On Monday, April 21st, Pope Francis passed away at his residence in the Vatican.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, formerly the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was promoted to the Pope throne on March 13, 2013. Francis’ reign as the best Pontife lasted 12 years.
The Catholic Church is much older than the liberal concept of egalitarianism. It appears to be far older than the modern political concepts of “left” and “right”.
Before we can speculate about the next Pope, I think it would be appropriate to look back at the nature of Pope Francis and his office.
It’s a struggle for traditionalists
As an American conservative and traditionalist Catholic, I have asked myself that I tend to look back at the Pope’s legacy, which many in my circle consider to be stubborn liberals.
Pope Francis’ reign, especially the last four years — has been a struggle for my community. I grew up attending traditional Latin masses. My love for the traditional Mass and sacraments was a determinant of my decision to abandon my career plans and spend the year identifying the priesthood.
When Francis placed serious restrictions on the celebration of the Latin Mass, I was as deeply hurt as many others. Many of my friends and fellow community members felt that the Holy Father had joined the outside world in persecuting faithful Catholics who were attracted to the ancient liturgy of our ancestors.
Unquestionable loyalty
I agreed with them. I felt that the Vatican was mistakenly unfairly chosen (still feel) to persecute some of the church’s most faithful and committed communities. I also agreed with them that no matter how serious these persecutions become – we would never question the obedience and loyalty to the Pope, where we are responsible for them.
Similarly, my disagreement with Pope Francis on political issues such as mass migration, death penalty, imprisonment, policies surrounding Covid-19, and his openness to globalism (not to mention the Catholic insider issues). Fiducia suppliers and Fratelli Tutti) I never made my obedience to him.
I loved Pope Francis, who loved his son’s love for his father. The reason for this loyalty is very simple. I was a Catholic and he was the Pope. No other reasons needed.
Beyond and above
For Catholics, his relationship between the Pope and the Church is never conditioned on modern concepts on either side. For his person, such a label is much more essential than it is.
It’s not surprising that this kind of relationship seems strange to many people. In this country, we tend to take an egalitarian view of leadership. We (of course, in the case of the US government) believe our leaders represent us. They work for us. If they act badly or make mistakes, they should be criticized or ridiculed just like everyone else.
The Catholic Church is far older than the liberal notion of egalitarianism.
The man of Christ on Earth
Our populist views on government do not simply apply to the pope. The Pope does not represent us. He represents Christ. He doesn’t work for us. He works for God. To allow our loyalty to the Pope to be determined by aligning his political views with our own is to treat God as an elected representative.
The Pope’s position as pastor of Christ does not, of course, mean that Catholics cannot express their concerns or criticize them in the respect of the Pope. For Catholics, such concerns and criticism must always be respected and come from a place of charity for concerns about the well-being of the Pope and the Church. The Pope’s role means that he must therefore be respected, but that does not mean that he will not make any mistakes. After all, he is human.
“Knavish Imbecility”
The church has never claimed that its servant was perfect. Many leaders, even the Pope, have made mistakes and behaved badly in the history of the church. While it is perfectly appropriate to point out such behavior, claiming that a bad Pope disproves the Church’s claim is similar to arguing that the US Constitution is not a viable system of government, as Woodrow Wilson was a terrible president.
Hilaire Belloc wrote, “The Catholic Church is an institution where I hold God, but for unbelievers, evidence of its divinity may be seen in the fact that such a falsehood of Navisch had not lasted for two weeks.”
For Catholics, our relationship with our holy father is far beyond policies we may or may not agree with, just as our church is far beyond our political alliance with the foot people around us.
For Catholics, our church is a true Christian religion. Our membership is as much a part of us as our arms and legs. This is loyalty to the Holy Father.
We may think of him, he may treat us, but we know that Christ, who founded our church, remains us “even in the perfection of the world.” With the advice of St. Padre Pio, American Catholic conservatives like me pray, we expect and don’t worry.
