In recent interviews ahead of the conclave to elect a new pope, Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny gave an interview with The New York Times, in which he apparently attempted to polarize the word “unity”—a word that has allegedly become something of a rallying cry for critics of the recently concluded pontificate.
“If you ask me, ‘How would you name the wrong track for the conclave?’ I would say the idea that unity is the priority,” said Cardinal Czerny, who has led the Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development since 2019. “Unity cannot be a priority issue.”
What is happening here? Do some Catholic cardinals–those responsible for choosing the Church’s next pope in the conclave starting next week—truly believe that “unity” is not a priority for the Church?
We heard more from Cardinal Czerny the same day in an interview with CNN: “If you make [unity] your obsession, and if you try to promote unity as your primary objective, you end up with uniformity. This is exactly what we don’t need. We’ve spent decades now trying to learn to get beyond uniformity, to a true catholicity, a true pluralism.”
The issue at hand, then, is not that unity itself is bad, but that unity is being used as a code word for hopes to roll back the program of the Francis pontificate. To choose unity, therefore, means choosing a pope who would not necessarily be in continuity with the previous pontificate.
In this attempt to equate “unity” with “uniformity”—and uniformity, most Church observers and likely even the cardinals themselves would agree, is not what we should be about—seems to be making a “dirty word” out of one of the most critical needs of the Church. Unity (yes, taking into account the pluralism or diversity that makes up the richness of the Catholic faith) must not be sidelined as an unnecessary priority or sacrificed on an altar of semantics.
Lest we forget, unity was the priority for Jesus Christ the night before he died. “That they may all be one,” Christ prayed at the Last Supper, “as you, Father, are in me and I in you.”
Why? Christ answered: “That they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:21).
Our Lord made clear, in what could be considered his dying wish, that our unity is what ensures our credibility and fuels our mission. So our unity with Christ is a gift he prayed will be given to us–the principle that keeps us united in faith and morals as Catholics.
How could we do anything but desire this unity and work to make it a living reality?
It is somewhat ironic that, especially since his April 21 death, Francis has been lionized as a symbol of unity. “Build bridges, not walls,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his homily at the pope’s April 26 funeral, highlighting the point as a key mantra of Francis’ pontificate.
Is Cardinal Czerny, a Francis loyalist, saying Pope Francis himself, the pontifex maximus, the bridge builder, did not desire unity? Maybe he’s right.
One of the more divisive decisions of Francis’s pontificate was presented as a gesture in the name of unity–the 2021 implementation of what could reasonably be called draconian sanctions placed by Pope Francis on the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 Missal.
But liturgical pluralism is constitutive to the Church, nearly from the beginning, with the Catholic Church boasting dozens of rites, or forms, of liturgical worship. The Francis pontificate, though, worked against that particular pluralism, casting to the peripheries Catholics who worshiped according to the 1962 missal. Catholics were forced from their parish churches and told they could only attend Mass in church basements or parish halls.
And, unfortunately, these limitations came with little consultation or accompaniment, both supposedly key aspects of Francis’ hallmark project of synodality.
Such contradictions, which are wounds to unity, were not anomalies within the past dozen years of ecclesial life. In 2016, four cardinals made public that they submitted a formal “dubia” to Pope Francis, asking him to clarify various controversial points of doctrine in his apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia.” Francis never replied.
Those cardinals’ attempt for greater unity became a missed opportunity to recognize the threat to unity that stemmed from this episode, to head off any divisions, and to engage in central themes of the pontificate, such as listening, dialogue, and accompaniment.
Finally, as the clergy sexual abuse crisis continued to raise its ugly head during Francis’s years in Rome, unity was further wounded due to an unequal and irregular exercise of transparency and justice. Consider alone the allegations against Father Marko Rupnik, the acclaimed modern artist who allegedly abused nearly an entire convent of nuns, was excommunicated and restored, was invited to preach to the Roman Curia, remained in “good standing,” and had his artwork featured on the papal bedroom wall.
Our response to the abuse crisis needs to be one of unity in truth and justice, especially for the most vulnerable.
In America, at least, divisions have been exacerbated in some of the pontificate’s episcopal appointments. A bishop has been removed from his post for—albeit irresponsibly and divisively handled–drawing attention to the pope’s lack of clarity on doctrine. Another bishop, elevated to the college of cardinals by Francis, was accused of heresy by a brother in the episcopate after promoting doctrinally unsound ideas in the public square. Then, as if a reward for promoting confusion, Francis later promoted him to a more influential see.
Catholics, including the cardinals upon whose shoulders the responsibility now temporarily falls exclusively for protecting the Catholic Faith, must find a balance between unity and diversity, mirroring the Trinitarian life we share. Unity, improperly achieved, can serve as an obstacle to living the fullness of divine life. Diversity, erroneously sought, can result in warring factions unable to transcend their divisions.
Yet unity is essential. One of the four marks of the Church, it is “of the essence of the Church” (CCC, 813). Weakened unity means a lot is at stake.
As the late Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I., put it: “If in that age of increasingly visible unity of the world as a whole, the Church is more and more internally divided, then we will have betrayed the Lord.”
The next pope must make working toward unity a key theme of his pontificate, for in his office, he “is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful” (CCC, 882).
Let’s hope and pray that this is remembered in the Sistine Chapel next week.
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It’s instructive which media outlets Cardinal Czerny chooses to grant interviews to.
Pride is at the heart of the collapse of unity. Belief in One, Holy, Apostolic Church has been reframed as belief in a fragmented collection of idiosyncratic mosaic tiles.
Cdl Czerny’s complaint about uniformity is ironically realized in the uniformity of forcing a multi cultural Church with its unique liturgies to conform to a single liturgy. Whereas unity was realized in one traditional belief revealed to the Apostles.
Jesuits like “His Eminence” Czerny worship their own insular and narcissistic cult. They are members of a decapitated body, separated from Jesus, who live to be worshipped in his stead.
Conclusion: We need to rid the Church of Jesuits. They are the New Arians.
Didn’t somone once express the hope “Ut unum sint” . . . ?
What you deem combative May simply be truth. Where do you draw the line?
Let us pray that the next Pope takes immediate and effective action to oust and clean up the sex abusers in the Church; those Clerics involved in the financial irregularities, and those in the Vatican who participated in the imprisonment, and reputational destruction of
a falsely accused Cardinal.
Dream on my friend.
May we all be united with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, embracing the profound truth that Christ Himself proclaimed. This sacred teaching stands above all others, as all wisdom and understanding converge within its clarity and simplicity.
I tremble for the soul that disregards this divine instruction in favor of human interpretations. I earnestly pray for a pope who swiftly addresses any emergence of heresy, ensuring that the truth is upheld without hesitation. Once corrected, may understanding be restored, followed by an outpouring of love and forgiveness toward those who were led astray by false teachings.
Holy Father, grant us a shepherd who speaks with clarity and conviction, illuminating the truth in a world desperate for an unwavering foundation—one unshaken by deception and the works of darkness.
Amen Michael Heinlein and Michael B. Thanks for your Words of Wisdom.
Jesus tells us in John 6:56
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him”.
How in the World can we remain in Jesus and He in us without unity.
Amen
The Cardinals must choose the Church of today and the near future by asking themselves, ” From which man will the light of salvation best be exemplified? “
It strikes me that any time the Church deviates from her own vocabulary and adopts that of the world, confusion arises. If we pursue virtue, we arrive at Christ—the Model of all virtues and only Source of authentic unity. One begins with faith, hope, and charity; then we move to prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. After this (with this bedrock) we ponder the various other virtues which bear on choices and actions.
Pursuing (or reverencing) diversity is a red herring. It will flourish naturally where authentic piety grows, because that very piety will reflect love of family, tribe, nation, and culture—in light of faith, as conduits of charity. In this regard, local custom (including approved rites and devotions) will manifest diversity as a by-product, rather than as an idol or token.
God save us.
As only He can! 😇
It is rather strange how we never hear any commentary from Catholic World Report on the need for Unity around the application of the Church’s social doctrine, particularly the need for Americans (government) to conform to social justice values so central to the teachings of Jesus.
Hmmm. I’m not sure how much of CWR you’ve actually read. We’ve run numerous pieces on the Church’s social doctrine and how it relates to America, etc. See the columns of James Kalb, for example, which focus on this very point.
Dileep, you must have been in a very long, long deep sleep for the past 100 years to have missed all the social welfare programs enacted and TRILLIONS of dollars disbursed through the generosity of the taxpaying public to the poor, the disadvantaged, the unemployed, the handicapped, etc etc..
My humble take is that true unity in the Church must be a unity of love AND truth (2 John:3).
Today is the feast day of St Athanasius, who fought for true unity by vigorously opposing the falsehood of Arianism. In that fight he was up against the majority of the hierarchy at that time (ergo, “Athanasius contra mundum”). Seems like the same challenge exists today with so many in the hierarchy wanting to compromise Sacred Scripture and the true Magisterium by embracing the zeitgeist.
St Athanasius pray for us.
Amen!
It’s all about essentials and balance. The oft quoted statement attributed to the Moravians – “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love” seems apropos here.
It sounds motivated but if in reality it was in essentials, complacency, in non-essentials, complacency, in all things, complacency – well, then there would never be a High Noon on Main St. and everyone would be happy with slum spirit as high achieving. Dormez vous?
Well said, dear Br Jaques.
Q: The main – salvational – essential?
A: Loving OBEDIENCE to the teachings, lifestyle, & commands of FATHER GOD in CHRIST JESUS, as faithfully transmitted to The Church by The HOLY SPIRIT-anointed 27 texts of 9 Apostolic witnesses (The NEW Testament) & enshrined in the Catechism of The Catholic Church.
Every person whose supervising objective in life is loving obedience to King Jesus Christ are His sheep, we’ve become children of GOD; we’ve moved from death to Life.
John the beloved Apostle (John 10:27-28) reports this divine eternal statute, given by the new Moses, The Lord Jesus Christ:
“My sheep hear My voice: I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life & they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand.”
In contrast (see verse 26) we understand: “Those who do not believe in Me are not My sheep. I do not give them eternal life & they will perish.”
True believers hear Jesus & lovingly follow Him. We are family with The HOLY TRINITY and with each other. If we persevere, it will be for eternity!
That’s something SO glorious, there are no human words to describe it!
This KEY ESSENTIAL is all-pervading, coloring every non-essential, that in all things true believers joyously find the unity of self-giving love.
Why is this conspicuously missing in most churches? Maybe because it is rarely taught, even more rarely believed in, and thus nullified by our lack of faith.
So, let’s exhort one another to live under The New and Better Covenant that Jesus has provided in His Own Flesh & Blood. Let’s major in New Testament obedience and the loving, caring, self-giving lifestyle, and spiritual wisdom it teaches us.
There’ll be no lack of unity with GOD & with each other among all who do this.
Ever seeking to hear & lovingly follow King Jesus Christ; blessings from marty
Happy Feast of St. Athanasius!
A few quotes for the Conclave and the next Pope:
First, a warning from the first Pope about the enemies of unity like Cardinal Czerny, SJ:
“There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.” (2 Peter 2:1)
And the St. Francis of our time, St. Teresa of Calcutta:
“Success is fidelity.”
Finally, St. Vincent de Paul to his Brothers:
“How can we give love to others, if we do not have it among us?..If we do not love each other as Jesus Christ loved us and if we do not act as He did, how can we hope to spread such love throughout the world?” (Conference 207)
Pope Francis died from humility and compassion for those less fortunate.
Thank God the next Pope will not be from the Excited States
The article reads as a political discussion. Choose the Pope for whom Jesus Christ is primary. In this case, even “diversity and unity” will be satisfied, in the Person of Christ.
On the other hand, a pursuit of purely humane “unity” and “diversity” often brings very ugly results in the world; in the Church it is simply out of place.
You seem to have read it in bad faith. Why do you think the author is referring to mere natural human unity? Especially when he clearly refers, in various ways, to supernatural unity?