Francis on the Church in Public Life

"504. Whether out of an exaggerated old-fashioned laicism, or an ethical relativism proposed as the foundation of democracy, powerful groups claim seek (sic) to reject any presence and contribution from the Church in the public life of nations, and pressure it to retire to church buildings and its “religious” services. Conscious of the distinction between political community and religious community, the basis for a healthy secularity, the Church will not shrink from being concerned for the common good of peoples, especially for the defense of ethical principles that are non- negotiable because they are rooted in human nature." From the Aparecida Document.

"...political commitment needs to be reconsidered... believers and non-believers must work together to promote a society in which injustices can be overcome and each person welcomed and given the chance to use their own personal skills to contribute to the common good.” Pope Francis speaking to Italian President Napolitano on June 8

I think it's  a safe bet Francis will not be an inward looking pope. He's right about the powerful groups. We hear them in our parish. Whether the issue is health care for the indigent, immigration reform, or dialog with Muslims there are those who object, often loudly. Some of them are my friends. They don't think we should be doing those things.

We've always had the support of our bishops, and at least the tacit approval of our pastor, but I'm not sure what they really teach in the seminary. Newly ordained priests don't seem to rank social justice very high in their priorities, or even know much about it. So far as I know ours is the only parish in Collin County with an active Social Justice Ministry. In the fifty years since Vatican II I have heard precious little from the pulpit on the subject beyond birth control and abortion. We can't blame that on "old fashioned laicism." Francis has some work to do getting clergy behind him as well.

Including bishops. Our bishops have enormous power and prestige. If parish priests don't place a big priority on social justice it is a reasonable conclusion their bishops don't either. But who am I to tell bishops what to do? Maybe Francis will tell them.

Actually we do quite a lot, even if much of it is simple charity, not the sort that will lead to recipients standing on their own. Far too little is controversial. There are some important exceptions. Catholic Relief Services does some really good work with Fair Trade, and with offering basic health care to the worlds poor. But their budget is only about $725 million or so, a fraction of the need. Some US bishops refuse to support even that, not allowing their dioceses to participate in the annual CRS Collection. CRS often works with groups they don't approve of. Fortunately CRS has access to other private donations and government grants.

It is governments that have the resources for heavy lifting in this work, and Francis wants to see more involvement from the church, lay and clerical. He will get some push back but this may be the area where we can do the most good. He wants more involvement for example in international trade negotiations, always of course with an eye out for the poor and excluded. The Vatican and the USCCB both already do that but neither takes positions for or against specific trade deals. Maybe Francis will change that.

He has a lot of ideas. The Aparecida document includes specific proposals for dealing with migrants, street people, the sick, addicts,  and prisoners, all with a healthy mix of church and state involvement. I expect Pope Francis to be an active advocate for justice and to issue more than a few calls to action.