New Counterreformation or stagnation? Leon XIV stands at a crossroads

gazetafenestra.pl 1 month ago

Donald Trump, asked by journalists about the election of a fresh pope, stated that he would be happy to become 1 himself. This – for apparent reasons – did not happen, but in the words of the president of the United States 1 can look for a certain component of prophecy. A fewer days later, white smoke announced the choice of his countryman. An American with a rich biography and pastoral sensitivity declares the ambition of combining Francis' openness with an organization authority decades ago. Is this the last effort to regain the Church's influence?

When white smoke rose over the Sistine Chapel, the planet held its breath. After 2 days of intense sitting, the Cardinals elected 267 St. Peter's successor. To surprise many, Robert Francis Provost – an American born in Chicago, a erstwhile Augustian, a missionary in Peru, and more late a prefect of the Bishops' Dicastery. Taking the name Leon XIV, he reached for the legacy of Leon XIII – the pope of modern social thought. A symbolic choice? Definitely. And the signal: The Vatican is back in play.

The current fresh Bishop of Rome differs much from his predecessor – not so much with views, but with temperament and approach to power. Francis, the first Pope from outside Europe in over a 1000 years, was a reformer with a pastoral heart. His pontificate focused on beginning the Church on the periphery, concern for the poor, ecology and inclusion. Bergoglio rejected the courtship of the curia, traveled to places forgotten by the planet and provoked theological debate on subjects so far silenced – women in the Church, LGBT+ community, decentralization of power. Leon XIV is different. As the head of the Augustians, the bishop in Peru and the Vatican official, for years he combined missionary sensitivity with managerial skills. He is neither a clear conservative nor a liberal – he is simply a man of balance. However, it has something that Francis lacked – organization experience and the ability to make hard decisions without resorting to the rhetoric of the revolution. This made him the perfect candidate for those cardinals who wanted “continuation without controversy”. However, his choice was not obvious. Prior to the conclave, the names of cardinals from Africa (e.g. Turkson), Central Europe (Erdő ) and Latin America (Maradiaga, Tagle) were frequently mentioned. Prevost was a candidate for the measure, but his calm strength and moderately gained the support of 2 key blocks: reformers and average conservatives.

New-old direction

In his first speech as Pope Leon XIV, he announced his imagination of the pontificate: “The church must fear neither the planet nor itself. It must be a light but besides a sign of opposition." This deliberately ambiguous phrase may mean a fresh kind of papal regulation – more determined than Francis, but without undoing reforms. Prevost does not hide that he wants to reconstruct greater global influence to the Vatican – not only in a spiritual dimension but besides in a geopolitical dimension. It was no accident that in the first days of the pontificate he met with ambassadors of the largest states and announced the creation of a fresh Secretariat for Global dialog – an institution to combine religions and influence peace processes. Does this mean returning to the Papacy model as a global quarterback? Yes and no. Francis decentralized the Church, giving Episcopal conferences greater autonomy. Leon XIV does not intend to reverse it, but besides wants to reconstruct the central authority of the Holy See on key moral and political issues – wars, migrations, climate crisis, artificial intelligence. It was adequate to talk about a fresh imagination of Papacy – more technocratic, little sentimental. But is the Church so varied, unstable and tired of crises ready to return to the strong centre? "Make Vatican large Again" is not just a public joke. He refers to longing for times erstwhile the popes had a real influence on planet order alternatively than simply the moral conscience of the world. Prevost himself does not usage this language, but his actions – reorganization of the Curia, individual order, announcements of the fresh pastoral constitution indicate a strong will to renew the Vatican's function as the center of the Catholic world.

His pontificate may besides mean a greater emphasis on the formation of bishops and priests. Provost, as a erstwhile prefect of the Bishops' Dicastery, is well aware of pathologies harassing local Churches: careerism, deficiency of spirituality, ideological polarization. As part of 1 of the first decisions as Pope, he announced a worldwide program for the renewal of the clergy—formative, psychological, and intellectual. It's ambitious, but necessary. The differences between Francis and Leon XIV are not radical, but significant. Bergoglio wanted the Church to be a "field hospital" – a place to treat wounds. Prevost seems to want to make him again a "city on top": strong, organized, influential. It is simply a imagination that can gain support in Africa and Asia – where the Church grows and needs structures – but to awaken skepticism in western Europe, where organization authority is in retreat.

Is it a return to the past or a step towards the future? It's besides early to judge. But 1 thing is certain – the pontificate of Leon XIV may be the last effort to reconcile the spiritual mission of the Church with the realities of the 21st century. If Francis was the voice of conscience in a time of chaos, Leon XIV wants to be a peacemaker and strategist in an age of expanding tensions. alternatively of revolution – consolidation. alternatively of provocation, mediation. alternatively of gestures, structures. If successful, the Vatican may regain authority among the Conservatives, whom Francis' pontificate seemed besides radical. If not, it will be a symbol of past times, which tried to return but had no place to go.

MAZIOPA OIL

Read Entire Article