On the death of Pope Francis

A Protestant Reflects

I am not a Roman Catholic Christian.

I am a catholic Christian (and an orthodox one, too) but of the Reformed variety. I do not say that the Papacy is what the Papacy says it is. I do not regard the See of Rome in the way the Roman Catholic Christians do. I believe it has erred and continues in serious error - not least by accruing a monopoly of institutional power to itself. I think Luther’s critique of the Papacy, which has stood for 500 years, has not been answered.

Nevertheless, the death of Pope Francis feels momentous to me as a Christian. I don’t feel that Pope Francis has been as significant a figure in his own right as, say, Pope John Paul II. He wasn’t as significant a theologian as Benedict XVI. And I am not in a position to judge whether his mildly reforming agenda has made an impact. I welcome his determination not to compromise on child sexual abuse in the church, and I continue to pray for leadership in this area.

My Roman Catholic friends have been divided about him. Those on the more liberal side welcomed his more inclusive and democratic style. Conservatives saw him as a woolly compromiser with worldly fashions (though this was often overstated by the secular press) - and didn’t like his supposedly humble gestures.

I am in no position to judge.

But as a Protestant Christian who still believes in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, I can never see the Roman Church as simply other. They are not another religion. They are more like separated siblings. There are real differences that must not be denied or waved away. But there so many things that we share.

I have learned a great deal from Roman Catholic theologians and from Roman Catholic friends. I always read Papal Encyclicals with a critical eye, but never without benefit. Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger and Karl Rahner are just a few of the Roman Catholic thinkers who have stimulated my thinking. When I was in Oxford, I was delighted to join a John Calvin reading group led by the late Father Philip Endean!

Not least, Roman Catholics and Protestants share in the task of following Christ in the secular West. The election of a new Pope will have ramifications for me as a non-Roman Catholic Christian. It is far easier to be an orthodox and creedal Christian if the Roman Catholic Church is also. If the new Pope pursues a radical agenda, it will be harder to be a conservative Christian. It will be harder to stand my ground against secularism if the largest Christian denomination simply gives in to it.

However, with humility, I also do pray for change in the Roman Catholic Church. I would love to see an unleashing of the Bible and the spread of Biblical literacy. My Roman Catholic friends have often complained to me about the level of Biblical knowledge in their church. If the Bible is put in the hands of the people, then that really is an advance. Democratising a Biblically illiterate church is just a recipe for disaster. Reform must always be reform to a true standard. If that standard is merely a longing for tradition (a return to the Latin Mass) or keeping up with the times, then reform is pointless.

So. Pray for the forthcoming Conclave (and watch the movie if you want to get the lowdown!) Pray that whomever is appointed is a man after God’s own heart. And pray for the mercy of God on all Christians and on all churches who dare to call themselves ‘Christian’.