Francis’s Team in Command of the Church. All Jesuits

[Michie]

Incredible but true. Just now now when in a few decades it has lost a good half of its forces, the Society of Jesus has surged to the heights of command of the Catholic Church as never before.

Francis’s story is well known. He is the first Jesuit pope in history: he who notwithstanding had more adversaries than friends in the Society and took care not to set foot in its general curia whenever he came to Rome as a cardinal.

But the innovation is that in this last phase of his pontificate – declining in age but not in ambitions – Francis has equipped himself with a veteran attack team, all his own and made up entirely of Jesuits.

The top man of this team is without a doubt Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich (pictured), archbishop of Luxembourg. Top man, in Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s plans, both for today and for tomorrow.

For today, the task assigned to him by Francis is to steer, as relator general, the world synod that got underway in 2021 and will last at least until 2024, but in the pope’s mind even beyond, with the task of remodeling the Church under the banner of none other than a permanent “synodality.”

While for tomorrow it is no mystery that Hollerich is also Francis’s candidate “in pectore” for his succession, on which the current synod will have decisive influence, effectively obliging the future pope – whoever he may be – to take delivery on and continue the “process,” a bit as happened to Paul VI with the Vatican Council II inherited from John XXIII.

The general rehearsal of this world synod is the one underway in Germany, which is already infecting other national Churches without Francis’s opposing any effective restraint, with the inevitable litany of fashionable reforms, ranging from married priests to women priests, from new sexual and homosexual morality to the democratization of Church governance.

It is impossible not to recall that some of these were the reforms that another great Jesuit, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (1927-2012), had included in the agenda of the future Church in a memorable 1999 speech. Martini is known to have had a negative view of Bergoglio, but the supporters of the current pontificate are having a field day making him the “prophet” of the reforms for which Francis is supposedly paving the way at last and of which Hollerich has already repeatedly said he is in favor.

Continued below.
Francis’s Team in Command of the Church. All Jesuits

 

[Lulav]

Francis has equipped himself with a veteran attack team, all his own and made up entirely of Jesuits.

An Attack team? What exactly does that mean? Something like the days of the Inquisition?

The general rehearsal of this world synod is the one underway in Germany, which is already infecting other national Churches without Francis’s opposing any effective restraint, with the inevitable litany of fashionable reforms, ranging from married priests to women priests, from new sexual and homosexual morality to the democratization of Church governance.

Does this mean the Church will start allowing for married priests, having priests that are women and also could be homosexual and it be accepted?

 

[Michie]

An Attack team? What exactly does that mean? Something like the days of the Inquisition?

I assume that means furthering Pope Francis’ causes and goals.

Does this mean the Church will start allowing for married priests, having priests that are women and also could be homosexual and it be accepted?

I doubt it. The infallible teachings of the Church cannot be changed. That’s what I’ve been taught.

 

[Lulav]

I assume that means furthering Pope Francis’ causes and goals.



I doubt it. The infallible teachings of the Church cannot be changed. That’s what I’ve been taught.

Thanks for answering. So can I ask how you see this statement?

"without Francis’s opposing any effective restraint, with the inevitable litany of fashionable reforms, ranging from married priests to women priests, from new sexual and homosexual morality"

 

[Michie]

Thanks for answering. So can I ask how you see this statement?

"without Francis’s opposing any effective restraint, with the inevitable litany of fashionable reforms, ranging from married priests to women priests, from new sexual and homosexual morality"

It’s a fear that many have that Pope Francis and his team will push for certain reforms or presenting established teaching in a distorted fashion, even saying these teaching can evolve and morph into something else. But the point is, even the pope cannot go against the infallible teachings of the Church. If the pope decides he wants to proclaim something ex-cathedra, it must go through all the proper channels with other clergy weighing in. His personal thoughts and opinions are his own. None are obligated to agree with them.

 

[Lulav]

It’s a fear that many have that Pope Francis and his team will push for certain reforms or presenting established teaching in a distorted fashion, even saying these teaching can evolve and morph into something else. But the point is, even the pope cannot go against the infallible teachings of the Church. If the pope decides he wants to proclaim something ex-cathedra, it must go through all the proper channels with other clergy weighing in. His personal thoughts and opinions are his own. None are obligated to agree with them.

Thank you Michie, That helped my understand quite a bit. I'm just wondering now why he would assemble a whole team if they really don't have the power to push this kind of thing through?

 

[Michie]

Thank you Michie, That helped my understand quite a bit. I'm just wondering now why he would assemble a whole team if they really don't have the power to push this kind of thing through?

Because they think they can get around it or find some sort of loophole and create a new understanding to present to us. Many are faithful to the teachings of the Church and some are simply company men. I’m not saying that the case here but these are the fears many have. We just need to pray and stay alert. These are just my speculations based on the things I have seen in this papacy. Not saying I’m 100% correct but I and many others really do wonder what the heck is going on. When the pope will not clarify or answer questions, these things are bound to happen. It just seems there is an underlying hostility of the things that came before us and some within the Church seem bent on upending a lot of those things.