UNITED STATES
Wall Street Journal
Pope Francis has become a powerful if controversial figure since his election in 2013. He has advocated for social justice for the poor, issued an encyclical on the environment, and refused many of the opulent trappings of his office. Ahead of Francis’ visit to the U.S., WSJ’s Vatican correspondent Francis X. Rocca, who will be flying with the Pope on his visit, took questions from our readers in a Facebook Q&A. Here is part of the discussion.
Some questions and answers have been lightly edited.
Question from Christina A. Sears: As the Pope embarks on new territory for the Catholic church (as it relates to social injustice, immigrants, abortion, more tolerance of other religions, etc.), how does he handle opposition from those within the Catholic faith who are or who would like to remain more “traditional?”
Answer from Francis X. Rocca: First, it bears noting, as many progressive and conservative Catholics never tire of pointing out, that Pope Francis’ specific teachings on any the subjects you mention are not new. With regard specifically to inter-religious dialogue, you could argue that he has been LESS ambitious than John Paul II, who pioneered the spectacular prayer meetings at Assisi with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and others. That said, Francis clearly spends much more of his time talking about certain social justice issues — and with more passionate rhetoric — and places less emphasis on sexual and medical ethics than his two predecessors. So after 2.5 years the world has gotten the message that priorities have shifted. So how does he “handle” those who object? On the one hand, reminding people of his traditional side, as he did in a series of talks about the family this year —while generally avoiding conservative sound bites that would make headlines. And the other way, when necessary, is by choosing collaborators who share his general approach, and removing those who offer too much resistance. The prime example of the latter is US Cardinal Raymond Burke, former head of the Vatican’s supreme court, who opposed making it quicker and easier to receive marriage annulments — as Francis just did this month. …
Question from Nick Ingala: We’ve read that, if the Pope meets with clergy sexual abuse survivors during his trip, we probably won’t even hear about it until after the fact. Do you know whether the Pope will meet with survivors or ignore the scandal in the U.S.?
Answer from Francis X. Rocca: It’s very plausible that this is being planned, and now that it has been reported, it is much more likely to happen. Benedict met with abuse victims on several of his international trips. Francis has not done so yet, though he did meet some in the Vatican. The policy has always been to announce such meetings after the fact — though Francis himself broke the embargo before the Vatican meeting last year. I think he will also address clerical sex abuse in his public remarks in the U.S., probably to the U.S. bishops next Wednesday in Washington, since this is such an important issue for the bishops.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.