Pope Francis: “Not an Era of Change But a Change of Era” [UPDATED]

I believe this might be one of the strongest statements yet from Pope Francis’s on how the Catholic Church and its doctrine must grow and change:

In a 49-minute speech to a decennial national conference of the Italian church - which is bringing together some 2,200 people from 220 dioceses to this historic renaissance city for five days - Francis said Catholics must realize: "We are not living an era of change but a change of era." "Before the problems of the church it is not useful to search for solutions in conservatism or fundamentalism, in the restoration of obsolete conduct and forms that no longer have the capacity of being significant culturally," the pontiff said at one point during his remarks. "Christian doctrine is not a closed system incapable of generating questions, doubts, interrogatives -- but is alive, knows being unsettled, enlivened," said the pope. "It has a face that is not rigid, it has a body that moves and grows, it has a soft flesh: it is called Jesus Christ."
Read the fine report by Josh McElwee at NCR here. UPDATE: and Josh tweeted the following as the speech was happening:Screenshot (47)

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Katharine E. Harmon, Ph.D., edits the blog, Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom.

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5 responses to “Pope Francis: “Not an Era of Change But a Change of Era” [UPDATED]”

  1. Barry Hudock

    Reviewing the full text this morning, I noted that in pushing preferential option for the poor, Francis was able to cite from the teaching of both Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A central tenet of liberation theology is now a standard part of the Catholic magisterium.

    It’s worth noting that there was a time, not long ago, when anything having to do with liberation theology would have been toxic to Vatican authorities. Talking of preferential option for the poor was leftist. No longer so. We took into Church teaching a valuable insight from liberation theology. (And that’s not the only one.)

    A century before that, any ideas related to the onset of modernity, particularly those most strongly embraced by the French revolution, were also toxic in the halls of the Vatican. And yet today, even the most conservative Catholic among us defend religious freedom as a fundamental human right AND fundamental to Catholic social teaching, and can cite Vat 2, JP2, B16, & Francis to prove it.

    “Christian doctrine is not a closed system incapable of generating questions, doubts, interrogatives — but is alive, knows being unsettled, enlivened,” said the pope. “It has a face that is not rigid, it has a body that moves and grows, it has a soft flesh: it is called Jesus Christ.” This is not just Francis’s personal, theoretical ecclesiology. It’s demonstrated again and again in lived reality. To think anything else would be colossally naïve.

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  2. Pietro Albano

    I like what the Holy Father said, i.e. “The Lord poured out his blood not for some, not for the few or the many, but for all!” Is this a cue to rethink the current English translation of the Roman Missal? Our parish, I have noticed, does not say “for many” when he says the words of Consecration. He still says “for all”.

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  3. Jack Feehily

    Good for your priest! How strange it was that we were told to tell the people that while we would be changing to “many” to more “accurately” reflect the Latin, it really means “all”. Hmmm, if it means all, say all.

    Reply
    1. Pietro Albano

      Indeed, Jack. If it means all, then say all. For me, it still doesn’t make sense why we should conform “accurately” one language to another. I often wondered how it will be when Filipino (my mother tongue) would have to give in to such translation. Many is “marami” and all is “lahat”. If “lahat” would be changed to “marami”, even a child would scratch his head!

      Reply
  4. Dr. Cajetan Coelho

    Change of era – has been a long felt need. God bless Pope Francis.

    Reply

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