Two Pontificates, One Direction: Francis’ reign erroneously eulogized as a marked turning point

The current reigning Pontiff, Pope Francis, recently passed away on Easter Monday.  What a blessing it was for him to bless the Church one last time for Easter Sunday!  Now, in the wake of his death, there are several articles which point to Francis as the Pontiff who has most marked a turning point for the Catholic Church.

I will not, at this time, speak ill of our recently departed Papa.  There is already too much of that going around.  I WILL, however, briefly remark on the uncompelling and apparently ill informed judgements and opinions of those who are eulogizing him as one who marked such a turning point for the Church.  There is simply no merit to making such a claim.  Without going too far into the weeds on Pope Francis’ legacy, he was a Pontiff coming on the heels of two other post Vatican II papacies - but perhaps without the clarity of theological articulation of the Council’s promulgations that his predecessors possessed.  His policies were continuations of the Council in the wake of other Church leadership doing the same thing, and through a predictably changing world.  Compare this briefly with the pontificate of John Paul II.  Note: my intent is not to compare the theology or administerial actions of the two figures; the idea here is to acknowledge the drastically different missions and circumstances of the papacies.

John Paul II assumed the throne in the wake of two world wars, the rise of the USSR, Vatican II, and the developing foreign policies of the US - just to name a few.  To say that the world was charting volatile waters of unprecedented magnitude is an understatement.  The world was changing fast, and was introduced to economic, martial, and societal upheavals of unheard of proportions.  And, in the not-so-distant future, the dawn of the New Millennium was fast approaching.  

The spiritual weight of the year 2000 cannot be overstated.  In the history of the people of God, whose story we just recounted on the Easter Vigil, every 50 years was a year of Jubilee.  It was a year of thanksgiving, mercy, and praise of the Graciousness of God.  The year 2000, however, was a solemn year of jubilee.  In the Jewish Tradition, this year especially was marked by rest, and the most grievous of transgressions were forgiven.

How appropriate should the solemn jubilee fall in the wake of the world’s wrestling with the advances of modern technology and societal development!  But, in order for the theological weight and forgiveness of a solemn Jubilee to be realized and not turn into license, the Church desperately needed the hand of a solid leader.  JPII realized this, and provided that leadership.  It was his express mission: to lead the Church into the new Millennium.  His pontificate was pointed and driven with a clearly identified goal.  It truly marked a turning point for the Church.

The Church led by Pope Francis was one of continuation, not turning: the jubilee, the adjusting world of modernity, the Council, all are matters for settled history.  Not that their effects are over; far from it.  The world is still adjusting and trying to find its identity from the events of the 1900s.  It’s just continuing on the path set during that time.  There is no turning point; there was no end goal for Francis’ pontificate.

May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Allelluia.