War and peace are two realities with which Pope Francis is called to confront even in this first month of summer holidays: wars fought in the world with weapons and a frond fiercely at his reforms in the Church and in the Curia. “Let us think of how many conflicts – Francis underlined at the Angelus, explaining the Gospel – could be avoided and resolved in this way, by listening to others with a sincere desire to understand each other!”. His action inside and outside the Church has increasingly polarized dissent in search of a platform of resistance to the Reformation. On the war he was more explicit and clear even today. On the other hand, the reference to the decision to finally accept the resignation of the Spanish Jesuit Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, appointing the Argentine archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández to head the former Holy Office is more veiled. A choice that has sparked an outcry from conservative sectors. Excellent theological references, already a close collaborator of Bergoglio in crucial moments of pastoral care in Latin America. Titles instead of merit, for the pope’s critics reasons of demerit also for Fernandez.
The indirect response to criticism
Francis did not respond to the really harsh, almost contemptuous criticisms but perhaps his words on being prophets in the Church in the explanation of the Gospel at today’s Angelus could be valid as an indirect response to the criticisms. “Prophet, brothers and sisters – the pope points out – is each of us: in fact, with Baptism we all received the gift and mission of prophecy. Prophet is the one who, by virtue of Baptism, helps others to read the present under the action of the Holy Spirit. This is very important: reading the present not as a breaking latest news, but under the action of the Holy Spirit, which helps to understand God’s plans and respond to them. In other words, the prophet is the one who points out Jesus to others, who bears witness to him, who helps to live today and to build tomorrow according to his plans”. The fury of the critics perhaps aims not so much and not only at the new guide as at the identikit of a former Holy Office completely renovated by Francis and therefore functional to the vision of the conciliar and synodal Church. Not a place of power and judgement, but of service and sharing of faith to be proclaimed with testimony. He turns the page. And this we would like to prevent.
The war between Russia and Ukraine
Concern about the war between Russia and Ukraine that Francis is constantly pushing towards an agreement did not end even with the recent visit of Cardinal Zuppi to Moscow. The intent was to create a psychological disarmament prior to peace agreements. Therefore always timely and Francis keeps it warm: “Even in this summer period – he said after the Angelus – let us not tire of praying for peace, especially for the Ukrainian people, so tried. And let’s not overlook the other wars, unfortunately often forgotten, and the numerous conflicts and clashes that bloody many places on Earth; there are so many wars today. Let us be interested in what is happening, let us help those who suffer and let us pray, because prayer is the meek force which protects and sustains the world“. Francis considers the united commitment of Christians for peace to be primary, so much so that he makes the theme of war and peace central to the meeting with the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople received in audience for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. “The atmosphere of this meeting – the pope said – also leads us to share concerns; one above all, that for peace, especially in tormented Ukraine. It is a war which, touching us more closely, shows us how in reality all wars are only disasters, total disasters: for peoples and for families, for children and for the elderly, for people forced to leave the their country, for their cities and villages, and for creation, as we have seen recently following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam. As disciples of Christ, we cannot resign ourselves to war, but we have the duty to work together for peace. The tragic reality of this war that seems to have no end demands from everyone a common creative effort to imagine and implement peace paths, towards a just and stable peace. Of course, peace is not a reality that we can achieve on our own, but it is above all a gift from the Lord. However, it is a gift that requires a corresponding attitude on the part of the human being, and above all of the believer, who must participate in God’s peacemaking work … In this sense – the pope added, perhaps mindful of the difficulties present among Christians – the Gospel shows us that peace does not come from the mere absence of war, but is born from the heart of man. In fact, it is ultimately hindered by the bad root that we carry within us: possession, the will to selfishly pursue one’s own interests at a personal, community, national and even religious level”.
The danger of divisions and discord
To closures and selfishness “God’s style must be opposed which, as Christ taught us by example, is service and self-denial. We can be certain that, by embodying him, Christians will grow in mutual communion and will help the world, marked by divisions and discord”. Danger of divisions and discords that emerged evident on the occasion of the appointment of Víctor Manuel Fernández as head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. An appointment that shook the Roman Curia, almost as happened in November 1981 when Pope Wojtyla called Cardinal Ratzinger to lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. At the time – the personality of the chosen one was great – there was fear of a crackdown on the progressives, confusing Ratzinger with the conservatives. In reality, Woytila’s design was to be able to better resist the pressures of conservatives and progressives with an authoritative middle position. Today Francis has decided on a bolder move, but in line with the already launched Curia Reform where the Doctrine of the Faith is no longer the first Dicastery, but a section of the Dicastery for Evangelization which holds the primacy in the Curia presided over by the Supreme Pontiff. Francis thus closes a past pre-conciliar season of the former Holy Office and goes beyond the gradual change towards modernity pursued in the years following the Second Vatican Council. He decisively turns the page, clarifying the new objective in the letter to Víctor Manuel Fernández that accompanies his appointment: “As the new Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, I entrust you with a task that I consider very precious. His central purpose is to guard the teaching that springs from faith in order to “give reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point and condemn”. He then adds: “The Dicastery that you will preside over in other times has come to use immoral methods. Those were times in which, instead of promoting theological knowledge, possible doctrinal errors were pursued. What I expect from her is certainly something very different…. We need a way of thinking that you can convincingly present a God who loves, who forgives, who saves, who liberates, who promotes people and who calls them to brotherly service. This occurs if “the advertisement focuses on the essential, which is the most beautiful, the largest, the most attractive and at the same time the most necessary”. In the end – reads the letter from the new prefect to his friends – I accepted with joy, because what the pope is asking of me “is a wonderful challenge, even if I will have many against: there are people who prefer a more rigid, structured way of thinking, at war with the world“.