This article explores more about Pope Francis, why he has become one of the most hated figures in the Church and one of the most detested and reviled in the World. It discusses also the growing opposition he faces both within and outside the Church, the silent revolt within the central administration, and the reasons many capitalists, market ideologues, Catholic fundamentalists, and right-wing movements despise him. And on the latter part of the article, the author also presents how Pope Francis interprets Vatican II in his own unique way and pursues reforms in the Church, despite opposition and the legacy he has inherited. Finally, it highlights his bold decisions in pastoral and humane leadership.
THE SIEGE WITHIN
Pope Francis has faced significant opposition since beginning and even from his closest collaborators. He was accused by four cardinals—Joachim Meisner, Walter Brandmüller, Carlo Caffara, and Raymond Burke—of heresy or holding views contrary to the Church’s orthodox tradition. His stance on family and morality, expressed in Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), was also challenged. They even question the validity of his election, with allegations of irregularities in the conclave.
Another notable opposition to Pope Francis comes from the former papal nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who publicly called for the Pope’s resignation, criticizing his teachings as “ambiguous,” “modernist,” and “syncretistic”, and said that his papacy is preparing a “coup de grâce” against the church.
While other critics within the church, are questioning the level of his theological knowledge and often comparing him unfavorably to John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Catholic fundamentalists, meanwhile, view his approach as abominable—causing hatred, with some even wishing for his death.
REASONS BEHIND
To understand why Pope Francis faces significant opposition within the Church, we must delve deeper. During the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, debates arose about whether Vatican II should be interpreted as a continuation of Vatican I or as a break from tradition. This issue became central at the Extraordinary Synod of 1985, where there was heated discussion over whether the Universal Church or the Local Church should take precedence. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affirmed the priority of the Universal Church and warned the people from Asia, Africa and Latin America that inculturation should not come at the cost of preserving the Greco-Roman heritage, which they considered integral to Christian Roman heritage. This stance left many Asian theologians and scholars from the Global South shocked.
However, Pope Francis’s approach to theology and leadership in Church is quite distinct from others. Instead of engaging in theological debates about the interpretation of Vatican II, he focuses on applying the Gospel to real-world issues, addressing the everyday struggles of people. He interprets the Vatican II from the margins, drawing from his own experiences.
His mission is not only to put the teachings of Vatican II into practice but also to address some areas which he believes was not fully-emphasized on the Vatican II: the poor who make up the very heart of the Gospel. And because of his strong commitment to the poor and by putting this as the central of his mission, and by attempting to make a “paradigm shift” in the Church, Pope Francis has become too unsavory to the acolytes of a constricted tribal Catholicism ruled by an elitist clergy. Which therefore led to strong opposition and criticism from within the Church.
In addition, this opposition is not only due to concerns about orthodoxy and tradition, but also because of Pope Francis’s call for greater accountability and transparency—including financial transactions within the Church and its leadership, starting with the Curia. This has causes heartburn and provoked fierce resistance.
CAPITALISM UP IN ARMS
Pope Francis is hated because of his strong criticism of uncontrolled capitalism and the global market. His call for equality and justice and denunciation of structures of injustices have angered the elites, the corporates and the capitalist lobby. In Evangelii Gaudium, he called the market economy as “murderous system” that kills people and increases inequality and impoverishment of developing countries. For him, unbridled capitalism and greedy accumulation of money and wealth are the “dung” of the devil. This caused him earned more enemies in the capitalist world, especially among American conservative Catholics and ecclesiastics.
Another reason why Pope Francis is hated by the American capitalists is because they see him as carrying the same legacy as the six Jesuits in El Salvador who were killed for their opposition to capitalism and imperialism, and stands up for the poor, the oppress and marginalized. Because of this, the USA’s capitalism sees the revival of the old enemy in Latin America in Pope Francis
RIGHT-WING POPULISTS NEW DEFENDERS OF CHRISTIANITY
Pope Francis faces opposition from right-wing and nationalist groups because of his support on immigrant and refugee rights, and appeals for a welcome policy. On his address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, he expressed concern about the rise of nationalism that disregards the common good. Right-wing politicians like Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister, oppose Pope Francis and his policies in the church and the world. Unfortunately, some Church leaders (prelates) support populists like Salvini, seeing them as defenders of “Western Christianity” against Islamic migration. This kind of support from church leaders projects these populist politicians in a favorable light among conservative Catholic voters.
PAPACY WITH A CONTEXTUAL VISION OF FAITH AND THEOLOGY
Like all other ministries in the church, Papacy is in the service of faith. The vision of faith inspires Pope Francis and leads him to adopt a different approach of the Church to the world. The new relationship he envisages also makes his theological orientation.
For Pope Francis, faith and theology are dynamic and contextual. They need to be lived and practiced with reference to our experiences today and our struggles, hopes, and aspirations. Faith and theology are responses to God’s continuous speaking. Through his deep engagement with all that touches the people, especially those at the margins, the vision of Pope Francis’s faith and theology acquire vitality and dynamism.
FRANCIS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH AND ITS MINISTRY
The traditional image of the church could be likened to a fortress—unassailable, unchanging. Pope Francis on the other hand presents a different image of Church: Church as a field of hospital attending to the urgent needs of the people in critical situations.
The accusations that Pope Francis does not follow the traditional teaching, reminds the author, Fr. Felix, of the words of Cardinal Bea, who was also opposed for the same reason after he presented some of his views to the council. Many Catholic fundamentalists expect the Pope to follow strictly to the traditions of the Church in his teachings. However, what they don’t understand is that throughout Church history, there have been moments of “breakthrough” in both tradition and teachings.
Pope Francis’s actions breakthrough. While these changes can be challenging and painful for many, it brings new life to the Church, society and the world—like the birth pangs. With Pope Francis, we are witnessing such a breakthrough in the Church’s history.
YES, A DIFFERENT PAPACY
John Paul II’s perspective was shaped by communism and Marxism, Benedict XVI focused on preserving traditional orthodoxy in response to secularism, while Pope Francis accords primacy to orthopraxis, namely following the path of the Gospel and putting it into practice. Also, under Pope Francis, the influence of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has lessened, and it is being downsized to its correct proportions. In the document on Reform of the Roman Curia—Praedicate Evangelium—CDF is no more the Congregation listed immediately after the Secretariat of State, as was the case with Pastor Bonus. Instead, it is the Congregation that deals with Evangelization.
Pope Francis has both his feet on the ground and is not lost in the Platonic world of ideas. To say this does not mean that he has no vision. On the contrary, he is a pope of the true gospel vision. With his vision, we hope the pope will introduce much desired reform in communication with the local Churches and respond to their exigencies and experiences. The curia is a service apparatus, which should become evident in its attitude and how it deals with the local Churches and the bishops leading them.
To help avoid the careerism in the Roman Curia, Pope Francis has started to appoint more bishops with pastoral experience from the local Churches for leadership roles at Vatican curial offices. However, Pope Francis has been bearing the brunt of all these moves.
A DIFFICULT LEGACY
Many of Pope Francis’s collaborators and bishops who has appointed in recent decades before he was elected do not align with his vision, but rather they were trained up for different legacy. In the post-Vatican II period, bishops were chosen based on their openness to dialogue and ability to implement Vatican II teachings. However, in recent decades, the criteria have shifted to loyalty- whether someone adheres whose orthodoxy was tested, on the basis, for example, of their views on reproductive and sexual morality, their stance vis a vis liberation theology, communism, relativism, and their stance on communion for the remarried divorcees, and so on.
Another disturbing legacy Pope Francis has inherited is the clerical sexual abuse which continues to vex the Church and drain its energy and resources. We need to ask whether the traditional theology of holy orders has contributed to the Church’s current predicament
Canon Law has long exempted clergy from temporal punishment, even in criminal cases like sexual abuse, meaning cases are handled by ecclesiastical courts, often resulting in perpetrators just being transferred from one place to another rather than prosecuted. This is rooted in the belief among many ecclesiastics that sexual abuse is a sin to be confessed and forgiven, rather than a public crime to be addressed in civil court.
This moral crisis was inherited by Pope Francis, who faced growing global criticism over how his predecessors handled clerical abuse cases. Recognizing the gravity of the matter, Pope Francis took into confidence the entire Church and the world- episcopate, and convened a 4-day extraordinary consultative meeting on February 2019, with the presidents of bishop’s conferences to discussed about clerical sexual abuse, which was eroding the Church and its credibility. It was the most open step to address an issue which has been devastating for the Church. Unfortunately, Pope Francis continues to bear the brunt of the inherited policy failures in this matter.
RISK AND AMBIGUITIES
We have too many self-righteous Church-leaders who act as untouchable. If they make mistakes, they pretend to be unblemished or perfect and pass the blame to others instead of honestly owning it. The fear of many Church leaders from making mistakes and ignorance prevents many Church leaders from making bold decisions. It requires a lot of courage to speak out.
Pope Francis sets a model for Church leaders to take risks, as he stated in Evangelii Gaudium: “I prefer a Church bruised, hurting, and dirty from being on the streets rather than one unhealthy from clinging to its own security.” This courageous vision leads him to embrace challenges and confront difficult situations.
Pope Francis demonstrates boldness and courage in addressing complex issues. Such as when he signs a historic agreement with the Chinese State. When Pope made a decision on this, he is aware that this agreement with China could be the most outstanding achievement of his papacy or it could be the most monumental blunder. Another instance is his 2019 visit to Dubai, where he met the Great Imam at Al Azhar and issued a joint declaration of peace—a visit that helped in healing wounds from Benedict XVI’s controversial remarks where he allegedly stated that Christianity is rational and in contrast, Islam is not, and has helped to win back the trust of our Islamic brothers and sisters.
Pope Francis also tackles sensitive topics like homosexuality, emphasizing that it is not simply a moral issue but a humanistic issue and that everything need not be subjected to moral judgement. We leave certain things to God to Judge. Aside from this issue, he has also confronted a very sensitive issue about the communion for remarried divorcees, faced it and made his view known with solid arguments.
One more instance that displayed boldness of Pope Francis is during the convocation of the Synod of Amazonia. Pope created an environment of freedom of thought and expression and gave the synodal reflections and proposals considerable attention and thought, including the ordination of married men and the ministry of women. However, the synod was marred by controversy surrounding a wooden statue of a woman. It sparked debates, because for some it symbolized Mother Earth, the Virgin Mary, and life in the Amazon, while others saw it as an idol. Through the synod of Amazonia, Pope Francis allowed the face of another way of being a Christian and Catholic be manifested at the heart of Rome. It proved to be a provocation for Euro-centric Christianity.
CONCLUSION
The church is a tent; it moves with the people. It shifts. True to the pilgrim nature of the Church, have a universal pastor who does not use his formal authority to impose.
Here is a pope who listens to local Churches, Bishops’ Conferences, and diverse voices, including indigenous peoples, victims of clerical sexual abuses, prisoners, the disabled, people of other faiths, and refugees and migrants.
Pope Francis is simultaneously battling to carry forward the spirit of Vatican II and its legacy with a new focus on the poor and the marginalized. The major stumbling block he encounters on this journey is strong resistance from certain influential Church leaders and institutions. His efforts at decentralization and synodal governance faces resistance—both from the Roman Curia and local Church leaders, who remain trapped in a feudal mindset
From what has been said in this article, it should be clear now, to be Pope Francis is not a bed roses but of thorns. It is a terrible experience of even isolation and loneliness. In his own house, in his own Curia, Pope Francis is misunderstood and sidelined. Pope Francis needs the support of all of us, through following his vision of faith, his path of the Gospel, his image of the Church, and his continuing engagement with society and the world.
The voice of Asia, Africa and Latin America is not loud enough. It is time that the voices from the Global South resound. We need to tell the Euro-centric Christianity and the Catholic fundamentalists that we stand by the vision and praxis of Pope Francis because we see the splendor and joy of the Gospel reflected with our own experiences in this part of the world. Indeed, he is a pope from “the end of the earth”.*
