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Spiritual Innovators Pope John XXIII. |
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| REFORM - LEADERSHIP - POPE JOHN XXIII Introductory Notes by Wayne Holst | ||||||||
| The first part of my presentation takes the form of a review of the recent book: POPE JOHN XXIII, by Thomas Cahill, Viking/Penguin: New York, NY. 2002. 241 pages. Hardcover. $28.99 Cdn. ISBN #0-670-03057-0. On June 3rd 1963, as the beloved and unofficially sainted John XXIII lay dying, one of his Roman chambermaids commented to the Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt: "Signora, this pope was a real Christian... How is it possible? And how could a real Christian ever get to sit on Saint Peter's Chair? Didn't he first have to be made a bishop, then an archbishop, then a cardinal, before he finally got elected pope? Didn't anyone have any idea who he was?" The author of 'Pope John XXIII' Thomas Cahill (How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews) asserts that this remark could be interpreted as either deeply cynical, impossibly pure, or just realistic. Cahill quite obviously favours option three. He is influenced, of course, by his own biased understanding of papal history. He writes an erudite, sweeping papal mini-narrative within which the pontificate of John XXIII serves as a transformative event. Cahill describes how the papal office grew ever more politicized and institutionalized from its humble second century Roman beginnings through a period spanning almost two millennia. John, successor to Peter (a title Cahill terms 'wish fulfillment' though ancient and venerable), was a true man of God with an integrity and warm transparency quite unlike any other pope, before or since. The author, a great admirer of John, has written what he describes as a biographical essay and not in any sense a definitive biography, which remains to be written when all the extant documentation of his life is made available for scholarly assessment. "We're not on earth as museum keepers but to cultivate a flourishing garden of life and to prepare a glorious future". These are the words of the much beloved and unofficially sainted Pope John XXIII before he was elected to serve on the Chair of St. Peter in Rome. John is known for many things. Most importantly, however, was his convening of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). His stamp was clearly impressed upon that august assembly, even though he did not live to see its completion. John believed that the council should meditate upon the Church not as a juridical institution but as a mystery unfolding in time; a mystery central to the healing of the world. He saw the Church as a development rooted in the Gospel. This idea, though not conceived by John, helped him view its sometimes less than honourable history in a more objective way. With that perspective, he was able to speak with wisdom to his time, and, in so-doing he helped set the Church on a new course with future implications still unknown. Actually, the papacy has merely assumed the colouration of its time and place - congregational and democratic, oligarchic and imperial, monarchic and absolutist. In contrast to this pattern, "the hope of John XXIII was to return the church to Pentecost." Lamentably, one worries that perhaps this papacy may turn out to be but one brief shining moment. But who knows the economy of God? The book is divided into four parts. 'Before John' explains how papal history evolved over the centuries. 'Angelo the Man' describes the emergence of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli from Italian peasantry to affable priest, pastoral archbishop and seasoned Vatican diplomat. 'Roncalli the Pastor, John the Pope' recounts his ministry as Patriarch of Venice and Bishop of Rome. 'After John' assesses his successors, Paul VI and John Paul II. A brief epilogue proposes that the Church is always in need of reformation because it is ever in danger of becoming a mere self-protecting institution like all other institutions. "When this happens," says Cahill, "it follows not the Law of Love but the Law of Institutions, by which it tends to do the opposite of what it proposes to do". Eastern Orthodox Christians and Jews appreciated the unprecedented attention John paid to them. After all, he believed that it was not the Gospel that had changed, but that we've come to understand it better. "We are all brothers" he said to Roman and non-Roman representatives who gathered for the Second Vatican Council which he convened. In this book, Protestant Christians will savour Cahill's praise for 'earnest Martin Luther.' The author declares Luther right and Pope Leo X wrong in their clash over indulgences. Luther had argued that heaven was not a purchasable commodity. A good argument could be mounted to challenge whether John XXIII is the benchmark against which the entire pontifical history should be measured. Filling a third of the book's pages with recorded background on the papacy and focusing a little more than half the book on John himself may call into question the author's stewardship of space. Yet, there is no quibble from me over John's unusual importance and the hope Cahill believes he instilled in the hearts of Catholic and non-Catholic humanity. "From his unique position (as pope) John was able to cast a pebble into the pond of human experience that has continued to reverberate in ever wider rings." Continuing Reform: Perhaps There Will Be a Vatican III There are many today who believe that the papacy of John Paul II has attempted to impede rather than expand the progress of church renewal that began in the sixties with John XXIII and his Second Vatican Council. Many liberals are calling for a Vatican III in anticipation of a new papal replacement for aging John Paul II. Here is an example of a call for a new Catholic reformation in the third millennium (I will comment briefly on these reviews and their main points). TOWARD A NEW CATHOLIC CHURCH: The Promise of Reform, by James Carroll Houghton-Mifflin/Mariner: Boston, September, 2002. $14.00 Cdn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From Publishers Weekly In this reconstituted version of his call to Catholic reform at the end of Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews, Carroll seizes the moment of Catholicism's sexual-abuse crisis to present his ideas afresh. His agenda for change is emblematic of the one touted by progressive reform groups throughout the church in America and Europe. Carroll, a former priest who was in the seminary during the landmark Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, proposes a "Vatican III," suggesting it could even be held in a place like Boston, the epicenter of the current scandal. He presents five areas of reform dealing with scripture, the ecclesiastical power structure, teachings about Jesus Christ, democracy and institutional repentance. Among other things, Carroll would like to see the church develop a more sophisticated relationship with its scriptures, loosen its power structures to permit more lay involvement, repeal papal infallibility and de-emphasize the traditional Christian teaching that Jesus is the only way to salvation so as to engender greater respect for other religions. The latter springs from Carroll's deep concerns about the church's long history of anti-Semitism, and it is a constant, somewhat overused, theme as he expands on his vision for a new Catholic Church. Readers who support the kinds of changes Carroll is seeking will be drawn to his latest work, but some orthodox Catholics may find his ideas disturbing. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Taking advantage of the recent priests-and-sex crisis, Carroll polishes the conclusion of his history of Catholic anti-Semitism, Constantine's Sword (2001), into his latest anthem of dissent. Carroll shares his core complaint--that the church is institutionally corrupt--with the dean of progressive carpers, Garry Wills (see Why I Am a Catholic [BKL Je 1&15 02]). He has a reform agenda, however, consisting of five proposals: expand the faithful's biblical literacy in sophistication and depth; purge the church's political pretensions and behavior; reformulate Christology to emphasize Jesus as revelator rather than savior; run the church democratically; and repent of anti-Semitism, sexism, homophobia, and other ills by admitting the church has sinned. Often far from limpidly expressed, Carroll's argument also seems, in light of what Philip Jenkins' Next Christendom [BKL Ap 1 02] depicts as Catholicism's future, awfully Euro-American-centric. His insistence on downplaying the Cross, in particular, ignores how Christ's Passion empowers embattled, poor Third World Christians. George Weigel's Courage to Be Catholic [BKL S 1 02] advances more likely changes. An important statement, nevertheless. Ray Olson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Book Description Elaborating on "A Call for Vatican III" in his best-selling book Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews, James Carroll proposes a clear agenda for reform to help concerned Catholics understand the most essential issues facing their Church. He moves beyond current events to suggest new ways for Catholics to approach Scripture, Jesus, and power, and he looks at the daunting challenges facing the Church in a world of diverse beliefs and contentious religious fervor. His case for democracy within the Church illustrates why lay people have already initiated change. Carroll shows that all Catholics -- parishioners, priests, bishops, men and women -- have an equal stake in the Church's future. Conclusion: I share this summary and a few review comments to suggest that the Roman Catholic Church today is still living very much in the wake of John XXIII and Vatican II, now four decades old. I believe that John's influence in the church is as strong now as it has ever been. His critics, and there are few who would openly criticize him because he was so well loved, would try to quote things they agree with, and omit the things with which they would disagree. It is important that we Protestants be aware of these significant debates within the Catholic Church today for a number of reasons. First, because of the size and global image of that church - all Christians are, in one way or another, influenced by it. Johns reforms have the effect of ultimately impacting the whole Christian church, it would seem. Two, there are the makings of a new reformation going on in the Roman Catholic Church today, whether many Catholics think so or not, and whether the current pope likes it or not. Third, the new reform will be different from what occurred in the 16th century. The RCC will not split this time, but will essentially resolve its tensions internally. Many Protestants will support that reform because they see things happening that did not occur 500 years ago. Pope John XXIII is indeed everyone's spiritual father. That, I believe is something we can all celebrate! |
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St. David's United Church.Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The United Church of Canada.
November 24, 2002
