In a recent YouTube video, Matt Fradd, a Catholic apologist I enjoy listening to and highly respect, commented on the Catholic reaction (might be more accurate to say “conservative U.S. Catholic reaction”) to Pope Francis. He spoke about how we have two extremes when it comes to Catholic attitudes towards Francis. On one side, there are those who think Pope Francis, and by extension the church, are doing just fine. He is a capable leader who sometimes says confusing things, but criticism of him is blown way out of proportion in the media. On the other extreme, there are those who think Francis isn’t even the real pope – maybe even an anti-Christ! This is how low a view they have of him. He muddies the doctrinal waters.
Mr. Fradd’s counsel in the video is to take the middle road. Yes, Pope Francis is mediocre. Yes, he has caused confusion among the faithful. Yes, it seems like the hierarchy is corrupt. We’re sitting on a spiritual dung heap right now, but we just need to stay with that tension. You don’t have to look to Pope Francis for guidance, but don’t leave the church either.
I appreciate the counsel. I appreciate any Catholic person in the independent or traditional media space saying, “Stay with the church, and yes, Pope Francis really is our Pope.” I certainly don’t pretend that everything Francis has done during his pontificate has struck me as, well, orthodox – depending on how you define that word.
But as I watched the video, I thought about those two extremes and what it’s like living in the head of either kind of Catholic. I’m friends, or have at least been close acquaintances, with both types. We probably have a few of both in my parish – certainly the anti-Francis kind.
Two Extremes
Let’s play this out. Let’s look at the guy who is a Pope Francis-stan. He loves Pope Francis so much that his writings and sermons are all he ever reads. What kind of Catholic person would this Pope Francis-lover be?
Well, they would care a lot about the environment. They would probably try to live a more carbon-neutral life, especially as once-in-a-hundred-year natural disasters have become almost everyday occurrences around the world. Maybe you disagree with the theory of man-made global warming, but you can hardly say being carbon-neutral is a heretical practice.
This person would most likely emphasize mercy in their life. They would believe that God really loves everyone – even the atheist. He would seek more fervently to practice the works of mercy – helping the sick, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison. And, because of this, would more assuredly secure his own salvation (see Matthew 25:31-46).
He would even stand against gender ideology. He would believe it to be illicit for priests to bless same-sex marriages. He would believe that, even though the church should be busy doing the works of mercy, the church is more than just another NGO. It is the body of Christ. He would value the writings of Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II, since Pope Francis himself liberally quotes and references the writings of his predecessors.
In other words, a person who, as Matt Fradd puts it, thinks everything is fine with Pope Francis and models his own life on his every word would end up actually living a pretty exemplary Catholic life with pretty orthodox Catholic beliefs, which is what we all want, right?
Now let’s look at the other extreme. Let’s imagine (not hard to do) the Catholic who is entirely anti-Francis. What is their spiritual life like?
Certainly, they are orthodox in their beliefs. Maybe they strictly follow the Baltimore Catechism and attend Latin Mass. Maybe they are even right that Francis – or Jorge Bergoglio – is not really the Pope. Unfortunately, Pope Emeritus Benedict has died, and the only successor to him appears to be Pope Francis. So what are they left with? What kind of mental contortions do they have to put themselves through to call themselves true Catholics while, at the same time, rejecting the one element – the pope – that makes their faith distinct? If we have no pope, what exactly are we?
The anti-Francis man has his dignity. He is fighting the good fight. But how exhausting it must be to keep up with every seemingly corrupt clergy appointment, every off-the-cuff papal statement. How grating it must be to hear, in the Mass every week, “together with Francis our pope.”
I know I don’t have to choose between one extreme or the other. But if I had to, I would decide to blissfully think the church is doing just fine simply for my own sanity. Ultimately, the church really is doing just fine, not because I have the pope I want or because I approve of everything my priest says from the pulpit, but because the Holy Spirit can move in a mediocre pope just as easily and effectively as he moves in a mediocre me.
To lay my cards on the table here, I think God chose Pope Francis for the moment we live in now. He speaks to social issues and our climate catastrophes in ways that are refreshing and much-needed. I appreciate his emphasis on the works of mercy and his pastoral approach to people just as I appreciated Benedict, his predecessor’s emphasis on right doctrine and the beauty of the liturgy. Why should we have to choose one over the other?
Seems a little extreme.
©Catholic Anonymous 2023
Pictures generated with Midjourney.
Catholic Anonymous 
Leave a comment