By TAMI QUIGLEY Staff writer
“Pope Francis is the first Pope outside of Europe. What does he bring to the table?” Dr. Peter Casarella said of the Buenos Aires, Argentina native of Italian descent who is also the first Jesuit Pope.
Casarella shared this thought at the Hesburgh Lecture “Pope Francis: Herald of a Global Church” April 12 at the McGlinn Conference Center, adjacent to Alvernia University, Reading.
The lecture was hosted by Alvernia and co-sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Reading and Alvernia’s Holleran Center for Community and Global Engagement.
Casarella is associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, and director of Latin American/North American Church Concerns (LANACC) Project (2106-19). The author of
“Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa,” Casarella is area coordinator, World Religions World Church.
Casarella said in the beginning, Pope Francis – who was elected Pope March 13, 2013 – “asked to be blessed by the people. That’s something familiar to the people of Argentina.”
Casarella discussed Pope Francis’ “shifting the conversation on moral questions.”
In the pontiff’s infamous statement “Who am I to judge?” on the subject of homosexuality, Casarella said, “he was saying there’s mercy for everyone.”
Casarella also discussed Pope Francis offering mercy to divorced and remarried Catholics, as seen in “Amoris Laetita” chapter 8. “Amoris Laetitia” is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis addressing the pastoral care of families.
Dated March 19, 2016, it was released April 8, 2016. It followed the Synods on the Family in 2014 and 2015.
“He’s going out to the peripheries and realizing not all families are nuclear families,” said Casarella.
“I’m convinced the Pope doesn’t see this as a shift on doctrine. He’s coming from his pastoral experience.”
“His outreach to those on the margins, going to the peripheries – where are they rooted?” Casarella asked, noting much of it is rooted in Pope Francis’ “distinctive Ignatian spirituality.”
Casarella also pointed to the Argentinian influence of “Theology of the People.” He said the “father of Theology of the People” was Lucio Gera (1924-2012), an immigrant from Italy like Pope Francis. “Pope Francis, as cardinal, had him buried in the cathedral.”
Others involved with the theology are Rafael Tello (1917-2002); Alberto Methol Ferre (1929-2009); Jesuit Father Juan Carlos Scannone; and Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.
This theology turns to the religion of the faithful people of God as a key source for theological reflection.
Casarella said when he was in Buenos Aires, he asked people if the stories of the future Pope were true, that as Bishop he took the subway instead of having a driver to events, and didn’t go to restaurants but instead went home and cooked for priests? People said they were true.
Casarella said the future Pope was “austere and dour” prior to his papacy, but since being elected Pope he has changed – he is joyful, and the author of “Evangelli Guadium” (“Joy of the Gospel”), a 2013 apostolic exhortation.
Casarella said key elements of “Joy of the Gospel” are: the reform of the Church in her missionary outreach (ch. 1); the temptations faced by pastoral workers (ch. 2); the Church, understood as the entire People of God, which evangelizes (ch. 3); the homily and its preparation (ch. 3); the inclusion of the poor in society (ch. 4); peace and dialogue within society (ch. 4); and the spiritual motivations for mission (ch. 5).
What kind of Church will serve the globe? Casarella highlighted three points.
The Church, which “goes forth,” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice (“Joy of the Gospel,” 24).
Missionary discipleship: “'Mere administration’ can no longer be enough. Throughout the world, let us be permanently in a state of mission (25).”
Field hospital: “I prefer a Church that is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church that is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security (49).”
Casarella also conveyed the Four Bergoglian Principles: Time is greater than space (“Joy of the Gospel,” 222); unity prevails over conflict (226); realities are more important than ideas (231); and the whole is greater than the part (235).
Discussing unity prevails over conflict, Casarella said, “There’s nothing Pollyanna-ish about this. You enter into a struggle but look to God for the solution.” He spotlighted Pope Francis’ words at Ground Zero in 2015, referring to the fountain there as a “fountain of tears.”
Turning his attention to the Gospel of Life, Casarella said, “Pope Francis defends the Gospel of Life – he’s opposed to abortion. He brings to it a Franciscan element of sharing it in deeds before words. It’s the importance of showing in your own life what it’s about before trying to tell people.”
Casarella said Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si” (“On the Care of Our Common Home”) “is not just about environmentalism, but how Catholics should care for the Earth they call home. There’s one message: if you’re going to make Earth home, then it has to be home for everybody.”
Casarella said Pope Francis’ speech to the U.S. Congress Sept. 22, 2015 wove in four witnesses: Abraham Lincoln (liberty), Dr. Martin Luther King (nonexclusion), Dorothy Day (social justice) and Thomas Merton (dialogue and openness to God).
“He referred to four witnesses, only two of whom were Catholic, in that address to Congress, in the spirit of theology of the people.”
Casarella recalled when Pope Francis spoke at Independence Mall in Philadelphia in September 2015, “He spoke in Spanish at the podium Lincoln used for the Gettysburg address. The bulk of his talk was about religious freedom and the bishops opposing Obama’s health care mandate.
“But he also spoke of Hispanic immigrants and the enrichment of U.S. culture.”
Casarella shared the Pope’s words: “Among us today are members of America’s large Hispanic population, as well as representatives of recent immigrants to the United States. I greet all of you with particular affection! Many of you have emigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life.
“Do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face. I ask you not to forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your new nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions. Do not forget the lessons you learned from your elders, which are something you can bring to enrich the life of this American land.
“I repeat, do not be ashamed of what is part of you, your life blood. You are also called to be responsible citizens, and to contribute fruitfully to the life of the communities in which you live. I think in particular of the vibrant faith that so many of you possess, the deep sense of family life and all those other values that you have inherited. By contributing your gifts, you will not only find your place here, you will help to renew society from within.”
Casarella spoke of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”) released April 9, and its boldness and passion. He shared these words of the Pope:
“Look at Jesus. His deep compassion reached out to others. It did not make him hesitant, timid or self-conscious, as so often happens with us. Quite the opposite. His compassion made him go out actively to preach and to send others on a mission of healing and liberation.
“Let us acknowledge our weakness, but allow Jesus to lay hold of it and send us to mission, too. We are weak, yet we hold a treasure that can enlarge us and can make those who receive it better and happier. Boldness and apostolic courage are an essential part of the mission (“Rejoice and Be Glad.” 131).
