Archbishop Charles Chaput noted his personal fondness for certain aspects of his time with Pope Francis but did not shy away from highlighting problems with his papacy.
(LifeSiteNews) — Opining on the death of Pope Francis, Philadelphia’s emeritus Archbishop Charles Chaput noted that the pontificate was “in many ways … inadequate to the real issues facing the Church.”
Chaput outlined a balanced reflection on the legacy of the late Pope in the pages of First Things, noting his personal fondness for certain aspects of his time with Francis but not shying away from highlighting problems with his papacy.
He cited first Bishop Bergoglio when at the 1997 Synod on America, and also Francis’ devotion “to serving the Church and her people in ways that he felt the times demanded.”
“As a brother in the faith, and a successor of Peter, he deserves our ongoing prayers for his eternal life in the presence of the God he loved,” said the retired archbishop.
But he nevertheless highlighted problems with the 12-year reign, saying that “an interregnum between papacies is a time for candor,” since “the lack of it, given today’s challenges, is too expensive.”
Chaput argued that Francis’ work did not live up to the required standard:
In many ways, whatever its strengths, the Francis pontificate was inadequate to the real issues facing the Church.
Expanding on this critique, the archbishop pointed to Francis’ record on a number of aspects, including Vatican II, his personality and his governance style:
He had no direct involvement in the Second Vatican Council and seemed to resent the legacy of his immediate predecessors who did; men who worked and suffered to incarnate the council’s teachings faithfully into Catholic life. His personality tended toward the temperamental and autocratic. He resisted even loyal criticism. He had a pattern of ambiguity and loose words that sowed confusion and conflict.
Continuing, the archbishop escorted Francis’ theological and “pastoral” style in his handling of ecclesial affairs, picking up on a number of themes which others in the episcopate have noted – such as Cardinals Raymond Burke and Gerhard Müller:
In the face of deep cultural fractures on matters of sexual behavior and identity, he condemned gender ideology but seemed to downplay a compelling Christian 'theology of the body.' He was impatient with canon law and proper procedure. His signature project, synodality, was heavy on process and deficient in clarity. Despite an inspiring outreach to society’s margins, his papacy lacked a confident, dynamic evangelical zeal. The intellectual excellence to sustain a salvific (and not merely ethical) Christian witness in a skeptical modern world was likewise absent.
Müller previously told this correspondent that the Church should avoid getting caught in secular goals for having an African or an American pope, but rather a pope who would confirm his brothers in the faith.
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Chaput echoed such a sentiment, writing:
What the Church needs going forward is a leader who can marry personal simplicity with a passion for converting the world to Jesus Christ, a leader who has a heart of courage and a keen intellect to match it. Anything less won’t work.
Pope Francis’ funeral is due to take place on April 26, at 10 a.m. local time, following which his remains will be interred in St. Mary Major’s as per his request.
There is no official start date for the conclave yet, though per ecclesial law it should start between May 6 and 11.
LifeSiteNews readers are invited to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, and for wisdom for those tasked with electing his successor.
