Testimony by Lila Shahani. Well, my family and I — and I daresay most Protestants — welcome the arrival of this rare and benevolent individual with open arms, even as doctrinal questions linger. To begin with, Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines has drawn attention to the many problems our country faces. More, his visit to Tacloban has set the stage for an encyclical on climate change, which will have enormous influence around the world. His fight against inequality maximizes options for the poor, in the wake of Vatican II, along the lines of liberation theology, which he grew up with in Latin America. It should also be remembered that he worked quietly behind closed doors to help lift US sanctions on Cuba. More pertinently, his ground-breaking focus on the faults of the Curia has been unprecedented in Vatican history. Finally, his inclusion of gays, lesbians, transgenders, and those born out of wedlock among the children of God remains equally unprecedented. And there is the matter of his interfaith universality and open-ness: Archbishop Antonio Tagle, following Pope Francis’ example, hosted a breakfast for non-Catholics in a recent ecumenical breakfast in his official residence and helped organize a Secretariat for interfaith understanding. Underlining this Vatican initiative, the Pope also met with religious leaders of different faiths while in Manila. In this sense, Pope Francis is a pioneer. Prior to his visit to the Philippines, the Pope had discouraged political leaders from using his image for political purposes. In his Malacañang speech, he demonstrated compelling concern for the rights and welfare of OFWs, indigenous peoples and religious minorities, and was uncompromising in his condemnation of political corruption — even as he has applied the Gospels in the past to corrupt public servants who grow fat off what was ultimately meant for the poor. Throughout, he conveys humility, tenderness, compassion, and, above all, a sense of humor. Will he be overpowered by the Curia, who are — in his own words — susceptible to becoming “immortal, immune and indispensable”? Will he be able to succeed in making the finances of the Vatican transparent? Will he be defeated by entrenched forces? Will he become more progressive about family planning – so necessary in the fight against poverty -- and LGBT rights, so critical in the struggle for social equality? All this remains to be seen. But in this time of rising global conflict and the cheapening of human life — Charlie Hebdo, Boko Haram, ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Muslim claims in the Philippine South — we need a unifier rather than a divider. On Charlie Hebdo, Pope Francis has been vocal about the fact that one cannot disparage the religion of others — that, while he decries the violence, he also decries the religious disrespect that spawned it. Perhaps Pope Francis is a spiritual reformer in the grand tradition of Popes St John XXIII and St John Paul II before him. Perhaps he will bring about the winds of change this fractured era sorely needs — a Pope who inspires not only Catholics, but also other Christians, those belonging to other religious faiths, and even agnostics and non-believers.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:17:43 +0000
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