A Nuanced Look At Pope Francis

A 2019 movie entitled The Two Popes examined a fictitious transition from a conservative pope resembling Pope Benedict XVI to a liberal one resembling the recently deceased Pope Francis. The movie’s unique plot was based on the rare, real-life situation of a living “ex-Pope” being around to converse with and advise his successor. Although it’s safe to assume that the interactions between the two as shown in the film didn’t really happen, it’s a surprisingly plausible presentation of what could have transpired, given the personalities and beliefs of the two men. What the movie shows effectively is the widening gulf in the Catholic Church, as in most modern societies, between conservative and liberal beliefs.

As with most modern issues, there are nuances that people often choose to overlook when forming their opinions about someone. In Pope Francis’ case, one possible misconception stems from his being a Jesuit priest. Jesuits have followed the example of the pope’s namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, who lived a simple life and was generous to the poor. Sounds benign enough. But in the last 50 years or so, many Jesuits became aligned with what is referred to as “liberation theology,” which has as its emphasis “social justice” for the poor. Unfortunately, the liberation theologians seem, by and large, to have a blind spot concerning the evils of communist governments. That’s because the concept of modern liberation theology includes a nod to Marxist analysis as a valid way to lift the poor out of their poverty, and it’s no secret that the Jesuits have been sympathetic to communist influences and takeovers in Latin America in particular. 

It’s easy to conclude that Pope Francis, as a Jesuit, adopted liberation theology, including its Marxist aspects. However, the pope denied that his belief went that far, although he was a vocal critic of market capitalism and claimed that capitalism exploited the poor in favor of the rich. Isn’t that what a Marxist would believe? Still, if we took Francis at his word, he was not a true believer in Marxism. But the way he articulated his beliefs left room for doubt. And what’s beyond doubt is the need for any Christian clergyman, as a representative of Jesus Christ, to condemn Marxism, since it is a religion in itself that leaves no room for Christianity.

Another point of uncertainty regarding the pope’s actual beliefs stemmed from his famous quote about gays: “Who am I to judge?” Upon hearing about this, pop star and gay activist Elton John gushed that the pope was his “hero,” and the pope ultimately allowed the “blessing” of gay couples, a proclamation that left itself open to various interpretations. However, the pope stopped short of actually endorsing gay marriage, despite the cultural left’s insistent pleading that he relent. Was the pope deliberately playing a game of footsie with the gay lobby to curry favor while not giving away the store to them? Of course, we’ll never know the answer, but the pope was smart enough to know that his quote would touch off a firestorm of heated commentary from both sides of the gay marriage issue. Maybe that’s what he wanted.

Argentina, the pope’s homeland, is a country of contrasts where things are not always as they seem. As one who has made many business trips there, I can attest that the Argentinian culture is very different from ours. The people that I dealt with were friendly and generous to a fault, but it was clear that a lot was going on beneath the surface that we Americans could only guess at. Certainly, one could look at the life of Pope Francis and observe that he was a man of contradictions, both in what he said and what he did (or didn’t do). For instance, he outwardly condemned so-called “pedophile priests” who had sexually molested children, but did not back up his words with a global change in canon law that prohibits priests from serving in ministry when it’s been proven they are guilty of sexual abuse. Given the severity of this issue and the stain it has left on the Catholic Church, it’s difficult to understand the pope’s failure to follow through with the logical next step in resolving it. The ongoing shortage of priests is assuredly no justification.

In summary, it would be easy and lackadaisical for a conservative like me to write off Pope Francis as a socialist dreamer who played deliberate word games to throw people off concerning his true beliefs and intentions. However, the truth of the matter is more complex, and the man behind the seeming contradictions did have a heart for God and an understanding, to the extent we humans can have, of the vastness of God’s mercy. It will be interesting to see who comes out of the conclave as his successor.