The Church's Chance

The Vatican could be the biggest beneficiary of a religious revival, if…

The passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday seems symbolic. An irreligious media will undoubtedly use it to laud the late Pontiff’s (il)liberal theology. But for conservative Catholics the timing might represent a different sort of imprimatur.

For them, the ensuing Conclave (hopefully a far cry from the eponymous movie) represents an opportunity to resurrect traditional church doctrine. That is, if the College of Cardinals, two-thirds of whom were appointed by the late Pontiff, wish to begin restoring the glory days of a holy apostolic church.

They may not, since that would require a successor more in the image of Benedict XVI and not Francis, who prominently placed ‘social justice’ above saving souls. Evident in a tense but cordial meeting with Vice-President J.D. Vance, himself a Catholic convert, shortly before his death. The two had clashed over the Pontiff’s repeated criticisms of the administration in which Vance served, especially on the subject of immigration.

While one can certainly appreciate Francis’ adherence to precepts of a Holy Roman Empire that placed faith above the state, his chiding of Vance seems misplaced considering all the human ills, not the least of which is human trafficking, associated with illegal border crossings.

Moreover, Vance’s interpretation of an ‘order amoris’ that puts family and country at the forefront of affection is consistent with the Catholic Church’s own ‘faith begins at home’ approach, dependent on “two separate parts, the first pertaining to the Church’s organized system of dioceses, and the second to its system of hierarchical ranking.”¹

That is, the Church has priorities and the concept of ‘subsidiarity’ means local parishioners often choose them. And the most transparent one is faith and family. Was it not Father Theodore Hesburgh of Notre Dame who said the “best thing fathers can do for their kids is to love their mothers”?²