Francis’ pontificate: apparent contradiction and deep coherence?
The authors of these two books see a deep harmony in the current pontificate beneath the apparent contradiction.
St. Gallen Mafia for structural change in the Church
The work of Julia Meloni has been analyzed by the historian Roberto de Mattei European correspondence 10 November 2021, reproduced in DICI n°415 (December 2021, pp. 4-6). On the occasion of the publication of the Italian translation, Stefano Fontana dedicates an article to it La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana November 25, 2022. The Italian scholar writes: “The subtitle literally translates the American title: ‘A secret reforming group within the Church.’
“As we know, the phrase from which the book is named was coined by a member of the group, Cardinal Danneels of Belgium, referring to a series of high-ranking prelates who later became cardinals and met systematically in St. Petersburg. Gallen, Switzerland (not just there), to coordinate efforts for change in the Church: Danneels himself, Martini, Kasper, Murphy O’Connor, Lehmann. »
According to Stefano Fontana, the great merit of the work is as follows: “The story focuses on the emergence of the Argentine primate Jorge Mario Bergoglio and his positions gradually approaching the wishes of the group of Saints. Gaul. I leave these many interesting pages to the reader, or rather, to mention one of the most important dimensions of the book. […]
“Julia Meloni is not content with writing a church thriller, a story of conspiracies and traps, reading like a spy book. The actions of the St. Gall group are based on a theological vision and aim at “regime change” in the Church, not to replace one person with another, but to replace one paradigm with another.
“The group wanted to implement the liberal revolution in the church that Carl Rahner detailed in his 1972 book. Structural change in the church as opportunity and mission [non traduit en français]. Revising the position of the Church on sexuality, contraception and homosexuality, priestly celibacy, women’s diaconate, doctrinal decentralization, unity of remarried divorcees, synodality: the “revolutionary” program of the St. Gallen group was codified from it. beginnings. »
And to add: “According to Meloni, the selection of Bergoglio during the 2013 conclave was the result of a long machination in which the group had to wait, wait for the right moment, consider its tactics for a moment, change its place but never did. First the death of Silvestrini, then the death of Martini even after being amputated with, he refused.
“And in fact, the author lists today the measures by which Bergoglio/Francois implements all the points of the program of the aforementioned group. Stefano Fontana concludes by showing the method used by members of the Saint-Gall mafia to achieve their goals: “There are two tactical criteria for this “revolution” in the Church, which are fully applied today, Julia Meloni.
“It’s first gear: Murphy O’Connor [cardinal archevêque de Westminster au Royaume-Uni, 1932-2017] said that four years of Bergoglio would be enough to have a different church. Other years have passed and everyone sees that we are moving forward with forced steps. The second tactical criterion, which is only apparently opposite, is caution.
“Lay the groundwork for change, produce it indirectly, suspend it when it is susceptible to an overly disruptive and therefore dangerous reaction, let it flow under the surface, and pull it out at the right time. » – This tactical prudence would explain the revolution’s apparent contradictions, but it would nevertheless be profoundly consistent.
Pope under influence
A second book, recently published, Francois. The conquest of powerhas subtitles The route of the pope under influence. Its author, Jean-Pierre Moreau, is a specialist in Latin America, where he has met several representatives of liberation theology. experience Pope Francis.
According to him, the influence weighing heavily on the current pontiff is threefold:
– first, the “theology of the people” – the Argentinian version of “liberation theology” that promotes “the people of God” as a “theological space” and therefore the source of knowledge about Revelation;
– then, a subtle mixture of Peronism, opportunistic pragmatism and “populist” ideology;
– finally, from 1965 at the close of the Second Vatican Council and until 1983 the reform of the Society of Jesus led by the Superior General of the Jesuits, Mr. Pedro Arrupe.
In his postscript, the author insists on this last point: “Since the election of Pope Francis, we have tried to find out what he is. He was unknown to the French religious. All this work has brought us to a certain conclusion: Pope Francis is carrying out the reform program of the Society of Jesus created by Fr. Arrupe…”
Jean-Pierre Moreau answers those who protest that it is not about the reform of the church, but of the company: “This is Fr. Church of Hoy del Futuro : The Church today and in the future. Therefore, his reform was aimed at the whole Church.
Karl Rahner sj of Germany, Pedro Arrupe sj of Spain, Carlo Maria Martini sj of Italy (see the article Jesuits ubiquitous in the Vatican), or the Saint-Gall mafia in Switzerland? Can we identify dominant influences, or rather isolate a set of converging influences? History will tell.
Providentially revealed Pope
A compatriot of Pope Francis, who runs the blog, in a Nov. 21 article The Traveling Traveler is content to see the paradoxically admirable effect of this pontificate: Pope Francis, without the reservations, timidity, or haste of his predecessors, is carrying out the reforms of reconciliation until the end, so that all can surely see the pain. Fruits of Vatican II. An irrefutable object lesson, contra factum inconsistent argument.
According to this enigmatic Argentine, this is a real “face” for those who hail Francis as a pontiff who is finally intent on deeply implementing conciliatory reforms. [Au fond] they calculated well: the church represented by Pope Bergoglio is a conciliar church, religious orders and dead congregations, empty seminaries, doctrinal confusion, corruption rooted in a good part of the episcopate and clergy, disintegration. and loss of faith, loss of irrelevance in modern society, churches demolished or sold due to lack of believers, liturgical desacralization, etc. »
Like all revolutionaries, conciliators—at least those who are not completely blinded by ideology—are surprised to find that the reforms promoted by Vatican II have left a great void. Ideologues, convinced that they are right, trample on the facts and fall into this void. Real emptiness.
