Reflecting on the Francis factor
Local
Jesuit lawyer and author, Father Frank Brennan, says the Catholic Church is in a “new space” with the transition from Pope Francis to Pope Leo XIV and “none of us quite knows in what direction the Church is going”.
Speaking at the Adelaide launch of his new book, Pope Francis: The Disruptive Pilgrim’s Guide, Fr Brennan (pictured) said it was up to all Catholics, including the hierarchy, to be “open to the disruptive influence of the spirit, particularly with those who are on the margins and those who in the past have felt excluded”.
“In one sense Pope Francis basically wanted to put a bomb under the show,” he said.
“He basically thought the Church needed to be more outgoing, more open to the ambiguities and complexities of life.”
Referring to Pope Leo’s election within 24 hours by the cardinals, Fr Brennan said he was seen as someone who could “institutionalise the charisma” of leadership, as opposed to the concerns among some clerics of disunity and lack of clarity under Pope Francis.
“I think we can be grateful that we have a pope like Leo who undoubtedly, with his Peruvian experience, wants to maintain that solid commitment and vision of a Church for the poor, a Church which is open to all while at the same time being attentive to the needs of the Roman curia and the need for clarity of teaching,” he said.
“Like anything in life it’s the pendulum effect…but hopefully if we retain the Francis mission then we can all be disruptive pilgrims, loyal to holy mother Church but true to what Vatican II wanted us to be…a Church where the door is always open.”
Two of the chapters in his book deal with the role of women in the Church and the LGBQTI+ community.
Fr Brennan, the author of 16 books, said he was motivated to write his latest work after speaking to Catholic school teachers around the country. While most thought Pope Francis was a “good thing”, their knowledge of his preaching and writings was limited and they weren’t always clear on what direction he was wanting to take the Church.
Launching the book at St Ignatius’ Church hall at Norwood last month, Adelaide Archbishop Patrick O’Regan said it was a “concise but rich reflection on the transformative and often disruptive papacy of Pope Francis”.
