The practicality is that the day job in all probability achieves far more than a blog post .... and it certainly represents my prime responsibilities in life. [And perhaps we have now come to realise that not everyone thinks what we write is as important as we do ourselves.]
I would agree with tigerish waters that the Trads have lost the plot. I might add that I actually think they lost the plot as far as Pope Benedict XVI was concerned and rather co-opted him to their cause in a way that was not justified (his "mutual enrichment", for example, seems a far cry from the "restoration" of the EF that featured as a Catholic Herald headline, and there seems to have been a complete failure to recognise that Traditional Catholicism can no longer simply define itself in a relation to the Liturgy). That, of course, set them up for an intrinsic problem with whoever was going to succeed him in the See of Peter. And understanding many of the most "controversial" (for the Trads) acts of Pope Francis requires an understanding of the charisms of a number of the new ecclesial movements, and Traditionalists are not terribly strong on that. The "ideology" remark and, more recently, the shared blessings with the Archbishop of Canterbury simply do not have the implications read into them by Traditionalists if you have a familiarity with the charisms and writings of Communion and Liberation and the Charismatic Renewal.
Perhaps the Trads have missed the significance of Pope Benedict's meeting with the new movements in St Peter's Square on the eve of Pentecost in 2006 - where both Communion and Liberation and Charismatic Renewal were represented - Pope Francis is in absolute continuity with Pope Benedict in his regard for the gift of the new movements.
In his gifts, the Spirit is multifaceted - we see it here. If we look at history, if we look at this assembly here in St Peter's Square, then we realize that he inspires ever new gifts; we see how different are the bodies that he creates and how he works bodily ever anew.
But in him multiplicity and unity go hand in hand. He breathes where he wills. He does so unexpectedly, in unexpected places and in ways previously unheard of. And with what diversity and corporality does he do so! And it is precisely here that diversity and unity are inseparable.
He wants your diversity and he wants you for the one body, in union with the permanent orders - the joints - of the Church, with the successors of the Apostles and with the Successor of St Peter.I would perhaps disagree a little with tigerish waters over the question of an intellectual lack in Pope Francis compared to Pope Benedict. Pope Francis certainly is not a professional academic - and Pope Benedict clearly showed such a background in his exercise of the office of St Peter - but he does have a different style of intellectual background, drawn from his encounter with Communion and Liberation and the Charismatic Renewal. Both of these movements do have an intellectual, though not formally academic, expression of their charisms and this can be perceived in the words and acts of Pope Francis. It is not perceived by the Traditionalist, though.
Just as Pope Benedict, and indeed Pope John Paul II before him, continued to manifest the gifts of academics (theologian and philosopher respectively) during their Papal ministries, so does Pope Francis continue to manifest in his Papal ministry the life of a priest and bishop that was his experience before his election to the See of St Peter. That is another key, I believe, to understanding Pope Francis.
And the kite flying about Pope Francis being against orthodoxy.... My italics added to the passage below, taken from Pope Francis' address to the Congregation of Bishops. Orthodoxy isn't something we shout about .... we just get on with it amongst the range of other gifts that represent life in the Church. Pope Francis sets an example in this regard .... and the Trads don't get it.
Therefore, to identify a bishop, a list of human, intellectual, cultural and even pastoral qualities are not useful. The profile of a bishop is not the algebraic sum of his virtues. Certainly he must be outstanding (CIC, can. 378 § 1): his human integrity ensures his capacity for healthy, balanced relationships, so as not to project his own shortcomings onto others and become an element of instability; his Christian soundness is essential for promoting fraternity and communion; his upright behaviour attests to the high standard of the disciples of the Lord; his cultural preparation allows him to dialogue with men and their cultures; his orthodoxy and fidelity to the Truth whole and integral, which the Church safeguards, makes of him a pillar and point of reference; his interior and exterior discipline allow for self-mastery and open up opportunities for welcoming and leading others; his ability to govern with paternal firmness ensures the safety of the authority that leads to growth; his transparency and detachment in the administrations of the goods of the community invest him with authority and meet with the esteem of all. All of these indispensable gifts must nonetheless be secondary to the central witness to the Risen One, subordinate to this primary commitment. It is the Spirit of the Risen One who fashions his witnesses, who integrates and elevates their qualities and value in fashioning a bishop.
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