Problems Facing New Pope Francis

I don’t think it is news to anybody at this stage that the Catholic Church in Ireland, and indeed in many parts of the world, is in a state of crisis. I am not just referring to the clerical sex abuse revelations. There is also the problem of falling numbers going to church, the drastic decline in vocations to the clergy and to monasteries and convents, and the alienation of so many people due to rejection of Church teaching on issues like women priests and sexual teaching.

In the face of all this it is generally acknowledged that we do not have good leadership in the Irish Church. The large majority of the bishops are quiet, almost timid, men who are not very good at presenting the Christian message in the public arena, in a way that is necessary today.

We were all surprised when Pope Benedict resigned some months ago. And maybe those of us who follow Vatican affairs more closely were even more surprised at the tenor of the discussion that went on when the cardinals came together and before they went in to conclave to elect the new pope. I did not expect them to recognise and highlight as strong as they did the urgent need for reform of the Vatican system, known as the Curia.

And then along comes Pope Francis. He is clearly different to his immediate predecessors. He refused to live in the papal apartments; he constantly stresses the need for the Church to be on the side of the poor; he speaks informally, off the cuff – which must be a nightmare for the Church officials, who are used to weighing and measuring every word; he mixes freely with the people; he stresses the importance of simple living for bishops and priests, and he smiles a lot.

All of this is good, and apparently it is having an impact in Rome. Recently an old cardinal, in his eighties, who liked to dress up in all his regalia, was seen at a restaurant in the Trastevere dressed in simple black suit and white collar.  When someone asked him why the change he is reported to have said: “Simple is now the new chic!”

How important is all of this for the Church? It is a good start, there is no doubt about that. There is a sense of fresh air blowing around the place. But the real test is still to come. Up to now it is style; we wait for the substance. Reforming the Curia is probably the most difficult, but also the most important, task that faces Francis. During the reign of the last two popes the Curia became enormously powerful. It was they who effectively ruled the Church, as I know to my own cost. This was not the vision of Church governance that was outlined in the Second Vatican Council, the fiftieth anniversary of which we are celebrating this year. That Council outlined a different style of government, where the bishops would be in regular communication with the pope, and where the major decisions would be made at that level rather than in closeted offices in Rome. (Now we would hope for that style of government to include real input for lay people). It will not be easy for Francis to bring about this change.  The Curia is very powerful, and people who have power, either in the civil or religious world, do not give it away easily. Pope Francis spoke recently about there being “a stream of corruption” within the Curia, and he has already often referred to the evil of “careerism” in the Church. If he can manage to root that out, and greatly reduce the power of the Curia, he will have done a magnificent job, and he will go down in history as one of the great popes. But if he fails, and if the present style is not followed by real substance, then when he retires (as I believe he will in five or six years time) everything will revert to the way it was. We will be left with the problems.

Most readers will know that I have had my personal difficulties with the Vatican in the past two years. People are now constantly asking me if the new pope will make a difference in my situation. I do not expect so. But I would have great hope that the way in which the Vatican has handled my case, and many others like me around the world, will not continue. I would hope for greater compassion, and the exercise of justice in the procedures of the Church.