This week Pope Francis elected able Ghanaian theologian, Cardinal Sarah, to head the CDW which oversees the liturgy of the Church. It was a move which surprised those who ever cast Pope Francis in the role of a liberal with a crusade against conservative voices. For Cardinal Sarah is a robustly orthodox man who took a strong stance in opposition of Cardinal Kaspar’s suggested reforms at the recent Synod on the family. Is this simply a sign of horse trading or have they got the Pontiff wrong? Just when people think they understand this papacy it has a habit of doing the unexpected…
The sagest advice I heard comes from Cardinal George of America. He suggests we stop viewing the Church in political terms, in the language of conservative versus liberal, and remember it is actually concerned with ‘right and wrong.’ The pursuit of truth over error. Cardinal George reminds us how struggles in the civic realm should not influence Christ’s church. It being a divine institution intended to sit above human politics and reflect the faith of the ages. What matters is fidelity to the Apostolic faith not petty human agenda.
My own musings regarding the elevation of an African, Cardinal Sarah, placed alongside the apparent demotion of an American ,Cardinal Burke, is that we are actually witnessing a deliberate shift away from Western dominance. That Pope Francis, himself forged in the Argentinian landscape, understands how under-represented are the voices of the Southern Hemisphere and East.
If so expect further promotions from across the globe to enhance and enrich the views of the West. Which would be a great thing in my humble opinion. After all African and Asian Cardinals are overseeing growth whilst tired Western elites have overseen decades of decline. Empires rise and fall and this seems to be affecting the church just as much as the world.
“‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.” (Hamlet)
“apparent demotion ……. Cardinal Burke”
It seems to me that the press is in a feeding frenzy on this and that ‘apparent’ is the right word. Most reports don’t even get his career progression right. Cardinal Burke’s period in office was over. In the past, popes have replaced the entire senior Curia on election.
The move may be sideways and could be made into a promotion. The Pope would seem to want to make the job more active not a sinecure. The Order is sovereign and has diplomatic relations with many countries. It is also engaged in charitable work (dear to Pope Francis) throughout the world and is greatly respected. Cardinal Burke is now in a post where he could be much more public facing and freer to speak than before. It could be a case of ‘watch this space’
True, this is one way of interpreting the move, but I don’t thing that many people will interpret it that way.
Guinean not Ghanaian.
Well this is a new one. You might want to put something elsewhere in the blog.
I take it that this ‘bishop’ has never read the Koran and its instructions as to what should be done with various infidels (that’s us by the way).
Lord Harries, a former Bishop of Oxford and a leading CofE
liberal thinker :- …. “Prince Charles’s coronation service should be opened with a reading from the Koran”. Various reports in the press.
Not the first time we have seen clear evidence that the new style is looking for closer links with Islam ….
I meant new style CofE ….
The RC Church is making closer links with Islam too (haven’t you seen the news this weekend?). Which of course is a good thing.
Approaches to Islam
You might want to read :-
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/11/30/pope-francis-in-istanbul-condemns-barbaric-violence-of-islamic-state/
As he and others have said, a line of trusted communication needs to be kept open to other faiths. There was an excellent demonstration of what might be possible at the funeral of Otto von Habsburg. Prayer services where also held for him by Muslims and Jews. Their leaders walked together in the funeral procession in obvious friendship.
The exchange of addresses between Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch are also noteworthy. These are not events which I thought I’d see in my lifetime.
There is a huge difference between friendly approaches and incorporating the Koran in a Christian religious service.
Absolutely a good thing Guido. But If we are to have non-Christian components in the Coronation service then why should we single out Islam? Why not all faiths – if the intention is to be inclusive and welcoming?
From the news reports of the Holy Father’s visit to the Blue Mosque I do not recall seeing a reference to verses being read from the Gospels but I assume this will all happen in good time.
Visit to the Blue Mosque
Much ado about nothing much. A standard tourist visit as given to VIPs, not an Islamic worship visit. The press has not picked up that he was accompanied by leaders of the various Christian communities and that he then went to the Hagia Sophia. What he entered in the book there is interesting.
Note that a Christian can and should pray to the Lord anywhere and anytime. What one prays for is up to the individual but Pope Francis has told us his prayer – basically the same as Benedict’s
I think you’ll find that there is a great gulf between grass roots Anglicans and the leadership (both current and former, of which I frequently despair) on matters such as this.
Just as such a gulf exists between grass roots Catholics and their all male celibate hierarchy on contraception, divorce, homosexuality and other contemporary moral issues.
There was a huge gulf between Jesus and the “grassroots” in John chapter 6. What of it? Does man dictate truth or God?
If truth needs to be dictated it is probably untruth.
a neat swerve around the question asked…
Er…
Who appointed Harvey to speak for 1.4 billion grass roots Catholics?
He does not speak for me, my family or members of the many congregations which I have been a member of in my long life.
If the Roman Catholic “grass roots” have gone wrong on these matters, presumably bishops and clergy ought to preach to and teach them that they have, frequently and forcefully. Do they do so?
I’m really not sure what you mean by “gone wrong”. Interpretation of scripture evolves as society evolves and always has. Is it so surprising that those who live in the real world are ahead of the curve compared to those that sit in an ivory tower?
Harvey, by “gone wrong” I meant ” rejected the official teaching”.
I was trying, perhaps too obliquely, to raise the question of how strongly and how often Roman Catholic bishops and clergy preach and teach the official teaching on the matters you mention.
As an Anglican myself, I suspect that my ideas on those matters are rather similar to those of the Roman Catholic “grass roots”.
With 1.4 billion Catholics globally. I find it verging on moronic for any person to speak of the grass roots as “one view” to pit against the “other view” of those ordained. It is a liberal game played to push agendas by suggesting demand. It has no root in reality.
There may not be a consensus globally but there is a well documented groundswell of public opinion towards the more liberal in northern Europe and North America.
Also I object to being called moronic. Given how quick you are to delete or not publish comments made by others that you deem offensive, I would have thought you would be above this kind of name calling yourself but obviously not.
Harvey I did not call you moronic. I stated that a certain view seemed moronic to me. If you subscribe to that view…well that is up to you!
Of the 1.4bn, how many are regular church attendees vs cradle / cultural Catholics ?
A question impossible to answer, as I suspect you may know. We do not have reliable, or indeed any, information from many countries. What we do know is that we have active churches in some surprising places. Numbers counted on a Sunday are not fully representative since all congregations have circulation memberships. In my current parish, Mass attendance over a year is more than the Catholic population of the parish (but we are city centre) It follows that the ‘foreign’ visitors will not appear in their own parish counts. We also have a small but noticeable number of non-Catholic attendees (some not even Christian). But, we strive to be a welcoming church where all will feel at home. That has brought people into the church and reactivated some lapsed. Press figures can be very misleading – I have a poor opinion of statistics and their misuse.