Pope Francis, who has often appeared to revel in confounding and surprising others, is at it again.Many times over the years, he has seemed to suggest he is slowing down, only to ramp up his activities again.
At
nearly 88 years old, he has a knee ailment that impairs mobility,
abdominal problems caused by diverticulitis and is vulnerable to
respiratory issues owing to the removal of most of one of his lungs.
Last
autumn, the Pope said his health problems meant that foreign travel had
become difficult.
Soon after, when he cancelled a trip to the UAE, it
led to heightened speculation about the extent of his medical
difficulties.
But that was then.
Now,
he is in the middle of the longest foreign visit of his 11-and-a-half
year papacy. It has been one packed with engagements, and as well as
Timor-Leste it involves three countries – Indonesia, Papua New Guinea
and Singapore – in which Catholics are a minority.
So why is the Pope travelling so extensively and so far from home?
His supporters say his passion drives him.
“He
obviously has an enormous amount of stamina and that is driven by his
absolute passion for mission,” says Father Anthony Chantry, the UK
director of the Pope’s mission charity Missio, who has just been
appointed to the Vatican administration’s evangelisation department.
“He talks about all of us having a tireless mission to reach out to others, to set an example.”
Evangelisation
Christian
“mission” is something that has evolved over the centuries. It is still
about spreading the gospel but now the stated aim is focused on social
justice and charitable endeavours.
Throughout
his trip Pope Francis will meet missionaries, including a group from
Argentina now based in Papua New Guinea. But on numerous trips around
Asia including this one, he also skirts close to China, a country with
deep suspicions about the Church, its mission and its motives.
The
Pope has frequently emphasised the importance of evangelisation for
every Catholic. Yet in many parts of the world, it is still hard to
separate ideas of “missionaries” and “evangelisation” from notions of
European colonisation.
As the number
of Catholics in Europe declines, is “mission” and “evangelising” in Asia
and Africa now about Church expansion in those parts of the world?
“I
think what he is preaching is the Gospel of love that will do no one
any harm. He's not trying to drum up support for the Church, that's not
what evangelisation is about,” says Father Anthony.
“It
isn't to be equated with proselytising, that is not what we have done
for a long time. That is not the agenda of the Holy Father and not the
agenda of the Church. What we do is we share and we help people in any
way we can, regardless of their faith or not having any faith.”
Father
Anthony says being a Christian missionary in the modern day, for which
Pope Francis is setting an example, is about doing good work and
listening, but sometimes, “where necessary”, also challenging ideas.
“We
believe God will do the rest, and if that leads to people accepting
Jesus Christ, that's great. And if it helps people to appreciate their
own spirituality – their own culture – more, then I think that is
another success.”
Certainly the Pope
has long talked of interfaith harmony and respect for other faiths. One
of the most enduring images of his current trip will be his kissing the
hand of the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta and holding it
to his cheek.
He was warmly welcomed by people coming out to see him in the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world.
Pope
Francis will end his marathon trip in Singapore, a country where around
three-quarters of the population is ethnic Chinese, but also where the
Catholic minority is heavily involved in missionary work in poorer
areas.
For centuries now, Singapore
has been something of a strategic regional hub for the Catholic Church,
and what Pope Francis says and does there is likely to be closely
watched in China, not least by the Catholics living there. It is hard to
get a true picture of numbers, but estimates suggest around 12 million.
The
lack of clarity over numbers is partly because China’s Catholics have
been split between the official Catholic Church in China and an
underground church loyal to the Vatican that evolved under communism.
In
trying to unite the two groups, Pope Francis has been accused of
appeasing Beijing and letting down Catholics in the underground movement
who had not accepted the Chinese government’s interference, and who
face the continued threat of persecution.
Careful path
Deals
struck between the Vatican and Beijing in recent years appear to have
left a situation where the Chinese government appoints Catholic bishops,
and the Pope gives in and recognises them. China says it’s a matter of
sovereignty, while Pope Francis insists he has the final say – though
that is not the way it has looked.
“He
won't be pleasing everyone all the time, but I think what the Holy
Father really wants to indicate is that the Church is not a threat to
the state,” says Father Anthony Chantry. “He is treading a very careful
path and it's fraught with difficulties, but I think what he's trying to
do is just to build up a respectful relationship with the government in
China.”
Rightly or wrongly, it is
all in the name of bringing more people into the fold. Some of Pope
Francis’ predecessors have been more uncompromising in many ways,
seeming to be more accepting of a smaller, “purer” global Catholic
community, rather than make concessions in either foreign relations or
in the way the Church views, for example, divorce or homosexuality.
While
some popes have also clearly been more comfortable in study and
theology than travel and being surrounded by huge crowds, some have
leaned into the politics of their position.
It
is very clear when travelling with Pope Francis that while he can often
look tired and subdued during diplomatic events, he is quickly
rejuvenated by the masses who come out to see him, and energised by the
non-dignitaries he meets, particularly young people.
This
is certainly not a pope who shuns the limelight – it is being among
people, some would say mission, that appears to be his lifeblood.
Father
Anthony Chantry says this latest, longest papal trip is just a
continued display of how the Pope feels the Church should engage with
both Catholics and non-Catholics.
“The
whole thrust is that we have got to reach out to others. We have to
make everyone feel welcome. I think he (Pope Francis) does that really
well, but I don't think he's trying to score any points there, it's just
him.”
There is very little the Pope
has done since his election in 2013 that has not rankled Catholic
traditionalists, who often feel that his spirit of outreach is taken too
far. His actions on this trip are unlikely to change that.
In a significant step
towards the renewal of Vatican Diplomacy, Pope Francis designated
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai, one of the Pontiff’s
principal advisers, Coordinator ofa study group hat will assess the role
of Papal Representatives throughout the world. This move, promoted by
the Pope’s reformist vision, seek that the Apostolic Nunciatures and
other Holy See bodies operate in a more missionary and synodal way, in
tune with the changes gestating in the Catholic Church.
New Focus for the Nunciatures
The Nunciatures, which act as Embassies of the Vatican in the different
counties, play a crucial role in the communication between the Poe and
the local Churches, as well as in the representation of the Holy See to
the Governments. Under he leadership of Cardinal Gracias, the study
will focus on improving the functioning of these key institutions,
guaranteeing that their work is not limited to a merely diplomatic role,
but that it be more aligned with the pastoral and evangelizing mission
of the Church.
Cardinal Gracias will not be alone in his task. Important figures such
as Cardinal Mario Grech, who heads he Synod’s S, and. Monsignor Luciano
Russo, Secretary of the Papal Representatives, will be at his side and
contribute to the study that, according to Pope Francis’ expectations
must be ready before June 2025.
An Unprecedented Mandate
This effort arises as part of a series of identified points by the Pope
during the first session of the Synodal Assembly in October 2023. One
of those issues is the need to redefine the relationship between the
Papal Representations and he local Churches, ensuring that there is
greater closeness and synergy between them. The final aim is that the
Nunciatures be true bridges that foster understanding and cooperation on
pastoral and ecclesial subject
Although this topic will not be addressed directly in the next Synod
session, planned for October 2024, it will offer participants a
preliminary report, with the objective of detailing work plans and
receiving feedback on the study’s progress.
A Synodal and Missionary Focus
On several occasions, Pope Francis has highlighted the importance of
making the Church a more synodal institution, namely, that she listen
and respond to the needs of the local communities. In this context, not
only must the Nunciatures function as diplomatic delegations but also as
vehicles that promote a spirit of collaboration and mission. This
structural renewal is in consonance with the Pope’s pastoral focus, who
has called the Church to come out of her traditional structures and be
more active in evangelization and social commitment.
Cardinal Gracias, who has extensive experience in Vatican diplomacy and
profound knowledge of the Church in Asia, is a key figure to take this
transformation forward. His leadership in this study group underscores
the seriousness with which the Vatican addresses this reform process.
Key Meetings and Projections for the Future
The group’s work has already begun with a series of meetings in Rome
between leaders of the Vatican’s Secretariat of State and Presidents of
the Episcopal Conferences of different Continents. The initial
conversations seek to lay the foundation for an in-depth and
multidimensional analysis of the role played by Papal Representatives
today.
It is hoped that the study group’s recommendations can influence not
only the Nunciatures’ structures , but also the formation of the Holy
See’s diplomatic personnel, which has been prepared traditionally in the
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. The objective is to form future
diplomats with a more pastoral and less bureaucratic mentality, in
agreement with Pope Francis’ missionary vision.
Towards a Church More Open to the World
This assessment and reform process is a further step in Pope Francis’
wider project to make the Church a more open and transparent institution
in constant dialogue with the world. Ecclesial diplomacy, traditionally
centered on relations between States, is called to play a more active
role in the pastoral life of local communities, especially in contexts
where he Church faces specific challenges, such as religious persecution
or lack of resources.