Sometime I think that I am in some sort of "crazy making" church drama. On the one hand, I am always reading about the fine things that Pope Francis has said that encourages me to think and believe that the way the Vatican and other Church personnel do business will change for the better, that is, change so as to reflect the on-going presence of Christ. For instance, one of the most discussed events to do with Pope Francis, is his now infamous interview.

I admire Pope Francis and I am truly grateful for his holy leadership, in as much, as he can be holy. He talks a fine talk and I think, he will attempt to walk his talk. However, and there is an however, he is confronted by many a challenge from within and from without the institutional Church. There are many, many factors at play in Pope Francis’s attempt to bring about reform and renewal.

I was not pleased to see that he signed off on an excommunication for the Australian priest. I am not saying that the Australian priest was correct in all of his actions as a minister, but, really, who can in 2013, honestly believe that they have authority to decide who is in and who is out of God’s Church and ultimately God’s Kingdom? Not only that, but, supposedly, he was excommunicated because he discussed and promoted the ordination of women. The Pope is WRONG in his belief that Christ does not call certain women to teach, preach, and sanctify. It is pure , unadulterated arrogance for him and or anyone else to think they can determine every single Catholic woman’s relationship with Christ. Does the Pope know my story? Does the Pope know how Christ has graced me? Does the Pope know what spiritual experiences were given to me? Does the Pope know absolutely, positively, every story of every Catholic woman? NO, HE DOES NOT. Therefore it is also pure ignorance to continue to declare that Christ did not call women to the priesthood and I prefer to say….teach, preach, and sanctify…And to excommunicate anyone because they have experienced the truth that Christ can and will call women to teach, preach, and sanctify is in my opinion the real excommunicating offence While Pope Francis has declared several times that "clericalism is a problem", he appears to act as a cleric of the worst kind on occasion himself.

From the content of the now well publicized interview Pope Francis had with the Jesuits, many people have assumed that Pope Francis seeks dialogue, true consultation, and compassion for all peoples, particularly those of us who call ourselves Catholics. There are people who believe that he disagrees with some of the disciplinary actions of the CDF and that perhaps, the silencing and censuring of priests will be overturned.

I don’t know. I want to believe that things will change, but, honestly, I think, change will come in dribs and drabs and that in the final analysis, I will have heard a lot of great ideas and promising talk, but, very little of the rosy rhetoric will create real change. I would not be the only one of this opinion. If you care to, you can find an essay by Jerry Slevin, an international retired lawyer, who has written about what he thinks about the prospect of change under Pope Francis. He references his work on the Association of Catholic Website this past week.

"As a New York, Harvard Law trained lawyer (Mary Robinson got her degree with me), with pure Donegal genes, I have put my best shot into my new piece, "Does Pope Francis Understand What Reform Means", accessible here: 

The days from October 1 the Feast Day of St. Therese of Lisieux to October 3, the Dias Natalis of St. Francis of Assisi will be the historic meeting of the 8 advisory cardinals and Pope Francis. As Jerry Slevin suggests this meeting is not liable to produce any sweeping change. (paraphrased) However, I have commended this meeting not only to Christ and Mary, but, to Therese and Francis.

What changes do manifest will be because the Lord has tied up the strong man and whatever the Lord deems must change, will change, because God’s will reigns. Things will unfold slowly and you and I just do not know where all the work of Pope Francis will leave the Church.

We have another interview published between Pope Francis and a professed atheist. See the following on the website of the ACP.

Another Francis interview, this time with the atheist editor of Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Eugenio Scalfari. It’s about half the length of the previous Jesuit interview." At this link 

^{--------------}