Will Pope Francis Finish Martin Luther’s Reformation?

By Jerry Slevin
Christian Catholicism
March 5, 2014

http://christiancatholicism.com/will-pope-francis-finish-martin-luthers-reformation/

In three year’s time, the world will mark both (A) the 500th anniversary of the German theologian, Martin Luther’s Reformation launch, and (B) the first Jesuit Pope, Francis’ 80th birthday. That is the current retirement age of cardinals and Francis may retire then to establish a term limit precedent.

Recent reports from Germany indicate that Francis by then may be well on the way to completing, not merely countering,  the Reformation that Luther had started and, paradoxically, Jesuits had been founded mainly to counter. Francis now has the unprecedented opportunity (1) to complete the reform of the Catholic Church, (2) to end the scandalous religious rift that never should have occurred, and (3) to consolidate the fruits of the enormous efforts of both Luther and Loyola and their many followers.

Why Germany? A central element of the explanation is that it is where Swiss born, Rome Jesuit educated, Fr. Hans Kung has boldly taught scholars and advocated for reform for almost six decades, often working closely with Luther’s principal Protestant intellectual successors. Hans Kung has for decades clearly been a key, if not the key,  Catholic intellectual, and pastoral, force behind this “New Reformation”. He has suffered much at the hands of the last two popes for his reform advocacy, but he is continuing to press, as he soon celebrates his 86th birthday.

Francis would likely benefit if he soon read carefully, if he hasn’t already,  the superb, comprehensive and straightforward new reform book, “Can We Save the Catholic Church?”by Jesuit educated, Hans Kung described further at:  http://amzn.com/B00CR42LNG  that Fr. Kung already sent him, and then met with Hans Kung, who surely would be pleased to consult with him.  Pope Francis, by a gracious hand written note, has already thanked Hans Kung for the reform book. Fr. Kung knows much about what ails the Church and what is needed to cure it, as best I can tell.

Some of the key recent German reform developments has been gathered helpfully by a UK Tablet correspondent in the National Catholic Reporter available here:

http://ncronline.org/news/people/church-teaching-must-change-sexual-morality-says-german-bishop

Martin Luther, five centuries ago began his yet uncompleted Reformation, apparently after being shocked at the corruption he saw first hand in 16th Century Rome. Given the present corrupt Vatican setting, it seems ironical like Germany may well be where the Reformation will soon be completed, with Jesuit Francis in the lead. A vivid digital review of some of the current corruption was recently shown in the revealing  PBS Frontline documentary, “Secrets of the Vatican” readily viewable here:        http://to.pbs.org/1fkZvZC

Pope Francis has also gotten some additional honest and pertinent informed assessments of the current corruption recently, including the so-called “gay lobby report” of  three senior cardinals and the interview,  “From Benedict to Francis”.  This is an extremely insightful and frank interview with the UK Tablet’s long time Vatican reporter, Robert Mickens, available here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/religion/secrets-of-the-vatican/robert-mickens-from-benedict-to-francis/

Luther’s 86th of his 95 Theses of 1517 asked: “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?” Would Luther have been surprised at the more recent hierarchical construction profligacy of hierarchs like Newark’s Myers, LA’s Mahony, Limburg’s Tebartz-van Elst, NY’s Dolan, et al. ? Where did they get the money? Will Catholics ever know for sure? Why the seeming extravagance?

Francis similarly seems at times truly shocked by the extent of the corruption, including  some allegations of blackmail,  that he has now uncovered at the Vatican and among some “bling bishops”. Francis  likely undersatnds well Luther’s 86th Thesis, especially as the Vatican is currently overrun by financial consultants and government tax  and banking investigators.

Moreover, German Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is a highly respected cardinal, a long time theological rival to the ex-Pope and was Hans Kung’s graduate assistant earlier, has challenged Pope Francis to act boldly to reform and upgrade women’s roles in the Catholic Church’s hierarchy, as reported here:

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/inquiries-and-interviews/detail/articolo/curia-curia-curia-donne-women-mujeres-32413/   .

Four years ago, Hans Kung, from Germany’s theological stronghold, Tuebingen, raised many of the current reform proposals in an open letter to the world’s 4,000 bishops. Likely intimidated apparently by Kung’s former Tuebingen colleague, ex-Pope Benedict, no bishop responded. It is a new world under Pope Francis. Last week,  as alluded to above, Cardinal Kasper reportedly said in a prominent interview that it was “absurd” that women had not yet been added as full participants to the preparatory work for the upcoming October Synod on the Family and on many other Vatican committees. He’s right. It is absurd. Now other German hierarchs are also speaking out publicly. The episcopal dam has apparently burst.

Now key German bishops are calling for a sensible reconsideration of controversial Vatican positions on contraception, divorce, homosexuality, et al. Even John Paul II’s and Benedict’s mandated Catechism appears to be up for grabs. Are women and married priests and bishops soon finally to appear on the horizon? Will Luther have the last word?

What else is so unusual about Germany? The sudden acceptance of the resignation last week of prominent Cologne Archbishop and Cardinal Meisner surprised some. Meisner had reportedly supported the Bishop of Bling.  Meisner also reportedly recently insulted some Muslims by alluding to comparative birth rates of Catholics and Muslims, an especially sensitive topic since some Catholics think the Vatican’s birth control prohibition has from its adoption in 1930 mainly been a Vatican geo-political position intended to pump up the Catholic birth rate which supports Vatican power and wealth.

The final investigation report on the Bishop of Bling is now complete and may be unveiled at a key German bishops’ meeting next week. Perhaps this influenced the timing of the acceptance of the 80 year old Meisner’s resignation as bishop, 63 months after bishops’ normal retirement date of 75 years of age.

Germany also saw recently a German Jesuit educator, Klaus Mertes, who is very familiar with the challenges of addressing the priest child abuse crises, insinuate in a Berliner Zeitung interview that the new Cardinal Mueller, head of Vatican child protection policies, should be, in effect, sacked for his alleged role in covering up for a predatory priest earlier as Bishop of Regensburg.

Pope Francis studied theology in Germany and has recently very favorably cited Kasper’s new work on “mercy”. Francis, as mentioned above,  even sent Hans Kung recently a handwritten thank you note for the copy that Kung sent him of Kung’s outstanding, comprehensive and readable new reform book, “Can We Save The Catholic Church”.

It appears to be fundamental to understanding the German bishops’ recent approach to know that the German bishops receive billions of dollars annually in government subsidies. German bishops and the Vatican could lose that if a few bold political leaders pressed for a reduction or even a cessation of the subsidies.

Chancellor Merkel, a divorced woman, is the daughter of a German Protestant minister. She knows about Luther and religious politics. She likely will not forever accept a continuation of funding for a religious organization that reportedly tolerates the sexual abuse of children, that disrespects women, that engenders harmful German religious competition, that insults German Muslims and that finances German bling bishops. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on her eastern flank, , she does not need internal religious strife to worry about.

The German clock is ticking for German bishops and for the Vatican. What are potential options?

Since the Vatican hierarchy is considered less than fully trustworthy by many, including some foreign leaders, it is becoming increasingly clear that establishing effective and independent lay Catholic oversight over all bishops, even the Bishop of Rome, is the only potential way the Vatican can avoid being overwhelmed by these mounting governmental pressures.

Scholars like Leonard Swidler, who taught at Tuebingen with the ex-Pope, have already outlined, for example, how to democratize the Catholic Church, see his excellent book, “Making the Church Our Own: How We Can Reform the Catholic Church from the Ground Up”, at: http://amzn.com/1580512151 .

See also the brilliant recent analysis of Luca Badini Confalonieri, a young Italian/UK scholar that suggests the almost historical inevitability of a democratic Catholic Church structure coming soon, in his book, “Democracy in the Christian Church: An Historical, Theological and Political Case (Ecclesiological Investigations)”, at:http://amzn.com/B0083JCG9S .

Protestant Christian churches in Germany and elsewhere, of course, also offer centuries of experience on how to make church leaders accountable. It has been done earlier, even in the original Catholic Church in the early centuries after Jesus, and can be done again under Pope Francis’ leadership and guidance. He has the vast global Jesuit network at his fingertips. Most Jesuits likely would be eager to get on with reform and reunion.

For a succinct history of democratic structures that predominated earlier in the Catholic Church, by the well respected Catholic historian, Joseph O’Callaghan, see his book, “Electing Our Bishops: How the Catholic Church Should Choose Its Leaders” at: http://amzn.com/0742558207

More papal promises and spin, even from the popular and charismatic Pope Francis, will not be enough. It appears clear to me, from my experiences over decades with powerful men that ran multinational organizations, that Francis is caught between some frightened, even desperate, cardinals, who elected him seemingly to save their power and wealth, and Francis’ own Gospel based convictions that are valued by most Catholics.

Francis recently in Brazil asked Catholics to “create a mess”, which I interpret as his plea for support for his reform efforts that apparently are resisted by at least some, if not many, of the cardinals who elected him. If these cardinal hardliners think they can save their necks merely by making only cosmetic changes to the Catholic Church, they will likely continue to press Francis to accept that and move on with business as usual. Catholics can, and must, vigorously resist these hardliners now, while the opportunity under Francis’ leadership still remains.

If Francis doesn’t take concrete steps to subject all bishops, including the Bishop of Rome, to independent lay oversight as existed among the early Christians, the Church will likely not make the required changes on a permanent basis.

Instead, in three years or so when someone like Cardinal Parolin, Cardinal Sodano’s protege, becomes the next Pope, it will likely be business as usual. Parolin was a key aide when Sodano in 2004 helped elect George Bush to a second term, notwithstanding the Iraq war untruths and chaos. Now the Vatican appears to be seeking to help elect a right wing US Senate in November to retain thereby a “bishop friendly” US Supreme Court. I hope President Obama straightens them out when they meet soon on March 27. Please see “Advice to President Obama on Pope Francis’ Strategy”, accessible at:

http://christiancatholicism.com/advice-for-president-obama-about-pope-francis-current-strategy/_

Meanwhile, Mary McAleese, the former President of Ireland, now in Rome studying canon law, has also recently called for greater Church hierarchical roles for women as reported  here:

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/give-women-more-influence-in-church-mcaleese-1.1708923