ROME — For more than a quarter-century, from 1978 to 2005, Pope John Paul II was one of the most popular figures in the world, with adoring crowds and high favorability ratings among world leaders. The future saint’s funeral Mass 11 years ago was one of the most-watched broadcast events in the history of television.
Yet as is always the case with strong leaders, he was also sometimes polarizing inside the institution he led. In particular, more liberal Catholics often charged that too much power accumulated in the Vatican on John Paul’s watch, and that the church had become too rigid and dogmatic. Yet because it’s buried deep in Catholic DNA to hesitate to criticize a pope outright, a sort of lexicon developed to allow people to make these points in oblique fashion.
If you heard a given theologian or bishop talk about the importance of “collegiality,’’ for instance — referring to the idea that all the bishops should govern the church together as a college, rather than as an absolute monarch in Rome — it often meant they were on the liberal side of arguments about John Paul II. The same went for calls for the church to be more “pastoral,’’ usually meaning not quite so stringent about doctrine and discipline.
Today, we have a similar dynamic with Pope Francis: He’s massively popular around the world, but somewhat divisive inside the church itself. In his case, it’s often more conservative Catholics who find themselves ambivalent.
Here, then, a quick guide to decoding four keywords or phrases in Catholic conversation that can betoken such reactions.
¦ “Clarity.’’ When somebody talks about the importance of being clear about church teaching, it often means they find some of Francis’ verbal formula to be sloppy, misleading, or open to misinterpretation – his famous sound bite “Who am I to judge?’’ being the most commonly cited example.
¦ “Enemies of the church.’’ When you hear a Catholic insisting that the church does indeed have enemies, it can suggest discomfort with all the applause Francis draws from the secular world. It’s a way of saying that his perceived “can’t we all just get along?’’ ethos risks being a bit naïve, because not everyone who postures as a friend of the faith really is.
As it happens, I went to Holy Thursday Mass this week in Rome at a parish church near the Vatican. The pastor made this very point in his homily, insisting that “some people don’t like to say it, but the church has enemies.’’
Among other things, it was a good reminder that even in the pope’s own backyard, you can find people who aren’t necessarily in a full, upright and locked position in support of everything he says and does.
¦ “Primacy of the spiritual.’’ When a Catholic insists that the fundamental thing about the church is not the works of charity it performs, such as feeding the hungry or taking care of the poor, but rather its spiritual teachings and practices — especially its worship, above all the Mass — it can sometimes signal concern that Francis puts too much emphasis on good works and not enough on the supernatural side, including the church’s liturgical life.
(For the record, the pastor at the Roman parish made that point as well last Thursday night.)
¦ “Sin.’’ There’s concern in some quarters that Francis’ keen emphasis on mercy can be misunderstood as an “I’m Okay, You’re Okay’’ sort of lassitude that glosses over the reality of sin in the world. When one insists that mercy enters the picture only after one has fallen, therefore, it can sometimes hint at a desire for the pope to be a little sharper in calling sin by its real name.
Of course, there are both/and solutions to all these contrasts. One can embrace both clarity and pastoral flexibility, for instance, and one can also be equally committed to charity and the spiritual life.
Yet it’s often a question of emphasis, and absolutely no one should be surprised that in a church with 1.2 billion members, more than 400,000 priests and 5,000 bishops worldwide, not every one of those folks puts the accent precisely where the current pope might place it.
All of which, I suppose, adds up to a simple point: It’s just not easy being pope.
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On quite a different note, you may have heard by now that Crux, the Catholic news site sponsored up to this point by The Boston Globe, is moving on to a new home in partnership with the Knights of Columbus, beginning April 1.
As a result, this will be the last time my “All Things Catholic’’ column appears in the pages of the Globe. I’d like to thank the powers that be at the Globe, especially owner John Henry and editor-in-chief Brian McGrory, for taking a chance on Crux and for being so gracious about our transition.
Readers interested in continuing to follow “All Things Catholic’’ will still find it every Sunday on our site, www.cruxnow.com. For as long I keep cranking it out, I’ll always cherish the time it was carried in the Globe, and I’ll never stop being grateful to Globe readers for pushing me to make it sharper, more thoughtful, and just plain better.
Because Crux will live on, I don’t have to use this column to say goodbye. Instead, I’ll put it the way Italians would: Arrivederci, “Until we see each other again!’’
John L. Allen Jr. is a Globe associate editor, covering global Catholicism. Beginning next week, he will take on a new role as editor of the website Crux and his column will be featured there. He can be reached at john.allen@cruxnow.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnLAllenJr, and Facebook, www.facebook.com/JohnLAllenJr.
