When Jorge Bergoglio was elected to the papacy, I wrote about his choice of name “Francis.” As a Jesuit I wondered if he meant Francis Xavier. But it turns out that he made took on the name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. I speculated the implications of the name and I think it is very helpful to look at how Saint Francis informs the papacy of Pope Francis.
There are many who contrast his pontificate with that of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI. It should be important to note at the outset that these difference are difference is style and difference in emphasis. They are not differences in doctrine. Particularly, I would say that the main difference is between emphasizing orthodoxy and orthopraxis.
Orthodoxy is “correct teaching.” This involves making sure that all of the teachings of the church in all parts of her body are in alignment with the holy truth that comes from the Sacred Deposit of Faith given to us by Christ.
Orthopraxis is “correct action.” This means going out in to the world and living the way Christ wants us to and by our actions changing things for the better.
I think it is very instructive to look at the most influential saints in each of their lives.
For Pope Benedict, it was St. Augustine of Hippo. After the Divine and human authors of Scripture, there is probably know person more influential to the faith than Augustine (though you could argue a place for St. Thomas Aquinas). Augustine’s life was dramatic and passionate. He said in a general audience on February 27, 2008, “St. Augustine was a passionate seeker of truth… his passion for man and for the truth… led him to seek God…” And later he said “Augustine converted to Christ who is truth and love… and became a model for every human being, for all of us in search of God.”
Augustine struggled with sin most of his life, but when he converted he desired to live quietly in a monastery But when he was forced to serve as bishop, he shared the interior drama of his soul and showed that the spiritual life is passionate and dramatic and can change the person.
I believe Benedict saw that important connection clearly. That we cannot act well in the world until we convert our hearts to God. And once we do, we are given the light of His wisdom. All of us, in all walks of life, are seekers of truth. Benedict understood his job as to be a beacon of truth and “The truth shall set you free.” Hence Benedict’s emphasis on orthodoxy.
St. Francis of Assisi, like Augustine, lived a reckless life until his conversion. But unlike Augustine, Francis was nothing like an academic. Francis did not start an order of scholars and was himself not very well educated. Instead, Francis was more interested in getting out into the world and doing things. In Francis conversion experience, it was said that he heard Christ say to him, “Francis, rebuild my church.” Rather than discern and puzzle over what this meant, Francis immediately set out to rebuild the broken down Church of San Damiano. Of course Our Lord was calling him to rebuild the entire Body of Christ, but Francis was more interested in jumping in with both feet. Like Peter who dove into the water at the sight of Jesus, Francis was filled with active zeal.
My favorite story about this is when Francis’s father made the bishop of Assisi discipline Francis, because Francis was giving away his father’s hard-earned money to the poor. The bishop told Francis that it was wrong for him to give away his father’s possessions, because they were his father’s not Francis’. Francis in turn strips naked right there in front of the entire town including the bishop and gives his clothes back to his father. This story typifies St. Francis who would immediately act out of a burning sense of charity. But when he was corrected, he humbly made the correction and obeyed the Church.
Francis of Assisi seems very inspired by the words of the Apostle James “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.“ (James 2:14-17) For St. Francis, without action, faith is empty.
And we can see this in Pope Francis. He is calling us to try new and bold things. At World Youth Day in Brazil, Francis said ““What do I hope for from World Youth Day? I hope for a mess … that the Church takes to the streets. That we defend ourselves from comfort, that we defend ourselves from clericalism,” He is incredibly open to out-of-the-box ideas like deaconesses. He wants to find new ways to reach out to the marginalized in the Church like homosexuals and those living in divorce and remarriage. In my article on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si, I noted how often the Holy Father urged people to do something, anything, to care for the environment
I have spoken to a number of Catholics who are sometimes uncomfortable with Francis’ off-the-cuff style. But that is very much in keeping with St. Francis of Assisi. And it must be noted that this emphasis on orthopraxis does not mean that we jettison orthodoxy. St. Francis of Assisi made sure to walk to Rome in order to get approval of his Order of Friars Minor from Pope Innocent III and he submitted all of his plans to the Holy Father.
Of all of the self-descriptions that Pope Francis uses, the one that strikes me most is how he constantly describes himself as a “son of the Church.” He makes clear that he is not here to contradict anything in orthodox Catholic teaching. He is obedient and submits to the truth of the Sacred Deposit of Faith. Like Saint Francis, Pope Francis understands that orthopraxis must bow to orthodoxy. But both Francises see the purpose of orthodoxy as being a guide to the real vocation of orthopraxis.
Because Saint Francis often leapt before he looked, because he focused more on action than theology, he would sometimes make mistakes. But because he was filled with humility, he would always take correction and adjust his actions. Pope Francis does not seem afraid to make mistakes, nor does he want us to be afraid to make mistakes. The real mistake would be to not do anything at all or to be closed to correction when you do make a mistake.
Again, neither Pope Benedict XVI nor Pope Francis are right or wrong. It is a matter of emphasis. God always sends us the prophets who best address the needs of a given age.
Saint Francis of Assisi wanted God to make him an instrument of His peace. And this helps us understand how Francis sees our role in the Church:
We are not passive receivers of orthodox truth, but instruments of God’s active grace in the world.
Copyright 2016, W. L. Grayson
W.L. Grayson
I am a devoutly Catholic theology teacher who loves a popular culture that often, quite frankly, hates me. I grew up absorbing every movie, TV show, comic book, science fiction novel, etc. I could find. As of today I’ve watched over 2100 movies and tv shows. They take up a huge part of my life. I don’t know that this is a good thing, but it has given me a common vocabulary to draw from in order to illustrate whatever theological point I make in class. I’ve used American Pie the song to explain the Book of Revelation (I’ll post on this some time later) and American Pie the movie to help explain Eucharist (don’t ask). The point is that the popular culture is popular for a reason. It is woven into the fabric of our lives and imaginations, for good or ill. In this blog I will attempt to bring together the things of heaven with the things of earth. Of course this goal may be too lofty for someone like me.
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