Michael KellyIn John Paul II and John XXIII we have ‘titanic Popes’
This week The Irish Catholic is dedicated to the canonisations of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II. Both men, 20th Century Popes, are men of our times. They have been titanic Popes and have shaped the Church profoundly. But, too often, a clichéd and simplistic narrative has sought to set the men up in opposition to one another. What might even be described as rival camps have emerged and sometimes tried to use either man as a battering-ram to target those in the Church with whom they disagree.
In reality, however, both men – while bringing very different emphasis to the papacy – represent a continuity. Catholics believe that the gentle hand of God is there guiding the Church through every generation of human history. While the truths of the Faith remain eternal, each Pope inherits the Church in a particular time and place. When John XXIII became Pope in 1958 after the long pontificate of Pius XII, the Church was in many ways struggling to come to terms with a changed world. John XXIII sought to blend the best insights of the modern world with the Church’s timeless tradition so that the Catholic Church could remain relevant to the men and women of his generation. His calling of Vatican II was a prophetic step to help Catholics face an age-old challenge: how can the Church best express its eternal truths in the modern world.
Chaos
Vatican II dramatically transformed the Church and put it on a footing to dialogue with the modern world. All councils of the Church take time to interpret and authentically understand. In the wake of Vatican II, many people looked not to the council documents for inspiration, but instead decided what they felt was the best way forward and invoked something called the ‘spirit of the council’ to back up their ideas. This approach to Vatican II, bizarrely not actually based on Vatican II, led to huge chaos, particularly in seminaries and house of religious formation.
It was a fractured and often chaotic Church that John Paul II inherited in 1978 after Pope Paul VI’s valiant struggles to keep the Church together in the wake of varied interpretations of the council. A lazy interpretation of Church history seeks to set up John Paul II as an opponent of Vatican II when, in reality, he was a loyal son of the council and during his long pontificate worked hard to ensure that the council was validly transmitted and authentically understood.
In travelling the world with the constant biblical in juncture ‘be not afraid!’ John Paul II brought the challenge of living the faith to a new generation. He sought to mobilise young people to be apostles building a new civilisation of love. I was born just months before John Paul II visited Ireland in 1979 and his papacy has profoundly shaped my life and my Catholic faith. His challenge to “be what you should be” has been one that I have tried to live every day of my life and constantly enlivens my Catholicism. Undoubtedly, for those who grew up under John XXIII, those feelings will be mirrored.
Fresh vision
Pope Francis is presenting both Pope-Saints to the Church as a gift. In canonising both Popes on the same day, Pope Francis is calling believers to move beyond a ‘battering ram’ approach to the Church. He is calling all Catholics to resist the temptation to polarise the Church in opposition to one another. Pope Francis, expressing one of the most important aspects of the Papal Office, is acting as a bridge-builder between diverse visions and interpretations of the Church to call Catholics to communion.
It’s true that the full vision of Vatican II – including fuller lay participation, more participators forms of governance and an authentic collegiality – has yet to be realised. This is particularly true in Ireland. Pope Francis is breathing fresh vision in to these concepts and is expected to further articulate his vision in this regard in coming months. This will be a key part in bring about some of the unfinished business of Vatican II.