tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9079768492368412111.post4202400969463612972..comments2023-02-14T06:38:36.422-06:00Comments on Nothingness: "Bishop" of Rome: Sign to the Eastern ChurchTheraPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684120043427738135noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9079768492368412111.post-36657237127322245662013-03-19T08:55:11.407-05:002013-03-19T08:55:11.407-05:00Your sentiments equal mine, Alan, dear friend! I ...Your sentiments equal mine, Alan, dear friend! I have modest hopes that at the very least this man keeps his Jesuit values and continues to reach out to all people, particularly the most vulnerable, all of whom he enumerated so well this morning. (I've added a link to his sermon near the end of the post.) And, yes, I completely agree that we won't be seeing the huge changes most Americans would prefer to see. <br /><br />Nevertheless I rejoice in all the positive signs he is clearly telegraphing. With his every appearance!<br /><br />Blessings upon you. And I hope your life has continued to blossom with lovely surprises!<br /><br />TheraPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17684120043427738135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9079768492368412111.post-4295824884537352002013-03-19T08:28:13.764-05:002013-03-19T08:28:13.764-05:00I have been watching the pontificating around the ...I have been watching the pontificating around the new papacy with some interest - and a bit of amusement at times. So many want to see so much in this, and how often commenters fail to grasp the context.<br /><br />Seeing a Jesuit elevated is a source of much joy. I am Jesuit-educated (high school) and though I can at best be described as a lapsed Catholic, my respect for the order has never faltered. How can it? Jesuits are about frontline service to the people, and to the same degree, about scholarship, for themselves and everyone else who will. This can only be a double positive, in a hierarchy too long and too often mired in pomp and pomposity.<br /><br />All that said, we can not overlook the system, the structure, that gave rise to Francis. Those seeking dramatic turns in many arenas will not find them. <br /><br />The changes I do hope to see are to first, deal once and for all time with the child abuse problem that has beset Catholicism for far too long. If it takes a massive purge of everyone who perpetrated, abetted, concealed, or simply ignored it, so be it.<br /><br />Second, return to a service orientation, heavy on the social justice concerns he seems well aware of, and let the politicking go, at least for now. <br /><br />I don't expect a vocal commitment to marriage equality, nor the ordination of women, and likely not even a quick end to a celibate priesthood. Would I like to see these? Of course. Will we? No!<br /><br />To those who decry this, I'd offer a reminder: Had he advocated these changes, he would never have risen even to the level of Jesuit provincial. <br /><br />In those areas, I suspect the best we can hope for is that the Vatican does not absorb and digest his simplicity, and turn him into another theatrical figure covering the proverbial multitude of sins.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06939468809703630844noreply@blogger.com