Francis is no doctrinal liberal

Amazonian exhortation points towards Pope’s real aim, writes David Quinn

When Humanae Vitae was issued in 1968 by Pope Paul VI, it was greeted with dismay and anger by many people, including practicing Catholics, who expected the Church to relax its previous prohibition against the use of artificial means of birth control by Catholics.

But Paul VI decided to pull back from the brink because he knew that if the Church was to do this, there would follow a wholesale and radical change in what the Church believes sex is for, but that it would also open the door to big changes in other important areas of Church teaching. People would ask, if the Church could be so wrong for so long about something as important as this, what else might it be wrong about?

Last week, Pope Francis also pulled back from the brink. Admittedly the issue was of far less importance to far fewer people than artificial contraception, nor did it form part of the doctrinal teaching of the Church. Nonetheless, it was significant enough. Many Catholics were hoping the Pope was about to relax the celibacy rule and permit priests to marry in certain circumstances. Some were also hoping he would open the door to women deacons.

In the end, he did neither – not yet anyway.

The opportunity for change came in the form of a synod on the Amazon which took place last month. Over 30 million people live in that part of the world which spans several South American countries, chiefly Brazil. Large sections of the Amazon are remote and inaccessible, and many people still live traditionally and according to ancient tribal customs.

Exploitation

Questions before the synod included: how should these people be saved from economic exploitation and environmental destruction; how should the Church bring the Gospel to them while also respecting their traditions; and what should be done about the shortage of priests in large parts of the Amazon?

On the last question, a majority of bishops at the synod recommended that the way be opened for mature, respected married tribal elders to become priests. This would be a different thing than allowing already married priests into the Catholic Church as happened with some Anglicans.

It would be a bit more like the exception given to priests belonging to the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches. They can become priests if they are already married in accordance with the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

But the tribal elders of the Amazon have no previous Christian tradition in their region that they can call on to justify permitting married men to become priests. This would be something new. The justification was that if there are few priests, then Catholics in the region could go months at a time without being able to attend Mass or receive the Eucharist. Allowing married priests might alleviate that situation somewhat.

If an exception was made for the Amazon, then what about other parts of the world where priests are scarce, including, eventually, Ireland?”

Last week Pope Francis issued his post-synodal Apostolic exhortation, Querida Amazonia, and, as mentioned, did not green-light married priests for the region.

Why didn’t he accept the recommendation? One reason might well be that he was worried about the precedent it would set. If an exception was made for the Amazon, then what about other parts of the world where priests are scarce, including, eventually, Ireland?

The Catholic Church in Germany wanted Francis to accept the recommendation in favour of married priests in order to help relieve its own growing priest shortage. So, there is no question that the Pope would have set a precedent others would have wanted to follow.

But the Pope seemed to have another reason in mind; he wants a more lay-Church to emerge.

In a crucial section he says: “Priests are necessary, but this does not mean that permanent deacons (of whom there should be many more in the Amazon region), religious women and lay persons cannot regularly assume important responsibilities for the growth of communities, and perform those functions ever more effectively with the aid of a suitable accompaniment.”

Even more tellingly he then adds: “Consequently, it is not simply a question of facilitating a greater presence of ordained ministers who can celebrate the Eucharist. That would be a very narrow aim, were we not also to strive to awaken new life in communities. We need to promote an encounter with God’s word and growth in holiness through various kinds of lay service that call for a process of education – biblical, doctrinal, spiritual and practical – and a variety of programmes of ongoing formation.”

I think the crucial words there are “narrow aim”. He does not want a Church that is over-reliant on priests to do the hard work of spreading the Gospel and evangelising. He wants lay people to take up far more of the challenge.

We should know from our own experience that a clergy-dominated Church is not always a living Church, and is sometimes the opposite. Obviously, a balance must be struck. As Francis says, “Priests are necessary”. That goes without saying. But if the laity are not ‘on fire’ for the Gospel, then the Church itself will struggle badly.

Francis wants a merciful Church that emphasises care of the poor and the environment”

In fact, in a way, the issue of married priests has distracted from a main message of Querida Amazonia, namely Francis’s vision of a much more lay Church.

He has disappointed some of his liberal supporters, however, who wanted him to pave the way for the abolition of the rule of celibacy and green-light women deacons as a step on the road to women priests.

But Pope Francis is not a doctrinal liberal. This is why some traditionalists have been unnecessarily alarmed by him, and some doctrinal liberals too excited by him. He wants a merciful Church that emphasises care of the poor and the environment, but the synod on the Amazon and his response to it seems to have confirmed that he wants the Church to remain true to its ancient teachings and traditions. That should not be such a surprise.