is the title of this E. J. Dionne column in today's Washington Post. Dionne is aware of the disagreements between Progressives and Conservatives on the varied messages the Pope has delivered, and are likely to cease on those that most resonate with their preexisting positions.
Dionne, himself a Catholic, think that misses the real meaning of the Pope's message, although in this passage
It’s hard to see how progressives don’t come out ahead, simply because the pope has radically reordered the priorities of the church. He is not fighting culture wars. He is fighting against them.
he makes clear his own beliefs of the thrust of the Pope's agenda.
Perhaps this paragraph is notable:
Someone speaking in Spanish — the language of most of the pope’s coming addresses — about justice, poverty, a warming planet and the imperative of welcoming immigrants would not have gotten a warm reception at the Republicans’ presidential debate last week.
But there is much more.
This Pope speaks about the injustices caused by capitalism, in "searing" terms, in a way that Dionne notes might call some to label him a Marxist. Here I note that in Acts of the Apostles, the New Testament book that most addresses the operation of the early Church, we actually see a form of communism, in that people brought what they had and laid it at the feet of the Apostles who distributed according to need among the faithful.
Dionne offers an analysis of Marx, and a description of how the Pope's actions display his real message, as one can see in this paragraph, which describes whom the Pope will visit:
In a moving New York Times piece about one of the pope’s planned stops in New York, columnist Jim Dwyer described the invitation list: “carwashers . . . Hudson Valley farmworkers, day-laborers, immigrant mothers, and teenagers and children who have crossed the border without their parents.” In Philadelphia, Francis will visit the city’s largest jail. In Washington, he will bless the needy who get help from Catholic Charities. His ministry will be right out of what the Catholic Mass says of Jesus: “To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners freedom, and to those in sorrow joy.”
After noting that the readings for the Pope's masses include the words from James about faith without works being dead, Dionne notes
If Francis inspires widespread Catholic guilt about our individual and collective failures to pay attention to those whom he’s lifting up — well, isn’t that part of his job description?
The word 'catholic' means universal, as opposed to parochial (in the sense of being local). As the leader of a church which assumes that title for itself, one going back to the early Creeds of the Church ("one holy, catholic and apostolic church) Francis - a Jesuit who chose as his papal name that of the founder of the Franciscans, a man who chose voluntary poverty in solidarity with the many poor of his time - understands hie responsibility to advocate a universal vision, one not limited to the faithful of his own flock.
I will skip Dionne's penultimate paragraph, which addresses the notion of the Pope that those who have reasons for leaving the Catholic Church can also have reasons to return, to end mu quotations with his final words:
My friend Father Tom Reese has observed that Francis “preaches the Gospel, not the catechism.” That the Gospel is radical will take many people aback — and challenging our assumptions is what Francis is here to do.
That challenging of necessity includes challenging how we teach and understand. It is radical in the original Latin origin of that adjective - it goes back to the roots, in this case, the "Good News" of the Gospel itself.
I do not identify as a Christian. But this part of the Christian message has always resonated with me, as it has with millions of non-believers across time. That has always been one part of the appeal of Francis of Assisi, whose name the Pope has adopted.
And remember, this is a man who since he became a bishop has foregone much of the pomp and luxury that normally accompanies high church office, even since his elevation to the highest office he currently occupies.
Read the column.
It will deepen your understanding of the humanity of Francis.
Peace.