Vance’s initial remarks in late January to a papal response by mid-February, with the debate evolving from a policy defense into a theological and moral controversy. As of February 25, 2025, no further direct exchanges between Vance and Francis have been reported, but the discussion remains active in Catholic and political spheres.Late January 2025 (circa January 30): The debate began when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic convert, invoked "ordo amoris" during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity. Vance argued that compassion should prioritize one’s family, neighbors, community, and fellow citizens before extending to the rest of the world. He framed this as a traditional Christian concept to defend the Trump administration’s immigration policies, particularly its focus on mass deportations. Following criticism on X from Rory Stewart, a former British parliamentarian who called Vance’s take “less Christian and more pagan tribal,” Vance doubled down on January 30, posting on X: “Just google ‘ordo amoris.’ … Does Rory really think his moral duties to his own children are the same as his duties to a stranger who lives thousands of miles away?” This sparked widespread discussion among theologians, Catholic figures, and social media users about the meaning and application of "ordo amoris." Early February 2025 (circa February 3–4): Vance’s comments gained traction, igniting a theological debate. Some, like Jesuit Father James Martin, criticized Vance for missing the universal call to love in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, while others, such as Michael Sirilla of Franciscan University, praised Vance for summarizing the "order of charity" accurately. The controversy grew as Vance’s remarks were linked to his broader critique of U.S. bishops and their involvement in refugee resettlement, amplifying attention on Catholic social teaching. February 10, 2025: Pope Francis entered the fray with a letter addressed to U.S. bishops, released on this date. While primarily expressing concern over President Trump’s “program of mass deportations,” the Pope appeared to indirectly rebuke Vance’s interpretation of "ordo amoris." Without naming Vance, Francis wrote: “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups. … The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ (cf. Lk 10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.” This was widely interpreted as a correction to Vance’s hierarchical view, emphasizing a broader, inclusive love rooted in human dignity rather than a prioritized order based on proximity or nationality. February 11, 2025: The Pope’s letter was published and reported widely, with outlets like Religion News Service and USA Today framing it as a direct response to Vance. The pontiff’s intervention escalated the debate, drawing attention to the theological and political rift. Vance had not publicly responded to the letter by this date, but the discourse intensified online and in Catholic circles, with commentators like Father Raymond de Souza suggesting the disagreement was more about rhetoric than theology. February 13–20, 2025: The debate continued to ripple through media and theological discussions. On February 13, Catholic News Agency and National Catholic Register covered the ongoing clash, noting support and criticism for Vance among Catholic thinkers. By February 19, outlets like the Catholic Herald reflected on the broader implications of "ordo amoris," while on February 20, La Croix International published Jesuit theologian Jean-Marie Carrière’s challenge to Vance’s exclusionary rhetoric, advocating an "ordo justitiae" (order of justice) instead. Posts on X during this period, such as from @BurtRigg on February 19, misstated Francis’s position but reflected the public’s engagement with the issue.
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| 2017: only one man looks joyful. (Vucci/AP/WSJ) |
For years [Pope Francis and President Trump] have sparred over immigration, which both have chosen as their signature issue. On Monday Francis wrote a letter to the American Catholic bishops denouncing Mr. Trump’s “mass deportations.” It is extremely rare for a pope to condemn a particular policy of a particular government. Principles are usually made explicit with the application left implicit.The writer, Ontario priest Raymond J. de Souza, goes on to talk about the emerging debate over Catholic public theology between converted Catholic J.D. Vance and the Pope. The immigration dispute is worthy of an extended discussion, harkening back to Catholic politicians' past differences with the Church on abortion and capital punishment.
The administration left the response to the papal letter to border czar Tom Homan. “I’ve got harsh words for the pope,” Mr. Homan said. “I say this as a lifelong Catholic. He ought to focus on his work and leave enforcement to us. He’s got a wall around the Vatican, does he not?”
Hardly. There are no controls at the Vatican City State border. No one scales the ninth-century Leonine Walls when the arms of Bernini’s colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square are open to all. Tens of thousands of people walk in and out without presenting any documents each day. Mr. Homan knows that, but there was a rhetorical attack to be made.
Given that mass deportations aren’t yet a reality—and, in any case, may not exceed the number of deportations during previous administrations—there are good reasons that the pope and president ought not take each other’s bait.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury,pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
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| (Image from Today show) |
For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.Thousands called for his firing by the Chiefs from other statements:
Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.Some commentators cited the NFL's apparent hypocrisy in not firing Harrison Butker while it blackballed Colin Kaepernick for kneeling when the National Anthem was being played. For the record, I supported the former 49ers quarterback then, but there is a clear difference between the two: CK expressed his views in full uniform while millions had to watch, but HB was speaking as a private citizen on his own time to a Catholic audience. Most Americans agree that employers have the right to fire employees for workplace behavior that could damage customer relationships.
Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro-abortion rally. He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I'm sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice.
I've been very vocal in my love and devotion to the TLM and its necessity for our lives. But what I think gets misunderstood is that people who attend the TLM do so out of pride or preference. I can speak to my own experience, but for most people I have come across within these communities this simply is not true. I do not attend the TLM because I think I am better than others, or for the smells and bells, or even for the love of Latin. I attend the TLM because I believe, just as the God of the Old Testament was pretty particular in how he wanted to be worshipped, the same holds true for us today. It is through the TLM that I encountered order, and began to pursue it in my own life. Aside from the TLM itself, too many of our sacred traditions have been relegated to things of the past, when in my parish, things such as ember days, days when we fast and pray for vocations and for our priests, are still adhered to. The TLM is so essential that I would challenge each of you to pick a place to move where it is readily available.Three years ago Pope Francis gave local bishops the authority to ban the Latin mass. Even this non-Catholic sees the benefit of a tradition that has great meaning to some, so why not keep it optional? Is Pope Francis on "the other side" in the culture wars?
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| The 2013 Time Person of the Year |
On an Easter Sunday appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, lamented that President Biden is a “cafeteria Catholic” who “picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts.”Frankly, I don't see why Catholics, or any Christians for that matter, don't leave their church and find one that's more agreeable to their sense of right and wrong. There are plenty of denominations to choose from. But if one chooses to stay, pipe down and let your fellow church members worship in peace.
This week the Vatican published a “declaration” from its doctrinal office titled “Dignitas Infinita,” or “infinite dignity,” in which Pope Francis strongly affirmed the “inherent” dignity of every human being and identified a list of assaults against it: abortion, surrogate childbearing, euthanasia, capital punishment, poverty, war, the travails of migrants, human trafficking, sexual abuse, marginalization of the disabled and digital violence.
Unusually for Pope Francis, the text quotes extensively from his predecessors—the title is a phrase used by St. John Paul II—demonstrating that concerns for human dignity inform all of Catholic teaching and can’t be neatly aligned with a conservative or liberal political agenda. Mr. Biden likes Pope Francis on immigration but not abortion. He thinks the pontiff is bringing him a menu. Pope Francis, for his part, thinks the president mistakes table d’hôte for à la carte.
Much of the media paid attention to the document’s language on gender theory, which Pope Francis has previously called “the ugliest danger” today. The text was unambiguous: “Therefore, all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected.” That’s broad and would seem to cover not only medical interventions but the use of language, including forms of address and prayers.
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| Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 23. He's the guy with the big chair (WSJ photo) |
conversations veered off to consider whether Catholicism would do better as a facsimile of liberal Anglicanism: ordaining women, revising sexual morality, enhancing lay governance—and, of course, trying to arrest climate change.Ouch. We Episcopalians felt that one.
The articulation of dogma—traditionally the work of Rome—doesn’t bind the soul as much as it frees it, in the same way that a martyr is free, already living beyond the world’s power. Such confidence and clarity have dissipated in Rome in recent years. Question marks litter the landscape; certainty appears to be the problem, not the solution. Without dogma, we’re left only with our own conclusions, which aren’t truths worth dying for and thus aren’t truths worth living for.I personally like having the Catholic Church argue articulately for traditional Christian theology and practices. Such voices have been stilled in the Episcopal Church, and they shouldn't be excised from American Christianity entirely.
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| (Politico photo) |
Pope Francis is a complicated man who doesn’t fit neatly into American left-right political paradigms. He made a fair number of decisions early in his papacy that exasperated conservative American Catholics, so he got tagged in the public mind as a liberal. Many progressive American priests cheered his reforms, but some went a step further. They began to portray their own revisionist agendas as the pope’s. Some even came to believe it.The "left-right political paradigm" is far too simplistic: for example, there are many Republicans who support gay marriage and many Democrats who support law enforcement.
Pope Francis hasn’t done all the things those progressives hoped he would. He was widely expected to allow married men to become priests in the Amazon region. Instead he called celibacy a “gift.” He was “supposed to” move forward on the ordination of women as deacons. Instead he has shut down the idea at least twice. While some progressives expected him to change Catholic teaching on sexual morality, he instead forbade priests to offer liturgical blessings to same-sex couples.
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| St. Francis in the Desert, Bellini, ca. 1470 |
A rocky escarpment dominates the right half of the picture, evoking—despite the painting’s current title—La Verna, the mountainous retreat in Central Tuscany where Francis received the stigmata (Christ’s wounds from the Crucifixion). A woven wattle gate closes the entrance to the saint’s dark grotto cell. A grape arbor shelters a well-constructed lectern desk and plank bench. Reading and meditation are aided by the clasped, leather-bound book; vigilant skull; thin reed cross; and a bell waiting to be jangled by its knotted string. The cast-off wooden clogs suggest we are on holy ground, prompting us to note Francis’s bare feet, and perhaps to search for evidence of the stigmata.Professor Wallace goes on to comment about every object in the painting to foster an appreciation of the work. The artist's method is consistent with Renaissance portraiture, which not only depicted the individual but also his or her interests, life history, and/or status.
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| Cardinal Sarah (NPR/Getty) |
In accepting Cardinal [Robert] Sarah’s resignation, the pope has removed a subordinate out of step with his approach to liturgy, homosexuality and relations with the Muslim world. The cardinal is a hero to many conservative Catholics, some of whom see him as a future pontiff. He will still be able to vote in a conclave to elect a pope until he turns 80...A Black man has been forced to resign for his outspokenness--on Black History Month, no less--but it's not racist if the Boss has the right ideology.
Pope Francis had signaled a new openness to gay people, played down teachings on sexual and medical ethics and made high-profile overtures to Muslim leaders. But Cardinal Sarah told a Vatican meeting of bishops on family issues in 2015 that the modern family faced “two unexpected threats, almost like two apocalyptic beasts, located on opposite poles: on the one hand, the idolatry of Western freedom; on the other, Islamic fundamentalism.”
“What Nazi-fascism and communism were in the 20th century, Western homosexual and abortion ideologies and Islamic fanaticism are today,” he said.
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| 2015: Father Jay and friend |
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
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| Festivities begin at the morning service. |
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love. --Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi[Update - 10/3/2016: the service held at the mother ship (ark?), also known as Grace Cathedral, blesses a large variety of animals:
Former Dean Alan Jones led Grace Cathedral’s Blessing of the Animals for 24 years. He blessed snakes, birds, cats and even San Francisco Police Department horses, which got spooked by the organs.]
