That there are some who are not happy with the ideas Pope Francis is introducing into the Church is common knowledge. Among these there are prelates and a number of clergy. These are of concern to the Pope because, at least some of them not only express doubt and suspicion but also accuse the pope of being unorthodox in his teaching.
Another concern of the Pope is that certain sections of the Catholic media have made it a habit of undermining the Pope’s authority by sowing suspicion and doubt about his teachings. During his visit to Slovakia, the Jesuit Pope held a meeting with a number of Slovak Jesuits and one of them asked him how he dealt with suspicion. The answer the Pope gave him reveals the suffering that this continuous criticism is causing him.
Pope Francis replied: “I personally deserve attacks and insults because I am a sinner but the Church doesn’t. They are the work of the devil.” Although the Pope did not mention any entity by name, given that during his flight he had lingered with journalists from EWTN, the television network founded by Mother Angelica, most interpreted that he was referring to this station. EWTN is the best known worldwide Catholic station but it is not the only one critical of the Pope.
Pope Francis distinguishes between himself as a human being, Jorge Bergoglio, and himself as Pope. He accepts criticism personally, but when he is criticised as head of the Church it all assumes a different meaning. As head of the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is the centre of its unity and the guarantor of its orthodoxy.
Pope Francis is trying to put the Church on a different footing by going back to the documents of Vatican II, most of which had been implemented only superficially, and at times not at all. Undermining the Pope’s authority is undermining his project. Even after Vatican II, some had not appreciated the new language the Church used in the Council.
Francis compared the Church to a field hospital, a community of wounded people craving for healing. This community needs patience because healing takes time. In the meantime, this vulnerability demands that the Church keeps very close and be extremely merciful.
The Pope is not changing the doctrinal; he is simply saying that we should not impose a rigid law on those who, for the time being, are not strong enough to carry it
In this context, Pope Francis is prioritising the pastoral and the evangelical over the doctrinal. The Pope is not changing the doctrinal; he is simply saying that we should not impose a rigid law on those who, for the time being, are not strong enough to carry it. After all, this is how Jesus himself dealt with the adulterous woman; he did not stone her, he told her “Neither do I condemn you” (Jn 8,11). Not condemning her does not mean he condoned her behaviour; he prioritised the pastoral over the doctrinal.
This is something some seem unable to understand, and they are using Catholic media to spread their dissent. And yet, it is the way of the Gospel! Without judging anybody, one wonders whether their real motivation is the good of the Church.