He Said He Said? A Pope Gropes At Credibility?

Icon of Christ the Redeemer toppled by a gust of wind, Easter Day 2024

Oh dear! A belated April Fool's joke?

According to an NBC report - not the most reliable source, granted, but... - Pope Francis has said that Pope Benedict agreed with his thoughts about civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/benedict-backed-rights-lgbtq-couples-pope-francis-says-rcna146014

Political and social issues aside, Pope Francis' attempt to gain credibility by linking his thoughts to Benedict XVI's supposed position on the issue is more than a little weak. Francis' appeal to the authority of Pope Benedict XVI, one of the great theological minds of the 20th Century, amounts to an attempted theft of reputation.

The Church has witnessed similar attempts to appropriate credibility in the past.

Fr. Annibale Bugnini, the architect of the liturgical reform and the chair of the Consilium charged with the renewal of the liturgy in the wake of the Second Vatican Council, when challenged regarding the impetus for a change in the Liturgy, would say to the other members of the Consilium that the Holy Father, i.e., Pope Paul VI, willed it (the change). Those comments are a matter of record. When Pope Paul VI asked about proposed changes, reliable witnesses expressed that Bugnini would state that the Consilium recommended the very same changes Bugnini had attributed to Pope Paul VI.

Father Bouyer records that Father Bugnini would regularly insist on various changes in the Liturgy, saying, “The Pope wants it so.” But the French theologian (Fr. Louis Bouyer) recalls that when he spoke directly with Pope Paul VI about the proposed changes, the Pontiff told him that Father Bugnini had claimed the working committee was unanimous in seeking the changes. Thus Father Bouyer concludes that Pope Paul was maneuvered into “approving without being in any way more than content with it than I was.” - Memoirs of Father Louis Bouyer. See also: https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/09/fr-louis-bouyer-on-liturgical-reform.html

Bugnini's actions sound like those of a conniving child playing his parents against each other. The script goes as follows.

Behind dad's back... .

Son: "Mom, dad says I can sleep over at Wilbur's place tonight."
Mom: "Well, ok. If your dad says it's okay, it's okay with me."

Then, behind mom's back... .

Son: "Dad, mom says I can sleep over at Wilbur's place tonight."
Dad: "Well, ok. If your mom says it's okay, it's okay with me."

Archbishop Georg Gänswein knew Benedict XVI better than anyone. As Pope Francis' version of events are examined in the coming days, perhaps a visit with Archbishop Gänswein would be prudent. It is highly likely that Pope Benedict's devoted secretary and close confident can attest to the veracity or lack thereof of the idea that, according to Francis, Pope Benedict shared Francis' thoughts about civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

In the wake of a seriously flawed document appropriately rejected by large swathes of the Church, i.e., Fiducia Supplicans, Pope Francis seems to be grasping an any straw he can to gain traction for a divisive agenda.

It becomes hard to avoid the conclusion that an undercurrent of resentment is one of the distinguishing and most regrettable marks of the Francis pontificate. Regrettable, because it damages the dignity of the petrine office. Regrettable, because it creates critics and enemies, rather than reconciling them. Regrettable, because it undercuts every pontificate’s central task: providing a credible, faithful source of Catholic unity. And the advisers, apologists, and ghostwriters who surround this pontificate have been instrumental in adding to the problem. - Archbishop-emeritus Charles J. Chaput

The Holy Father's agenda is ambiguous at best. One might confidently call it messy, given the Holy Father's own call to youth to make a mess. Those of us in the pew are left scratching our heads at the curious actions of an individual we are meant to love and respect.

Given that Francis has created serious ecumenical problems for our Eastern non-Catholic brethren by issuing confused teachings, is it any wonder that he should appeal to a dead theological superstar pope for support, to effect damage control, and to attempt to bandage his reputation? Yes, popes do appeal to their predecessor's authoritative writings to ensure doctrinal continuity. However, there is no written evidence that Pope Benedict XVI supported civil partnerships for same-sex couples. For Pope Francis to suggest otherwise is to further damage the dignity of the petrine office.

Pray for Pope Francis. Pray for Holy Mother Church. In the case of the former, one might pray that he receive the gift of prudence. In the case of the latter, one might pray for purification and a renewal of humility and holiness among all Catholics.