Rest in peace, Pope Francis

On Pope-bashing and Pope-splaining

It is sad, but somehow fitting, that the Church would be plunged into deep mourning only a day after celebrating the highest heights of joy with Easter. After all, we just mourned the suffering and death of Christ only a few days ago. That's the liturgical year for you: joy, mourning, joy, mourning. Why should the Christian life in general be any different?

Pope Francis passed away this morning. May he rest in peace! For an 88-year old man with lifelong lung issues, I'm amazed that he held on to life as long as he did. I don't want to go looking for signs and significance where there’s none, but it really looks to me like God took Pope Francis to the brink of death a few months ago and then brought him back so he could celebrate one last Easter here on earth.

I have to say, I'm going to miss the guy.

But why should I? I'm a conservative Catholic who attends the Traditional Latin Mass. The better question is “why shouldn't I?” He's my Pope. My Papa. Of course I'm going to miss him, even as I await the next conclave with prayerful excitement.

That would not have necessarily been the case in the past. I used to be a casual Pope-basher. I would find any excuse to criticize him (I'm sure my friends can attest). But I stopped criticizing him a few years ago because it was just so tiresome. There are only so many things you can get outraged about, after all. Also I heard how people like Matt Fradd and Michael Lofton could issue such sharp critiques of the Pope but with such obvious love and deference. Lofton referred to this striking and informative passage from Acts 23:

And Paul looking upon the council, said: Men, brethren, I have conversed with all good conscience before God until this present day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him: God shall strike thee, thou whited wall. For sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and contrary to the law commandest me to be struck? And they that stood by said: Dost thou revile the high priest of God? And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince of thy people. (Acts 23:1-5; emphasis mine)

If St. Paul can say such things about the Jewish high priest who was currently persecuting the Church of God, then how much more respect, charity, and deference should we Catholics have for the prince of our people, the Bishop of Rome?

Of course there is the opposite extreme, popesplaining, where you try to explain away everything the Pope says and ignore the legitimate confusion that many of his statements over the years have caused. That is of course a real problem. Luckily I don't really know anyone like that so I don't see that behavior that much. I will say this, that I've heard people called popesplainers for simply trying to give the Pope the benefit of the doubt and trying to interpret his statements in light of tradition and orthodoxy. I think that's not only not a problem, but it is our duty as Catholics to give the Holy Father the benefit of the doubt as much as we possibly can. And if we've tried to do so and can only go so far, then we should let the issue go and say a prayer for him. If that behavior is popesplaining, then that just means there's a good kind of popesplaining and a bad kind.

That's about all I have. Pray for Pope Francis’ soul. Pray for Pope Benedict’s soul (something I too often neglect myself)! Pray for the conclave. Pray for the Church. And pray for the next Pope!

Thanks for reading and God bless you all. And Happy Easter!