Church of the Poor in the eyes of Pope Francis

By Ahern & WAMALWA

It’s like a dream or a movie. In less than a year, Pope Francis has transformed the dominant discourse around Catholicism from scandal and despair to joy and the evangelical demands in light of poverty and economic exclusion.

In his blueprint for Evangelization, known as ‘Evangelii Gaudium’, the Bishop of Rome calls for each individual Christian and every community to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor.

This is a powerful and radical understanding of where the church is called to be in light of the Gospel of Christ and the joy of the Holy Spirit.  A few days ago,  there were rumours that the Argentina-born Pontiff may be going out on the streets of Rome at night to perform acts of charity — quite unbelievable.

Day-to-day support

From the onset of his papacy, Pope Francis has made it known, that he wishes – for the church to be a church of, for, and with the poor. He has personally witnessed to this vision from his humble living arrangements to his first pastoral visit outside of Rome to undocumented migrants in Lampedusa.

To demonstrate his determination to reform the Church, the Pope recently appointed a group of eight cardinals to advise him on how to reform the Vatican bureaucracy, also known as the Roman Curia.

Africa is represented by Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The cardinals’ group met for the first time from 1st to 3rd October and was set to meet once more 3rd to 5th December.

During the second meeting, the Cardinals were set to examine each Vatican office — hopefully with a view to making each  more ‘mission-oriented.’

None other than a group of Catholic academics, also known as the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (Pax Romana ICMICA), with members in more than 60 countries across five continents, is enthusiastic about the work of the Pope.

This group sent out a questionnaire to its members earlier this year asking what they regarded as the ‘Hopes and Challenges of the Catholic Church.’

 Drawing on the information gathered from the questionnaire, the group has published and shared with a number of cardinals serving on the committee for Curial reforms, a White paper, outlining proposals to guide their work.

The academics call for better day-to-day support of Catholic lay people from the Vatican, suggesting a new position in the Curia akin to a lay liaison.

The liaison position could serve as a resource for the apostolic initiatives and movements aimed at forming responsible lay leaders of Catholic social doctrine.

They call for more engagements with the lay people beyond the occasional thematic conferences and large-scale events like the World Youth Day.  They propose that special attention should be given to support the day-to-day apostolic efforts and training programs of international associations of young people, students, and young professionals.

While there is currently a Pontifical Council for the Laity, the academics request making such an office a congregation would give it a higher standing in the Vatican bureaucracy, making it equal to the offices responsible for enforcing church doctrine or selecting bishops around the world.

Qualified women

Such a congregation for the laity, according to the academics, has a great potential to engender and strengthen a common sense of mission among international associations, communities and congregations with different charisms, spiritualties and methodologies.

Proposing a global meeting of all international lay groups recognised by the Vatican, the academics also call for “greater efforts” to include the voices of lay women in the Curia.  The number of lay women, and in particular those who are not in consecrated life, has not grown much since Paul VI, according to the group.

International lay associations can help the Curia identify qualified women with diverse experiences to share their gifts with the Church.

As a witness and a sign of the universality of the Catholic mission and communion, the academics, believe that certain curial offices could be relocated from Rome to major centres outside Europe.

THE CHALLENGE

They appreciate the positive logistical benefits of having all curial offices in the same location and the symbolic power of being in proximity to the Chair of St. Peter.

However, they believe that the relocation of some curial offices and/or opening of satellite offices outside of Europe would be an important witness to the call and example of the Holy Father for the church to ‘go to the margins’ and for the church to become a ‘church that is poor and for the poor.’

Each of these proposals would go a long way in helping to transform the structures of the Church in light of the Gospel mission to be a Church of, for, and with the poor. This challenge is not easy — change never is — but it is possible if we work together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Prof Kevin Ahern is President of the Pax Romana ICMICA for North America; Fredrick Wamalwa serves as the President of Pax Romana ICMICA for Africa.