If you picked up a brush stroke of sarcasm in that last line, you're on to something. But it's truly only a touch of irony, because the pope's visit was a true gift, and pouring over his public words delivered during both the Cuban and U.S. legs of his visit to the Western Hemisphere is a great source of spiritual nourishment. Whatever disquiet I'm feeling isn't with Pope Francis, but rather with many of his supporters and detractors. We still don't get it: the pope is not a politician. He isn't a Republican or Democrat. He isn't here to satisfy our preconceived agenda concerning what direction the Church should go in. He is here to testify to the truth and hearten the faithful. But we can't help but pick over every word and gesture of the Holy Father and use them to justify our own agendas.
When Pope Francis speaks before Congress, calling for the universal abolition of the death penalty and international arms trade progressives rejoice and traditionalists cringe. When he visits the Little Sisters of the Poor, who presently have a law suit pending against the government over certain provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act, the gesture proves that he's a culture warrior. But wait, he also privately met with a former student and his same sex partner, so he must be open minded about marriage "equality." Oh no, he also met with Kim Davis, the county clerk jailed for not issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples: it simply can't be! Will this man make up his mind who he is?
Who he is is the supreme pontiff: the great bridge builder. Within the Church his mission is to insure unity, correct error and encourage the faithful. To the world he is to be a link, a bridge, between Christ and all people of good will, and even those lacking in such favorable intentions. He points out where the Church and the world share common cause, and where we may disagree, but always in the spirit of keeping the lanes of communication open. So he meets with all sorts of people: Jews and gentiles, Christians and pagans, clean and unclean, hoping to persuade at least some.
Now the Church is in the midst of a synod. It doesn't carry the same weight as a full blown council, but it does have some of the qualities of one. As Bishop Robert Barron has observed in the past, during a council the Church is in a state of suspense as She makes an examination of Herself, questioning what is the truth and what is the best way ahead. When a council ends, then its back to business as usual, but with a renewed sense of purpose and focus. The present synod, in particular, has this quality of keeping us in suspense. Even if there are no great doctrinal pronouncements made, there will surly be administrative and process changes made or solidified that will change the way marriage prep is done and the annulment process is conducted. This is not just speculation: we've been told, in so many words, by our local tribunal office to wait until December before initiating annulment proceedings so that we can see exactly what the extent of the reforms initiated by the Holy Father last month will be. There is also the small, practical detail, that the reforms already put in place won't take effect until December 8 (the beginning of the Holy Year of Mercy) and the new forms aren't prepared yet. Whether the changes are big or small, two straight years of living in suspense has taken its toll on my delicate psyche, and I've just needed to take a step back.
Fatigued as I am, this will be the week I start to really pay attention to the goings on in Rome. I'll be back with more reflections on that, and on the pope's recent U.S. visit.
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