Will Pope Francis’ reforms, aimed primarily at bishops, really work?
It will take a good while for the new system called for by the motu proprio, Vos estis lux mundi, to get up to speed and there are serious questions about the lack of a mandate for lay involvement.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, together with Alessandro Gisotti of the Vatican press office, present Pope Francis' new document on abuse norms, "Vos estis lux mundi" ("You are the light of the world") at the Vatican May 9, 2019. (CNS Photo/Robert Duncan)
The motu proprio, Vos estis lux mundi, which Pope Francis presented to the public on Thursday, goes into effect on June 1st. On paper, the new law is a sweeping reform of reporting requirements and accountability procedures, aimed primarily at bishops.
Lots of ink has been spilledexplaining what is in the new law. The basics are that it establishes a version of the “metropolitan system”, so called because it makes metropolitan archbishops responsible for investigating suffragan bishops in their ecclesiastical provinces. It also requires clerics and religious to report abuse, coverup, or the suspicion of either, to competent ecclesiastical authority. The law also requires clerics and religious — men and women — to abide by secular reporting requirements in jurisdictions that have them.
The abuse to be reported is, moreover, not only that suspected to have been committed against minors, but also that against “vulnerable persons” including, but not limited to seminarians and novices. The new law provides some protection to whistleblowers, establishing that “prejudice, retaliation or discrimination as a consequence of having submitted a report is prohibited,” and could itself even be considered coverup.
There is one question: will it work? The faithful impatient of real accountability will not wait long, and someone has to try it out. In 2016, Pope Francis issued a motu proprio, “As a loving mother”, that provided for the removal of bishops who failed to govern effectively, without resorting to protracted and cumbersome legal proceedings. If Pope Francis or the dicasteries of the Roman Curia — all empowered on paper to use the law, “As a loving mother” — have seen fit to use it, the Holy See has not told us about it.
Pope Francis did speak to the question of disciplining bishops, in answer to a journalist’s query during the in-flight presser en route to Rome from Dublin in late August 2018.
“Marie Collins,” asked Paddy Agnew for the Sunday Independent, “said that you are not favorable to a new tribunal for Vatican inquiries on the issue of abuses, new inquiries on the problem of sexual abuse, and in particular on a so-called tribunal of inquiry on bishops, bishop accountability: Why do you think this is not necessary?” Pope Francis responded:
No, no, it is not like this. Marie Collins is a bit fixated on the idea that came up. I esteem Marie Collins so much. At times, we call her to give Vatican conferences. She is fixated on the idea, the idea of [“As a loving mother”], in which it is said that to judge bishops, that it would be good to have a special tribunal. Then, we saw this wasn’t practical and it also wasn’t convenient for the different cultures of the bishops that had to be judged.
You take the recommendations of “As a loving mother” and you make [a special commission of bishops, It. giuria] for each bishop, but it’s not the same. This bishop is judged and the Pope makes a [commission] that is more capable of taking that case. It is a thing that works better and also because not all bishops are able to leave their dioceses. It’s not possible.
In this way, the tribunals, the [commissions] change. And that’s what we’ve done up until now. Rather many bishops have been judged.
If “rather many” have been judged — whether under “As a loving mother” or by other means — we have heard of rather few. Ted McCarrick and Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Guam come to mind, but no others. Without meaningful transparency in these and other regards, it is difficult to imagine any paper guarantee capable of restoring confidence in the Church’s ability to administer justice. One wonders, as well, why Church leaders should be more eager to use a new law providing a framework for criminal investigation, when they were apparently so reticent to use the law that made it possible to deal with wayward bishops without having to try them.
The timeframes the new law establishes for are also worthy of note: 30 days to authorize an investigation into a bishop and assign a competent Roman dicastery to oversee and instruct it; 90 days to complete the investigation, unless otherwise requested or specified; investigators’ reports to the competent dicastery every 30 days. It takes Rome several months to answer correspondence. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which shall presumably handle the lion’s share of complaints, already has a several years’ backlog. Presumably, CDF and other dicasteries will have to hire and train staff to handle investigations. It will take a good while for the new system to get up to speed, especially considering the coming curial overhaul.
There are several situations that could provide tests.
A major one is in Buffalo, New York, where the local Ordinary, Bishop Richard J. Malone, has been facing calls for his resignation ever since it emerged that he mishandled several abuse cases and botched the release of the names of accused priests in Buffalo. On Bishop Malone’s watch, there have been serious issues regarding the formation of seminarians, as well. His former secretary, Siobhan O’Connor, resigned her position and blew the whistle on Bishop Malone last summer.
O’Connor is out of her job, which she left when she could not stomach the conduct of her principal, Bishop Malone. O’Connor made her choice, and told the press about the doings in the Buffalo chancery. Bishop Malone and his auxiliary, Bishop Edward Grosz, are still in their jobs, and there is no indication that any ecclesiastical authority has taken any action in their regard.
The role of the laity in the work of reform is another major question mark. Vos estis allows bishops and bishops’ conferences to enlist the assistance of willing and qualified lay persons, but does not mandate their involvement in receiving reports, investigating cases, or keeping the faithful and the broad public informed of investigators’ progress — or lack of it. For all his talk of clericalism being the root of the crisis in the Church — he’s not wrong — and his constant reminders that we’re all in this together, Pope Francis has given the Church a tool for investigating and disciplining clerics that is very much to be wielded by other clerics.
The new law is a procedural framework, which, as of June 1st, shall apply to the reporting and investigation of crimes or the suspicion of crimes of abuse and coverup, whenever it may have been committed. Again, the one question regarding the new law is: will it work? Time will tell, but the clock is ticking. Neither the faithful, nor the broad public, nor prosecutors, are likely to show much patience.
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Christopher R. Altieri is a journalist, editor and author of three books, including Reading the News Without Losing Your Faith (Catholic Truth Society, 2021). He is contributing editor to Catholic World Report.
Bishop-elect John Iffert of Covington, Kentucky. / Courtesy photo.
Vatican City, Jul 13, 2021 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis appointed Illinois priest Msgr. John C. Iffert to be the next bishop of the Diocese o… […]
Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Oct. 5, 2016. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).
March 13 marks the anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 266th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:
2013
March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”
March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.
July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.
Pope Francis gives the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 2, 2013. Elise Harris/CNA.
July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.
July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.
Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.
2014
Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.
March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.
Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience on Nov. 29, 2014. Bohumil Petrik/CNA.
Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.
Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”
2015
Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.
March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.
May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato Si’, which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.
Pope Francis at a Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 17, 2015. Bohumil Petrik.
Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”
Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.
Pope Francis speaks to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24, 2015. . L’Osservatore Romano.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.
Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.
Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.
2016
March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.
April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.
Pope Francis at the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Feb. 24, 2016. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.
Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.
2017
May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.
July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.
Pope Francis greets a participant in the World Day of the Poor in Rome, Nov. 16, 2017. L’Osservatore Romano.
Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.
Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.
2018
Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.
Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”
Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.
Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”
Pope Francis at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.
2019
Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.
Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.
Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, signed a joint declaration on human fraternity during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Feb. 4, 2019. Vatican Media.
Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.
Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.
Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.
2020
March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.
March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis venerates the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello al Corso in St. Peter’s Square during his Urbi et Orbi blessing, March 27, 2020. Vatican Media.
2021
March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.
July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.
July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.
July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes. The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.
Pope Francis greets His Beatitude Ieronymos II in Athens, Greece on Dec. 5, 2021. Vatican Media
2022
Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.
March 19 — The pope promulgates Praedicate Evangelium, which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.
May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.
Pope Francis greeted the crowd in a wheelchair at the end of his general audience on Aug. 3, 2022. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.
2023
Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.
Pope Francis greets a young boy a Mass in Juba, South Sudan on Feb. 5, 2023. Vatican Media
March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.
April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.
April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.
Pope Francis stands on an altar erected outside the Parliament Building in Budapest’s Kossuth Lajos’ Square during a public outdoor Mass on April 30, 2023. Vatican Media
June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.
June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.
Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.
Pope Francis waves at the crowd of 1.5 million people who attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 6, 2023. Vatican Media.
Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.
Pope Francis meets with local priests and religious of Mongolia, which includes only 25 priests (19 religious and six diocesan), 33 women religious, and one bishop — Cardinal Giorgio Marengo — in Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.
Pope Francis asks for a moment of silence at a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea on the first of a two-day visit to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. A Camargue cross, which comes from the Camargue area of France, represents the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The three tridents represent faith, the anchor represents hope, and the heart represents charity. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.
Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29, 2023. Vatican Media
Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.
Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.
2024
Jan. 4 — Amid widespread backlash to Fiducia Supplicans, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, publishes a five-page press release that refers to Fiducia Supplicans as “perennial doctrine” and underlines that pastoral blessings of couples in irregular situations should not be “an endorsement of the life led by those who request them.”
Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”
Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.
Pope Francis meets with Argentina President Javier Milei in a private audience on Feb. 12, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Feb. 28 — After canceling audiences the previous Saturday and having an aide read his prepared remarks at his Wednesday audience due to a “mild flu,” Pope Francis visits the hospital for diagnostic tests but returns to the Vatican afterward.
March 2 — Despite having an aide read his speech “because of bronchitis,” the pope presides over the inauguration of the 95th Judicial Year of the Vatican City State and maintains a full schedule.
March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis presided over Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square on April 2, 2023. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA
Vatican City, Apr 2, 2023 / 04:25 am (CNA).
Pope Francis presided over Mass for Palm Sunday 2023 in St. Peter’s Square on April 2. Below is the full text of his homily:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). This is the cry that today’s liturgy has us repeat in the responsorial psalm (cf. Ps 22:2), the only cry that Jesus makes from the cross in the Gospel we have heard. Those words bring us to the very heart of Christ’s passion, the culmination of the sufferings he endured for our salvation. “Why have you forsaken me?”
The sufferings of Jesus were so man, and whenever we listen to the account of the Passion, they pierce our hearts. There were sufferings of the body: we think of the slaps and beatings, flogging and the crowning with thorns, and in the end, the cruelty of the crucifixion. There were also sufferings of the soul: the betrayal of Judas, the denials of Peter, the condemnation of the religious and civil authorities, the mockery of the guards, the jeering at the foot of the cross, the rejection of the crowd, utter failure and the flight of the disciples.
Yet, amid all these sorrows, Jesus remained certain of one thing: the closeness of the Father. Now, however, the unthinkable has taken place. Before dying, he cries out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus’ abandonment.
This is the most searing of all sufferings, the suffering of the spirit. At his most tragic hour, Jesus experiences abandonment by God. Prior to that moment, he had never called the Father by his generic name, “God,” never. [He uses] Father. To convey the impact of this, the Gospel also reports his words in Aramaic. These are the only words of Jesus from the cross that have come down to us in the original language. The event is real, and the Lord’s abasement extreme: It is the abandonment of his Father, the abandonment of God.
We find it hard even to grasp what great suffering he embraced out of love for us. It is not easy to understand. He sees the gates of heaven close, he finds himself at the bitter edge, the shipwreck of life, the collapse of certainty. And he cries out: “Why?” A “why” that embraces every other “why” ever spoken. But why, God, why?
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the Bible, the word “forsake” is powerful. We hear it at moments of extreme pain: love that fails, or is rejected or betrayed; children who are rejected and aborted; situations of repudiation, the lot of widows and orphans; broken marriages, forms of social exclusion, injustice and oppression; the solitude of sickness. In a word, in the drastic severing of the bonds that unite us to others. There he tells us this word: abandonment. Christ brought all of this to the cross; upon his shoulders, he bore the sins of the world. And at the supreme moment, Jesus, the only begotten, beloved Son of the Father, experienced a situation utterly alien to his very being: the abandonment, the distance of God.
But, why did it have to come to this? For us. There is no other answer: Us. Brothers and sisters, today, this is not a show. Each of us has listened to the abandonment of Jesus, say to each other — each of us say to each other — “For me. This abandonment is the price he paid for me.”
He became one of us to the very end, in order to be completely and definitively one with us. He experienced abandonment in order not to leave us prey to despair, in order to stay at our side forever. Dear brother, dear sister, he did this for me, for you, because whenever you or I or anyone else seems pinned to the wall — and we have seen someone pinned to the wall — you see someone lost in a blind alley, plunged into the abyss of abandonment, sucked into a whirlwind of many “whys” without answer, there can still be some hope: Him, for you, for me.
It is not the end, because Jesus was there and even now, he is at your side. He has endured the distance of abandonment in order to take up into his love every possible distance that we can feel. So that each of us might say: in my failings — each of you has fallen many times — and I can say in my failings, in my desolation, whenever I feel betrayed or I have betrayed someone, when I feel cast aside or I have cast aside others or when I feel forsaken or have forsaken others, we think that Jesus was abandoned, betrayed, cast aside. And there we find him.
When I feel lost and confused, when I feel that I can’t go on, he is with me, he is there. In the thousand fits of ‘why’ and with many ‘whys’ without answer, he is there.
That is how the Lord saves us, from within our questioning “why?” From within that questioning, he opens the horizon of hope that does not disappoint. On the cross, even as he felt utter abandonment, Jesus refused to yield to despair, this limit; instead, he prayed and trusted. He cried out his “why?” in the words of the Psalm (22:2), and commended himself into the hands of the Father, despite the distance he felt (cf. Lk 23:46) or did not feel because he felt abandoned. In the hour of his abandonment, Jesus continued to trust. Even more: at the hour of abandonment, he continued to love his disciples who had fled, leaving him alone, and in the abandonment he forgave those who crucified him (v. 34). Here we see the abyss of our evil immersed in a greater love, with the result that our isolation becomes fellowship.
Brothers and sisters, a love like this, embracing us totally and to the very end, a love of Jesus like this, has the capacity to turn our stony hearts into hearts of flesh, and make them capable of mercy, tenderness and compassion. It is the style of God, this closeness, with passion and tenderness. God is like this. Christ, in his abandonment, stirs us to seek him and to love him and those who are themselves abandoned. For in them we see not only people in need, but Jesus himself, but him, he is with them, abandoned: Jesus, who saved us by descending to the depths of our human condition. He is like one of them: abandoned unto death. I think back to some weeks ago, that man, called homeless, a German man who died under the colonnade alone, abandoned. He is Jesus for each of us. Many people need our closeness, many abandoned people. I too need Jesus to caress me, to be close to me. Each of us need to find him in the abandoned, in the alone.
He wants us to care for our brothers and sisters who resemble him most, those experiencing extreme suffering and solitude. They are not only those people, but today, brothers and sisters, there are entire peoples who are exploited and abandoned; the poor live on our streets and we look the other way, we turn around; there are migrants who are no longer faces but numbers; prisoners are disowned; people written off as problems. But there are also many Christs, there are many, many Christs, people who are abandoned, invisible, hidden, discarded with white gloves: unborn children, the elderly who live alone — the elderly who live alone could also maybe be your dad, your mom, your grandpa, grandma, abandoned in geriatrics — the sick whom no one visits, the disabled who are ignored, and the young burdened by great interior emptiness, with no one prepared to listen to their cry of pain and who find another way toward suicide. The abandoned of today, the Christs of today.
Jesus, in his abandonment, asks us to open our eyes and hearts to all who find themselves abandoned. For us, as disciples of the “forsaken” Lord, no man, woman or child can be regarded as an outcast, no one left to himself or herself. Let us remember that the rejected and the excluded are living icons of Christ: they remind us of his reckless love, his forsakenness that delivers us from every form of loneliness and isolation. Brothers and sisters, today let us implore this grace: to love Jesus in his abandonment and to love Jesus in the abandoned all around us, in the abandoned all around us. Let us ask for the grace to see and acknowledge the Lord who continues to cry out in them. May we not allow his voice to go unheard amid the deafening silence of indifference. God has not left us alone; let us care, then, for those who feel alone and abandoned. Then, and only then, will we be of one mind and heart with the one who, for our sake, “emptied himself” (Phil 2:7). Totally emptied for us.
I say it will not work. The boy’s club look after each other. How can we expect thieves to report thieves. Evil is so entrenched in the hierarchy. I have lost trust in the Bishops bar a few and the one I distrust the most is the Bishop of Rome.
Exactly right. Look at what is being done. The whole thing is a sham and a masquerade. To begin with, it is only prospective (June 1) so that a firewall on all the previous 50 years of filth is sealed. Even then there is only a 3-year trial period, so the “reform” can simply end and disappear or be amended out of existence. Then whistleblower reports are required only to the bishop/superior — and there are no penalties attached if they are not, so an empty and meaningless show of “progress”. Then the bishop/superior (and original whistleblower) are not required to report to civil authorities for criminal investigation and prosecution and no penalties are attached if they don’t — so, another empty and meaningless show of “progress”. If reports are made, who investigates? Well, the metropolitan bishop, like the faithless and corrupt Maloney, Cupich, Wuerl, McCarrick, etc. And of course no provision is made if the report concerns a metropolitan bishop himself. The investigation by the metropolitan bishop is secret and does not have to be disclosed to the faithful and does not even have to use competent laymen but is only permitted to use them if it wishes. Finally, any report and canonical action against the abuser is secret and does not have to be disclosed to the faithful. Mr. Altieri and everyone else needs to look at this scam objectively and rationally to see it for the fraud that it is’ namely, the boys’ club looking after one another.
There is also an outside dimension to this scam, which is to do “absolutely nothing to address (1) ‘consensual’ acts of sodomy involving clerics and their willing partners in one of the sins that cry out to Heaven for retribution; (2) the ‘production, exhibition, possession or distribution’ of adult (versus child) pornography, or (3) consensual adult participation in pornographic exhibitions.”
“That is, the entire ‘gay subculture’ and its practices among the clergy are left untouched so long as they do not manifest themselves in criminal offences against minors or the coercion of ‘vulnerable’ adult partners in sodomy. Otherwise, [the scam] exhibits no concern about sexual ‘delicts against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue.’”
I agree, Dr Coelho. However consider. In December 1862 Abraham Lincoln gave a speech about his soon to be law, (on January 1, 1863) the emancipation of the slaves. He said, “The dogmas of the quite past are inadequate to the stormy present. As our case is new so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves and then we shall save our country”. I believe the same logic holds to the “stormy present” in the Church. We must think anew and act anew. By this I mean we must take off the gloves and rid the Church of those, beginning with the seminaries, that promote and and support a homosexual lifestyle. The Church has defined homosexuality as an intrinsic disorder. This being the case it should not be accepted in the seminaries for any potential candidate to the priesthood AND of any existing priest, bishop or cardinal. Why can’t the Church be the first institution to offer concrete help for these poor souls that suffer from this terrible affliction? Let’s not just abandon them but help them to find their true humanity and to encourage them to pursue their career objectives elsewhere. An answer from you, Sir, would be appreciated.
According to one news source this “reform” simply reiterates the proposals of Cupich and Wuerl (both guilty of covering up sexual abuse) that the Bishops police themselves. It’s doomed to failure. The only way to cleanse the Church of this filth is for the state to get involved. Ceasar must intervene, as is happening in the United States.
It will not work.
The bishops will continue to act like a mob as they report to the Capo di tutti capi in Rome.
For example, McCarrick. He is no longer a priest. But McCarrick (not a poor man) is kept comfortable at his hideout at the friary in Victoria, KS on the dime of the pewsitters in WDC . The bishops know this and approve it.
One more kick in the groin to the faithful by the Church.
Pope Francis seems to be constantly running from the cause, which is overwhelmingly ‘gay predation’. His new law does not address that at all. Some even perceive that as ‘cover up’… i think they have a point. No Pope should be ‘chicken’ to proclaim the truth in and out of season, especially when tens of thousands of victims are very real.
“The Church’s solutions to the problem of abuse aren’t resolved from one day to another. A process has begun. Yesterday another document came out, and so slowly we are carrying out a process. Because twenty years ago until now we weren’t aware. Now we are becoming aware, with great shame — but blessed shame — shame is a grace of God. But it’s a process. And we have to go forward, forward, in a process step by step by step to resolve this problem. Some of the anti-abuse organizations weren’t happy with the meeting in February. ‘But, they didn’t do anything,’ they say. I understand, there is interior suffering. If we had hanged 100 abuser priests in St. Peter’s Square, they would have been happy, but the problem would not have been resolved. Problems in life are resolved with processes, not occupying spaces.” -Bergoglio to International Union of Superiors General on Friday (10May2019)/Life Site News
His characterization of “some of the anti-abuse organizations”… a speculated would-be-pleasing-to-them hanging of “100 abuser priests in St. Peters’s Square?” Are these the words of a man who respects the victims of abuse really? Along with “interior suffering” (he is allegedly so sensitive to) does Bergoglio not get the damage done to the Church itself and why people are abandoning the Catholic Church (which might be fine with him, actually, when you consider his regard for Muslims, non-Catholics and even atheists)?
Does Bergoglio ever tire of demonizing his critics, bashing with anticipation listening-in faithful Catholics who reference the Church’s Magisterium, and grabbing whatever is handy…even using victims groups to do so? No. And I guess “anti-abuse” is easier to talk about this way than “victim rights” groups or “victims” (with whom he deeply sympathizes with)…is this reference to public hangings truly indicative of who Bergoglio is not just “deep down?” This is pure Peron. Machiavelli.
In the same breath, while opining how God wills a diversity of religious habits/regular clothing for women religious and how “we’ll give the prize” (is this a man who truly likes and respects actual women vs the “female” Church?)to an Indian style habit of a particular superior, Bergoglio uses his pot shot to “some of the anti-abuse organizations” his straw man characterization of clamoring? for the hanging of 100 abuser priests in St. Peter’s Square…to essentially reference/boast? to this gathering of women religious about his change to the Catechism regarding capital punishment…”now immoral.” Is not the desire for reform itself by the “dummies”? being straw man characterized this way? Ill-advised? Potentially immoral to an extreme? Don’t the “dummies” get it? “Because twenty years ago until now we weren’t aware. Now we are becoming aware.” And yet? How does Bergoglio say this with a straight face except to people he considers “dummies” (they are all “discerning” religious garb, female deacons…he’s worried about climate change, China… “guy stuff”))…people who are free to leave the Church and start a new church…as he said so directly to one German sister superior during that same event…but really he speaking not just to her but anyone else out there who doesn’t like…Bergoglio…not “Catholic.”
The “Open Letter to the Bishops of the World” aside…has the matter of Bergoglio’s election to the papacy been TRULY settled?
At what point does conscience apply to this papacy? Or better put…”discernment?” Does “just becoming aware” apply to Bergoglio?
It’s “now” for me (for awhile)…and with regards to Canon Law…it’s “the supreme law of the Church”…the “salvation of souls.” Leave the Church for me? No. But resistance to this papacy? Yes.
The secular press indicates how the answer-to-their-prayers Bergoglio does NOT reference contacting the civil authorities. That’s OK. The civil authorities will continue to contact “The Institution” and perhaps eventually Bergoglio himself.
I agree with Peter Santos, Paul, Johann and Ranger.The “boys club” will allow no changes. Bishops checking on bishops will do no good. In my diocese ( an archdiocese) the bishop is tolerant of priests acting out with adult men and women. Any priest who is critical would find himself in the gulag, if not dismissed or have accusations brought against him. They laity would be ignored and marginalized. We are running around in circles. I am all for praying, but it would be nice to see some concrete effects of all these prayers.
I say it will not work. The boy’s club look after each other. How can we expect thieves to report thieves. Evil is so entrenched in the hierarchy. I have lost trust in the Bishops bar a few and the one I distrust the most is the Bishop of Rome.
Exactly right. Look at what is being done. The whole thing is a sham and a masquerade. To begin with, it is only prospective (June 1) so that a firewall on all the previous 50 years of filth is sealed. Even then there is only a 3-year trial period, so the “reform” can simply end and disappear or be amended out of existence. Then whistleblower reports are required only to the bishop/superior — and there are no penalties attached if they are not, so an empty and meaningless show of “progress”. Then the bishop/superior (and original whistleblower) are not required to report to civil authorities for criminal investigation and prosecution and no penalties are attached if they don’t — so, another empty and meaningless show of “progress”. If reports are made, who investigates? Well, the metropolitan bishop, like the faithless and corrupt Maloney, Cupich, Wuerl, McCarrick, etc. And of course no provision is made if the report concerns a metropolitan bishop himself. The investigation by the metropolitan bishop is secret and does not have to be disclosed to the faithful and does not even have to use competent laymen but is only permitted to use them if it wishes. Finally, any report and canonical action against the abuser is secret and does not have to be disclosed to the faithful. Mr. Altieri and everyone else needs to look at this scam objectively and rationally to see it for the fraud that it is’ namely, the boys’ club looking after one another.
There is also an outside dimension to this scam, which is to do “absolutely nothing to address (1) ‘consensual’ acts of sodomy involving clerics and their willing partners in one of the sins that cry out to Heaven for retribution; (2) the ‘production, exhibition, possession or distribution’ of adult (versus child) pornography, or (3) consensual adult participation in pornographic exhibitions.”
“That is, the entire ‘gay subculture’ and its practices among the clergy are left untouched so long as they do not manifest themselves in criminal offences against minors or the coercion of ‘vulnerable’ adult partners in sodomy. Otherwise, [the scam] exhibits no concern about sexual ‘delicts against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue.’”
The quote is from Chris Ferrara’s article “Pope Francis Signs Document Protecting ‘Consensual’ Clerical Sodomy” here: https://fatima.org/news-views/fatima-perspectives-1301/
Bishops are mortal. Prayer can move mountains. We need to pray for the conversion and well-being of our Bishops.
I agree, Dr Coelho. However consider. In December 1862 Abraham Lincoln gave a speech about his soon to be law, (on January 1, 1863) the emancipation of the slaves. He said, “The dogmas of the quite past are inadequate to the stormy present. As our case is new so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves and then we shall save our country”. I believe the same logic holds to the “stormy present” in the Church. We must think anew and act anew. By this I mean we must take off the gloves and rid the Church of those, beginning with the seminaries, that promote and and support a homosexual lifestyle. The Church has defined homosexuality as an intrinsic disorder. This being the case it should not be accepted in the seminaries for any potential candidate to the priesthood AND of any existing priest, bishop or cardinal. Why can’t the Church be the first institution to offer concrete help for these poor souls that suffer from this terrible affliction? Let’s not just abandon them but help them to find their true humanity and to encourage them to pursue their career objectives elsewhere. An answer from you, Sir, would be appreciated.
Dr. Coelho,
You’re correct!! In fact, it’s important for all Catholics to be praying and fasting each week for their bishop and pastor.
These times demand it.
According to one news source this “reform” simply reiterates the proposals of Cupich and Wuerl (both guilty of covering up sexual abuse) that the Bishops police themselves. It’s doomed to failure. The only way to cleanse the Church of this filth is for the state to get involved. Ceasar must intervene, as is happening in the United States.
It will not work.
The bishops will continue to act like a mob as they report to the Capo di tutti capi in Rome.
For example, McCarrick. He is no longer a priest. But McCarrick (not a poor man) is kept comfortable at his hideout at the friary in Victoria, KS on the dime of the pewsitters in WDC . The bishops know this and approve it.
One more kick in the groin to the faithful by the Church.
Pope Francis seems to be constantly running from the cause, which is overwhelmingly ‘gay predation’. His new law does not address that at all. Some even perceive that as ‘cover up’… i think they have a point. No Pope should be ‘chicken’ to proclaim the truth in and out of season, especially when tens of thousands of victims are very real.
“The Church’s solutions to the problem of abuse aren’t resolved from one day to another. A process has begun. Yesterday another document came out, and so slowly we are carrying out a process. Because twenty years ago until now we weren’t aware. Now we are becoming aware, with great shame — but blessed shame — shame is a grace of God. But it’s a process. And we have to go forward, forward, in a process step by step by step to resolve this problem. Some of the anti-abuse organizations weren’t happy with the meeting in February. ‘But, they didn’t do anything,’ they say. I understand, there is interior suffering. If we had hanged 100 abuser priests in St. Peter’s Square, they would have been happy, but the problem would not have been resolved. Problems in life are resolved with processes, not occupying spaces.” -Bergoglio to International Union of Superiors General on Friday (10May2019)/Life Site News
His characterization of “some of the anti-abuse organizations”… a speculated would-be-pleasing-to-them hanging of “100 abuser priests in St. Peters’s Square?” Are these the words of a man who respects the victims of abuse really? Along with “interior suffering” (he is allegedly so sensitive to) does Bergoglio not get the damage done to the Church itself and why people are abandoning the Catholic Church (which might be fine with him, actually, when you consider his regard for Muslims, non-Catholics and even atheists)?
Does Bergoglio ever tire of demonizing his critics, bashing with anticipation listening-in faithful Catholics who reference the Church’s Magisterium, and grabbing whatever is handy…even using victims groups to do so? No. And I guess “anti-abuse” is easier to talk about this way than “victim rights” groups or “victims” (with whom he deeply sympathizes with)…is this reference to public hangings truly indicative of who Bergoglio is not just “deep down?” This is pure Peron. Machiavelli.
In the same breath, while opining how God wills a diversity of religious habits/regular clothing for women religious and how “we’ll give the prize” (is this a man who truly likes and respects actual women vs the “female” Church?)to an Indian style habit of a particular superior, Bergoglio uses his pot shot to “some of the anti-abuse organizations” his straw man characterization of clamoring? for the hanging of 100 abuser priests in St. Peter’s Square…to essentially reference/boast? to this gathering of women religious about his change to the Catechism regarding capital punishment…”now immoral.” Is not the desire for reform itself by the “dummies”? being straw man characterized this way? Ill-advised? Potentially immoral to an extreme? Don’t the “dummies” get it? “Because twenty years ago until now we weren’t aware. Now we are becoming aware.” And yet? How does Bergoglio say this with a straight face except to people he considers “dummies” (they are all “discerning” religious garb, female deacons…he’s worried about climate change, China… “guy stuff”))…people who are free to leave the Church and start a new church…as he said so directly to one German sister superior during that same event…but really he speaking not just to her but anyone else out there who doesn’t like…Bergoglio…not “Catholic.”
The “Open Letter to the Bishops of the World” aside…has the matter of Bergoglio’s election to the papacy been TRULY settled?
At what point does conscience apply to this papacy? Or better put…”discernment?” Does “just becoming aware” apply to Bergoglio?
It’s “now” for me (for awhile)…and with regards to Canon Law…it’s “the supreme law of the Church”…the “salvation of souls.” Leave the Church for me? No. But resistance to this papacy? Yes.
The secular press indicates how the answer-to-their-prayers Bergoglio does NOT reference contacting the civil authorities. That’s OK. The civil authorities will continue to contact “The Institution” and perhaps eventually Bergoglio himself.
Civil authorities. Civil law suits. RICO.
I agree with Peter Santos, Paul, Johann and Ranger.The “boys club” will allow no changes. Bishops checking on bishops will do no good. In my diocese ( an archdiocese) the bishop is tolerant of priests acting out with adult men and women. Any priest who is critical would find himself in the gulag, if not dismissed or have accusations brought against him. They laity would be ignored and marginalized. We are running around in circles. I am all for praying, but it would be nice to see some concrete effects of all these prayers.