A Papal Canonization Doubleheader | First Things

A Papal Canonization Doubleheader | First Things

A Papal Canonization Doubleheader

October 16, 2013

George Weigel

I doubt that Pope Francis has heard of Ernie Banks, the Hall of Fame shortstop. But like “Mr. Cub,” whose love for baseball led him to exclaim “Let’s play two!” before Sunday doubleheaders in the 1950s, the pope from the end of the world seems to think that papal canonizations are better in tandem: hence the Sept. 30 announcement that Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II will be canonized together on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014.

Predictably, the decision caused some unhappiness in some quarters.

Some Poles wanted John Paul II canonized by himself. Some who welcomed the decision to canonize John XXIII are disgruntled that “their” pope has to share the billing with the pope they think hijacked John XXIII’s Vatican II. The aggrieved Poles should (and most will) recognize that, while John Paul II brought uniquely Polish insights and experiences to the papacy, he now belongs to the entire world Church. The aggravated partisans of John XXIII should, but probably won’t, concede that the “John XXIII” they’ve have constructed in their imaginations bears little resemblance to the real John XXIII, and that the charge of Council hijacking is ludicrous. [THEY are the ones who hijacked the Council(with their 'in the spirit of Vatican II') and THAT hijacking is not at all a ludicrous concept! And let me go further into the Truth as I see it . This will sound exaggerated but soundly I do not think that it is..I would not mind , in the least, if I AM wrong about this though.... I think that word 'spirit'  in the phrase 'in the spirit ofVatican II' is the false deceptive spirit  of Satan... I think that it has played  a huge part in the formationdevelopment and growth of the antigospel and the antichurch...  I think these apostate church within the Church outnumbers us. They want to change the Church from within to make it into a faith made into the image and likeness that they choose but it does not resemble the Catholic faith... and sadly this may even represent the one world religion of the one world governance of the New World Order... It is the great apostasy and the great deception and the culmination of Satan's plan...Be with your Church, O Lord! Be with us and guide us and protect us especially be with , guide, and protect , the pope, in Jesus name. Amen..the wolves are round about , inside and out. They are already the ones that the world listens to and identifies with the most...Do not let them win Lord....Use me, guide me give me your strength Lord... I cannot do it buut nothing is impossible for you, Lord]

In fact, it might be reasonably speculated that Pope Francis liked the idea of a papal canonization doubleheader precisely because it will underscore the continuity between John XXIII’s intention and John Paul II’s authoritative interpretation of Vatican II: Vatican II was intended to prepare the Church for the challenges of evangelization in late modernity, an intention realized by John Paul II’s use of the Council’s teaching to launch the world Church into the New Evangelization of the third millennium.

Vatican II differed from the previous 20 ecumenical councils in that it provided no authoritative keys for its proper interpretation. Unlike other councils, it defined no dogmas, condemned no heresies (or heretics), commissioned no catechism, wrote no new canons into the law of the Church. Vatican II did give the Church 16 documents of differing magisterial “weight,” but it provided no interpretive keys to its body of teaching. The result was 20 years of argument, sometimes quite bitter. And in those arguments, as Benedict XVI put it, the idea of Vatican-II-as-rupture-with-the-past (which seemed to detach the Church of the future from its historical and doctrinal moorings) contended with the idea of Vatican-II-as-development-of-the-authoritative-tradition-of-the-Church (the tradition providing the reference points for grasping the true meaning of the Council).

At the very outset of his pontificate in 1978, John Paul II said that the full implementation of Vatican II would be the program of his papacy. He kept that pledge, providing authoritative interpretations of virtually all of the Council’s documents through his own encyclicals, apostolic letters, and post-synodal apostolic exhortations. Perhaps most importantly, he called a special meeting of the world Synod of Bishops in 1985, to assess what had gone right, and what had gone not-so-right, in the twenty years since Vatican II closed on Dec. 8, 1965. That synod, in turn, offered the Church a connective thread with which the various pieces of Vatican II might be woven together into a full tapestry, by describing the Church as a communion of disciples in mission. Catholicism begins with Christ (hence discipleship); those disciples are joined in a community, a “communion,” that is different from any other association because it is the mystical body of Christ; that “communion” exists for mission—to spread the Gospel and offer men and women the possibility of friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The liveliest parts of the world Church today are found where Catholics have embraced this vision of a communion of disciples in mission; the dying parts of the world Church are those that cling to the false idea of Vatican-II-as-rupture. Pope Francis, who urges the Church to avoid being “self-referential” and to get about the business of spreading the healing message of the Gospel, is very much a pope of the New Evangelization, which he understands to be a fruit of Vatican II.

And that’s why it’s entirely appropriate for him to canonize John XXIII and John Paul II the same day.

George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. His previous “On the Square” articles can be found here.

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Comments:

10.16.2013 | 8:39am

Maria says:

  Just realized that the closing date of Dec 8 , for Vatican 11 ,[WOW!] is possibly very symbolic too .

It comes 111 years to the date of the declaration of the Dogma of Immaculate Conception - a Dogma still very much misunderstood or only little understood , by our feeble , darkened minds and hearts .

http://www.ewtn.com/library/CHISTORY/ZIMMACON.HTM - one of the best articles on same , that touches on points missed by most , of the circumstances and effects of the event , on how the Dogma was given , to remind humanity again and more urgently, in light of the need of the times,
on the reality of original sin , of need for Redemption .

Bl.Mother appears at Lourdes, on 2/11 - as The Immaculate Conception and as the article mentions , respecting and waiting for The Church , to proclaim that truth first , to open up the healing graces more for a sin sick humanity !

The Spirit possibly was preparing The Church , for the coming battles , through Vatican 11and the related Papacies - a Council, to be seen by the above coincidences too , as very much in line with the flow of The Spirit , from the previous times .

Hopefully , those who try to portary this Papacy too as a 'rupture' , would thus take note !

Thank God , we have may be a triple header , of rejoicing and celebrating His mercy , through so much He gives us - His Mother , the holy Popes .. more of Church unity ..more firmness with which we can trust, what The Church teaches .

May we be blessed to drink it up , with thirsting welcoming hearts that do not test Him, through ingratitude and contentions, to end up in dry, dusty waterless deserts !

10.16.2013 | 4:43pm

Don Roberto says:

Both men are great examples for us all, recognizing the true depth — the horror — of the sin around them, and the apparently feeble capabilities of the forces of light, while trusting the Holy Spirit to bring all things back to where they should be in alignment with God's plan.

†

10.17.2013 | 1:02am

Anita says:

So sad that there are still some that are questioning our Pope's authority and decisions. Surely, they are not considering the fact that he is "Peter" and is following what Jesus is telling him to do. Does not the Church teach us that the Pope in infallible in matters of faith? The Holy Spirit is guiding him and all the previous Popes before and after him. That is what Papal Authority iis all about. We are not in a "pick and choose" religion, either follow it completely or do not consider themselves to be true Catholics.

10.18.2013 | 12:20pm

Fr James says:

Over here in Rome there was also speculation about the possibility of the beatification of Pope Paul VI together with the double canonization. That eventuality would have emphasized even more the continuity and contributions of three giants-- not just two --to the Church's ever-new announcing of the Kingdom of God to the entire world.