Category: Vatican Files English

A honeymoon is a special time when two lovers live their newly established relationship in a sentimental way, i.e. romantically and enchantingly. In such times, one partner only perceives and highlights the best traits of the loved one but does not see the defects. Honeymoons generally last for a short time and are followed by more realistic and critical appreciations of one another.

What is interesting to notice is what happens in the public domain. In our celebrity culture, honeymoons with global figures are frequent and passionate. Once a person is elected to an important office, the public opinion tends to begin an “affair” with the new powerful figure, selecting and praising all his merits and overlooking the rest, at least at the beginning. This is what has been happening with Pope Francis after his election to the papacy. A global honeymoon is taking place. Among the many sides of it (e.g. in Catholic inner circles, in ecumenical circles), two main angles are worth considering.

The Secular Honeymoon

Comments from the international press have been very generous if not enthusiastic so far. Francis’ image was perceived as “real”, “down to earth”, “personal”, “non presuming”, very different from a “regal” arrogance of more traditional popes. His references to the care of the environment, poverty, and tenderness were highly praised and understood as being very politically correct. His insistence on “mercy” was understood as an open door to different sexual life-styles and moral choices, moving away from a judgmental attitude on the church’s side. His willingness to intermingle with people and his relaxed behavior as far as protocols are concerned were seen as proofs of his desire to be identified with normal people and with ordinary life.

            The international press decided to bypass and consider irrelevant Cardinal Bergoglio’s relationship with the Argentinian political past. No further press investigation was pursed concerning the “dark” years of the totalitarian regimes and the role of the Catholic Church in Latin America. His strong stance against gay marriages in his country was forgotten. His rather conservative positions on moral issues were simply overlooked. Unlike his predecessor, who was a published and public theologian, Pope Bergoglio does not have a record of being a Catholic maitre-à-penser. People that know all his staff say that Pope Francis is on the same page as Benedict XVI in defending the traditional position of the Catholic church in these areas. Yet the secular press fell in love with Francis. Why?

            There may be a sociological explanation to this phenomenon. In this time marked by social crisis, cultural disruption and economic uncertainty, people are eager to find someone that inspires trust and injects hope. Someone who is powerful but nonetheless gives the impression that he is on the same boat as us. A positive father-like figure that can speak simple words of love and distribute psychological caresses. Someone who can identify with the people, sending the message that “I am with you”, and struggling with the same challenges and helping everyone to overcome them. A secular “messiah” that proclaims a “soft gospel” of compassion and resilience. In his first days as Pope, Pope Francis has met expectations. The secular world strongly dislikes the Church but loves the celebrity Pope. What is going to happen when he begins to speak the “hard” sayings of the Catholic Church? The irony of it all is that the cynical, suspicious and disenchanted modern world was re-enchanted by a man using the name of a medieval, primitive and deeply religious saint.

The Evangelical Honeymoon

Comments from the Evangelical world were also marked by the honeymoon attitude. Official statements and the social networks sent out enthusiastic reactions to his election. “Man of God”, “friend of Jesus”, “man of prayer” … these were some of the most common remarks. Francis was also acclaimed as the new national or even continental hero to be proud of, the new Diego Armando Maradona (of my generation) or another Lionel Messi, i.e. a man that embodies the expectations of an entire nation, someone that Evangelical people too want to identify with.

            With all due respect, the idea of a Christ-centered man of God praying to Mary and the saints, bowing in front of an icon and committing himself and his audience to the care of Mary, is difficult to accept from an Evangelical point of view. But this was exactly what Pope Francis did on the first day of his papacy. No one is denying the deep spirituality of Francis or his godly devotion. The problem lies with the Evangelical discernment that tends to select few apparently positive aspects and forgets the negative ones. The outcome is a truncated picture at best, a false assessment at worse.

            The global Evangelical movement does not have celebrities that can compare with those stemming from the worlds of music, sport and politics. Pope Francis apparently filled the gap. Unlike his cerebral predecessor, he knows how to speak to the heart. He knows how to embrace people.

            Evangelical comments were largely based on past personal acquaintances with the former Cardinal Bergoglio. Again, no one for a moment doubts the integrity and warmth of the Pope, but the man can never be separated from his role and his loyalty to his Jesuit mission, which is now papal as well. The Jesuits were founded in 1534 by Ignatius of Loyola and in their turbulent history they have always been committed to serve as “soldiers” of the Pope in order to fight against the (Protestant) heresy and to promote the Catholic mission in the world. Francis is the first Jesuit to become Pope and time will tell just how Jesuit his papacy will be, especially in Latin America where the Evangelical-Catholic border is moving. Will the Jesuit Pope be able to stop the Evangelical expansion? Will he manage to take it back into the Catholic fold? Will he be able to enchant Evangelicals with his manners without changing the doctrinal points of controversy? Will Biblical doctrine still be an issue for Evangelicals in dealing with the Roman Catholic Church at the highest level?

            Anyone who is aware of history should carefully consider these questions. The Spirit is surely able to work miracles even in traditional institutions, but the Bible warns us to not be forgetful of history. Personal relationships are important, but Biblical discernment is bigger than that. It calls for theological awareness, historical alertness, and spiritual vigilance.

            The honeymoon with Pope Francis continues. Yet the mood of the public’s opinion can suddenly change when the fuller mission of the Pope is put on fuller display. What seemed to be a promising marriage may turn into a painful divorce. As for Christians who are experiencing the honeymoon, let the warning of not forsaking the “first love” (Revelation 2:4) of Jesus be a constant reminder of the need to love and to follow Christ and Christ alone.

Leonardo De Chirico

leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org

Rome, 21^st March 2013

The election of Cardinal Bergoglio to the papacy responds to three basic concerns that the conclave felt it necessary to address. These concerns helped to sketch the profile of the new Pope and Cardinal Bergoglio fitted it.

The Transitional Task

No one in the curia will ever say the Benedict XVI’s reign was a failure. Yet the impression is that the election of Pope Bergoglio is an implicit admission that the previous papacy achieved less than what was expected, especially as far as the main point of its agenda was concerned, i.e. the relationship with the secular West. After 8 years of Benedict’s reign, the secular West has become more distant from the Church and critical of it. Moreover, the curial Church has given the poorest performance in terms of lack of Christian standards. The Church needed therefore a different Pope.

            Between the traditional yet secularized West and the vibrant yet still “young” Global South, the conclave has chosen the classical “via media”, or “middle way”. Pope Bergoglio is an Argentinian born of an Italian family. He is Latin American but with an European background. He embodies the transition between the Western establishment and the Southern fervor. Perhaps the conclave thought that choosing an African Pope or an Asian Pope would have been a too long and unwarranted stretch. On the other hand, sticking to another European Pope would have been too much of a geo-political conservative move that the Church could not bear. Pope Bergoglio is an in-between figure. Different but not so strange. Similar but not a replica.

            He is also a transitional figure in terms of his age (76). He is not a “young” Pope with the expectation of a long papacy. Neither is he an “old” Pope with not much time in front of him. His papacy will test the willingness of the Church of Rome to move beyond the stand-still position of recent years, but perhaps it will not have enough time to see changes implemented. The conclave did not commit the Catholic Church to a long papacy (like that of John Paul II), but has instead opted to keep the future in sight, waiting to see how this papacy will unfold. All the while the hierarchy will retain the right to make changes if they deem it necessary.

            Pope Bergoglio is presented as an outsider, but in fact he is not. Supported by Cardinal Martini, Bergoglio was the runner up in the 2005 conclave, the one in which Ratzinger became Benedict XVI. He is well known to the cardinals and was apparently considered “reliable” by the conclave. In the top list of candidates prior to the conclave was the Brazilian Scherer, another transitional figure. Scherer, however, was apparently perceived as being too much involved in the politics of the Roman curia to be able to free himself from its maneuvering. Bergoglio is integrated but not organic to the curial world.

The Apologetic Task

The name chosen by the Jesuit Pope is Francis. He mentioned that Francis is a reference to Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). The international press put a lot of stress on this Franciscan symbolism and apparently liked it. Apparently he will combine the Jesuit wit with the emphasis on poverty and frugality. The choice has to do with the willingness to mark an apologetic transition in dealing with the modern world. Ratzinger addressed it by lecturing as a professor, but the West does not like detached, top-down teachers. Ratzinger argued his positions in a very clever and intellectual way, but the West is looking more to celebrities who can ignite imagination. Ratzinger denounced the moral relativism of our day, but the West does not like people who do not practice the “political correctness” of accepting everything. Ratzinger’s strategy ended in a stand-still.

            Pope Francis  began his papacy with a very different apologetic style. Approachable, normal, ordinary, he likes to be with the people, speaking their language and making his message simple. Ratzinger stressed “faith and reason”, Francis is likely to stress “mercy and simplicity”. Ratzinger addressed the West as theologian, Francis is likely to underline the common humanity of all. The difference is significant.

            Will the Church become poor and meek? Will it give priority to a simpler lifestyle? Will it put a stronger emphasis on its spiritual tasks than its secular interests? One thing is to be remembered, Francis of Assisi did not want to reform the whole Church, but wished to receive from the official church the right for his circle of friends to live in poverty. He wanted a niche to pursue his Evangelical ideals, leaving untouched the apparatus of the imperial church. The Church of his time readily gave him what he wanted because she did not feel threatened by him. We will see whether Pope Francis will transition Evangelical poverty from being a niche of the few idealists to being the standard of the worldwide Church. If this is the case, he will have to look at Peter Valdo (1140-1218) who like Francis practiced Evangelical poverty but challenged the official church to do the same. Francis was integrated, Valdo was persecuted.

The Geo-political Task

A final thought on the geo-political significance of the election. Pope Bergoglio comes from a country where, in recent decades, the secular status quo that saw Roman Catholicism being the dominant religion has been shaken by the growth of Evangelical churches and new religious movements of various kinds. This phenomenon designed a new spiritual geography of the country. The same can be said for other Latin American countries. It is interesting that the Catholic Church chose a Pope from Latin America giving him the task of monitoring and presiding over this continental religious border that has become fluid if not weak. The traditional response to the numerical growth of Evangelicals has been labeling them as “sects” and “cults”, but this derogatory approach did not stop millions of people to leave the Catholic Church. Now, the Pope himself will be directly involved in rescuing the continent. Something important is taking place in Latin America and the risk of losing the continent was considered in need of being addressed at the highest level.

            Pope Francis is a transition figure. Time will show how Latin American, how curial, how Jesuit, and how Franciscan he will be. In his first short speech in front of the applauding crowd in St. Peter’s square, the most quoted figure was the Virgin Mary to whom he committed himself and his predecessor. His first appointment in his first day of papacy was visiting the Marian basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome to pray to Mary for guidance and help. More of a Jesuit than a Franciscan way of beginning a papacy.

Leonardo De Chirico

leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org

Rome, 18^th March 2013

The outcome of a conclave can be unpredictable. Whether or not one believes that the Holy Spirit actually works in the election of the Roman pontiff, its results defy easy previsions. As an absolute monarchy, the Vatican does not normally operate according to democratic procedures. The conclave, however, is one of the few instances where each vote counts and the total amount of them (two thirds is the majority for the first 34ballots) determines history. So there is room for political maneuvering and surprises.

The Role of Benedict XVI

Having resigned from office at over 80 years of age means that Benedict XVI will be cut off from the conclave. During the conclave he will be living at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence on the hills outside of Rome. Though physically absent, his influence will be powerful in a couple of respects.

First, as a living former Pope his shadow will be a major factor in determining what the cardinals will decide. It is likely that no cardinal will vote someone that the present Pope would not himself vote. It is unlikely that the conclave will elect someone who would radically depart from Ratzinger’s trajectory, since he will still be around during and after the conclave. Following the new Pope’s election, Benedict XVI will go back to the Vatican where he will live in a former monastery inside the Vatican walls. He will be there and around. The co-habitation with the new Pope suggests that the latter will be somewhat a prolongation of the former. Without voting and without using words, Benedict XVI will have a say in the next election.

Second, his input in the conclave is evident in considering the fact that during his pontificate he has nominated about half of the 117 electors. The composition of the conclave is largely shaped by men personally chosen by Benedict XVI whom he trusted.

There are two counter-elements to be considered. One is that the conclave will not be held in the emotional atmosphere that generally follows the funerals of the previous Pope. It will be more cerebral than sentimental. The other is that, given the unprecedented decision by Benedict to resign and the shock that has caused in the curia, the conclave could be used as a showdown in the Vatican checkerboard. It is clear that Ratzinger’s weakening conditions that led to his resignations were hastened by internal fights and unresolved tensions in various Vatican departments. The conclave will have to decide what to do about them and the outcome could be surprising. Benedict surrendered to the stand-still situation, but the new Pope will have to act.

A List of Candidates

After two non-Italian Popes (the Polish Wojtyła and the German Ratzinger) is it time for an Italian one? If this is the case, then the Archbishop of Milan Angelo Scola (72) is the first and perhaps only option. The Italian candidates, however, could pay the price of a possible showdown. Many of the recent scandals (e.g. Vatileaks and the Vatican bank’s financial opaque maneuvers) originated in the Roman curia which is mainly governed by Italian prelates. Moreover, the Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone (78), himself an Italian, is part of the on-going controversy. So the poor performance of the Italian hierarchy may result in leaving Italians out of the game to wait for the next round.

Two solidly “Ratzingerian” candidates are the Archbishop of Québec Marc Ouellet (68) and the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schoenborn (68). The French-speaking Canadian Ouellet is the Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and knows the Vatican machinery very well. His role of selecting the new bishops allowed him to have the pulse of the world-wide Church, though he is not a “charismatic” figure in Weberian terms. Schoenborn is a brilliant theologian that denounced some of the silences over the sex abuses scandal. His bold exposition on this issue could find resistance in some traditional circles. Adding to that, the fact that a growing number of Austrian priests is taking critical stances on the celibacy issue may falter Schoenborn’s candidacy. Another papabile in the same group is the Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan (63). Historically, North-American candidates have been excluded for the simple fact that the Roman Catholic Church did not feel comfortable with the idea of having a Pope coming from a super-power of the world. This emotional and political obstacle should be overcome to give Dolan a chance.

Finally, there are three outsiders. Voices around the world repeatedly say that the time has come for a “black” Pope. Cardinal Peter Turkson (65), Ghanean, is President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and a rising star in Vatican circles. A non-Western Pope would definitely come to terms with the reality of the Christian growth in the Global South and the need to move the axis of the Church toward it. In 2012, however, Turkson caused many eyebrows to raise when he launched a document evoking the creation of a global agency to preside over the world’s economy. “Does he want a Soviet-type of control over the world?”– people asked. Turning to Asia, the Archbishop of Manila (Philippines), Luis Antonio Tagle (56) is another option if the Roman Catholic would turn the page in a more radical way towards becoming a less Western institution. This smiling, apparently simple, yet engaging and charming young cardinal made a positive impression at the last Synod of Bishops for the New Evangelization and attracted immediate positive feedbacks. A middle way solution could be the Archbishop of San Paulo (Brazil) Odilo Pedro Scherer (63), the Brazilian bishop with a German name and European “heart”. Latin America is perceived as being a continent of solid Catholic traditions (like the old Europe), yet expressing the spiritual vitality of the Global South.

An Evangelical Preference?

Given the range of possible candidates, who is the more Evangelically inclined or Evangelical-friendly? This is difficult to say. Here are three criteria that could form a list of Evangelical desires for the next conclave.

First, generally speaking, those ecclesiastical figures with first-hand experience among Evangelicals in their pastoral work tend to be more inclined toward friendly relationship with non-Catholic Christians. It is true that where the Roman Catholic Church is strongly attached to the national state in a privileged position, the leaders tend to have a more “defensive” attitude and inward-looking vision. On the contrary, where the Roman Church experiences the stresses and strains of being a religious institution in the midst of other movements and in the context of a separate political power, there the Church has a more positive attitude towards religious pluralism. To the extent that the next Pope comes from a background of interaction with the plurality of Christian experiences and orientations, the better he will be among evangelicals.

Second, those who have more global perceptions of the state of Christianity surely have a better consideration of Evangelicals than those who are grounded in regional areas where Catholics have a traditional majority status. The challenges of the persecution of Christians, global poverty, and the rising secularism of the West are common concerns that allow conversations and cooperation between different Christians. A Pope who is aware of global trends and who has knowledge of the complex geography of the Christian Churches will be in a better position to appreciate the contribution of Evangelicals around the globe.

Third, some Evangelicals would naturally desire that the Pope be a Bible-focused and Christ-centered leader, less attracted by traditions and devotional practices and more inclined to promote Biblical literacy and personal faith in Jesus Christ. They would like to see a “reformer”-type of a leader, being willing to allow the Word of God to drive the Church in truth and love. In other words, a less “Roman” and a more “catholic” Pope would be the standard Evangelical preference. Other Evangelicals would think that the best Pope will be the one who declares himself redundant, being Jesus Christ the Lord of the Church and the Holy Spirit his only vicar.

Is there such a papabile out there? We shall soon see.

Leonardo De Chirico

leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org

Rome, 4th March 2013

Assessing a pontificate is no easy task. Assessing Benedict’s pontificate (2005-2013) is even more difficult. The caliber of Ratzinger as a theologian, the muddy state of present-day Vatican affairs, and the complexity of global religious and moral trends, … these are all factors that call for careful consideration, although his pontificate will perhaps be remembered more for the shocking way it

ended than for what it achieved. Our task here will be more modest. It will take as parameters the main bullet points that characterized Evangelical perceptions of Benedict’s pontificate. It will be an exercise to see to what extent they match reality.

Orthodox

A recurring comment is that Benedict XVI has been an “orthodox” pope. In this case, orthodox means maintaining Nicene Christianity, i.e. the Trinitarian and Christological confession of faith of the early church. In itself, being orthodox is not a distinct feature of any single Pope because it is part of his service. The pope, or any pope, is to be orthodox. Bonifacius VIII, the pope that

introduced the papal tiara in 1300 (indicative of the temporal power), was orthodox. Pope Leo X, the one who excommunicated Martin Luther in 1521, was orthodox. The best and the worst popes were orthodox. Indeed, all 265 Popes since Peter have been orthodox. The business of the Pope is to be orthodox in this Nicene sense.

It may be true that Benedict put a special emphasis on orthodoxy, but he has interpreted his orthodoxy in a Roman Catholic way, like all previous Popes. He has been praying daily to Mary, he has granted indulgences, he has canonized new saints, he has maintained the church-state profile of the Vatican, etc. Contrary to what C.S. Lewis believed, there is no “mere orthodoxy” out there. Nicene Christianity is always colored by subsequent developments in Christian doctrine and practice. It never stands in isolation nor does it exist in an abstract way. Benedict’s pontificate has been a peak of Roman Catholic orthodoxy.

Biblical

It is true that in his catechetical efforts, Benedict has been dealing with the Bible much more than his immediate predecessors. His speeches have largely been Biblical meditations and his recent writings on Jesus have defended the historicity of the Gospel accounts. Much of his reading of Scripture, however, was driven by post-biblical presuppositions that come out of ecclesiastical tradition rather than Scripture itself. The heavily sacramental interpretations of Gospel stories and the over-arching interpretive grid that sees the relationship between Biblical teaching and Roman Catholic practices in terms of linear continuity, are only two examples of “how” Biblical Benedict’s magisterium has been. During his pontificate, the point that distinguished Roman Catholicism from the Protestant tradition was no longer whether or not the Bible is accessible to the people, but “how” it is to be read and lived out.

There is still another aspect to bear in mind. The Pope’s most famous (and criticized) speech, i.e. the 2006 Regensburg lecture, was not about Islam, but revolved around the need to keep the Hellenized combination of “faith and reason” which Thomas Aquinas refined at its best and which the Roman Catholic Church holds onto. In denouncing the threats to the “classic” synthesis, Benedict indicated the “sola Scriptura” of the Reformation as a major breach that eventually caused theological liberalism and present-day relativism. It is interesting that a “Biblical” Pope would have such a low view of the Reformation’s formal principle that brought the Bible back to the center of the life of the Church.

Public Truth

Benedict has courageously stood for basic Judeo-Christian convictions about life, the family, and the welfare of society characterized by freedom and solidarity, even in the midst of criticism from secular intellectual circles. Like his predecessor, John Paul II, Benedict was commended by Muslim and other religious leaders for his tenacious defense of traditional morality in the global world. His Church, however, did not perform well in terms of public transparency and integrity with regards to the sexual abuses scandals, the opaque financial maneuvers, and the appalling intrigues within the Vatican. During Benedict’s reign the distinction between the standards of the official Church and those of the world has been thin if not impalpable. He is not to blame for all this, yet this poor “public” performance sheds light on the overall picture. This is perhaps one of the reasons why Benedict came to the almost unprecedented conclusion to resign from the papal office.

The Pope spoke of Christians as a “minority” and encouraged the Church to re-think its identity accordingly. The fact that he did not take any action to move his Church beyond the privileged status it has in many countries where Catholics are majority puts his record as a “public truth” teller in perspective. Would it not be a “public truth” argument to say that the Church wants to be the church only and not a religious agency with a built in state with its own politics, bank, army, etc., like any other state of the world?

New Evangelization

The New Evangelization was an idea of John Paul II, but Benedict XVI started implementing it by creating a Vatican office dedicated to it and by making it the central theme of the 2012 Synod of Bishops. Pope Ratzinger has come to terms with the idea that the West is largely post-Christian and is in need of being evangelized again by a reinvigorated Church.

The future will tell what the New Evangelization will bring about in terms of spiritual renewal. Yet, so far there has been little self-criticism on the Church’s part as to why the West became more secularized. Does the Church have any responsibility in the secular “schism” that has taken place? No clear answer has come from Pope Ratzinger who has instead blamed the modern world for it.

In the meantime, Benedict has continued calling “sects” those that are engaged in evangelism, including Evangelicals in the Global South, not making the distinction between New Religious movements and Evangelical Christianity.

Beyond extremely positive assessments based on selected aspects of Benedict’s pontificate, Evangelicals have food for thought in order to come to a more nuanced and perhaps realistic view of his office as a Pope.

Leonardo De Chirico

leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org

Rome, 25th February 2013

Benedict XVI shocked the whole world announcing his resignation from being the reigning Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries, no Pope had resigned but has instead waited for his death while still holding the office. His announcement was in Latin, not exactly the lingua franca of today’s world. Before getting the attention of the media, journalists had to rush to experts in Latin to be sure of what was going on. In doing something remarkably new, Pope Ratzinger did it in a very old-fashioned way. Even in one of his last acts as Pope, he was both modern and traditional. In a way, he reflected the Roman Catholic way of doing things by maintaining tradition, yet at the same time constantly changing.

            There will certainly be other occasions to assess the trajectory of Ratzinger’s pontificate. Suffice it for now to draw attention to the last lectio he gave to a group of seminarians in Rome on February 8^th. This was not his last speech as Pope, but it was his last theologically engaging talk prior to his resignation. In a certain sense, this lectio is a kind of a prism where his Biblical teaching can be seen in a nutshell.

            The text was 1 Peter 1:3-5, a highly dense text full of theological richness, and Benedict XVI applied all his catechetical skills to expound it. His comment was profound as one might expect from a first class theologian. Yet it is also revealing of the particular Roman Catholic blend of his Biblical teaching.

1 Peter as the First Encyclical?

In introducing the letter, Ratzinger said that it was the “first encyclical” sent by the vicar of Christ to the Church. Let’s pause for a moment. An encyclical is – generally speaking – a circulating letter, but – technically speaking – is a letter sent by the Roman Catholic Pope to bishops, clergy, the faithful and the people of good will of his time dealing with doctrinal and/or pastoral issues.

            Historically, encyclicals have been regularly sent by Popes from 1740 onwards. At the very least it is not historically appropriate to give 1 Peter a papal term that wouldn’t be put into use for another 1700 years. Even if we take the more general meaning of encyclical (i.e. a circulating letter), 1 Peter is not the first NT text of the canon in terms of the chronology of its composition. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is the earliest document of the New Testament. So, even if the adjective “first” referred to the chronological priority of Peter’s letter, this is not the case in that other apostolic letters were written before Peter wrote his first one.

            Beyond historical details, the message that Benedict wanted to convey was that of an on-going continuity between Peter writing his letter and future Popes writing their encyclicals. The Pope linked this Biblical letter to modern encyclicals and Peter with modern Popes. This claim is hermeneutically loaded with the Roman Catholic understanding of Peter’s office and succession, but does not stand out from the text of Scripture itself.

Peter as the Vicar of Christ?

It is not by chance that in his lectio Benedict XVI talked about Peter as being the “vicar of Christ”. After rightly recalling the way in which Peter introduces himself as an “apostle”, he went on to say that Peter was commissioned to be “the first apostle, the vicar of Christ”. He makes the case that Peter writes from Rome (the Babylon quoted in 5:13) and that his being in Rome has theological significance. As vicar of Christ, and in view of his universal office, Peter had to preside over the Jewish church (Jerusalem) first and eventually the Gentile church (Rome).

            The “vicar” title does not come from Peter himself. The apostle rather talks of himself as an “elder” (5:1) in the company of other elders, thus a fellow-elder. There is no hint in the text that Peter has received the title of “vicar”, whatever the term may mean. Peter does not think of himself as being someone or something that other fellow-elders are not. Moreover, it is rather the case that Peter calls the whole people of God as “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” called to declare the praises of God (2:9). The fact that Peter defines Rome as Babylon may have apocalyptic significance, rather than being a reference to his universal first papacy. Again, Ratzinger’s interpretation is loaded with meanings that belong to the Roman Catholic tradition but cannot be found in the text of Scripture.

            There is much wisdom in Benedict’s last lectio on 1 Peter. Yet it is a wisdom driven by certain Roman Catholic presuppositions that govern his reading rather than being governed by Scripture itself. It is curious that his last theological speech as Pope revolved around Peter, the first Pope according to Benedict XVI.

Leonardo De Chirico

leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org

Rome, 12^th February 2013