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Everyone was wondering if the next Pope would take the name Francis II. Now that this has not happened, we are all wondering how Pope Leo will deal with the legacy of his controversial predecessor. Yesterday Pope Leo made an address “to representatives of other churches and ecclesial communities and other religions” who had attended his inauguration Mass on Sunday. (The term “churches” is used for Orthodox churches which have a valid Eucharist, “Ecclesial communities” are used for Christian bodies which do not have a valid Eucharist and therefore lack the defining aspect of “church.”)
The most important remark of this address seems to be the following emphasis on “unity in faith” and the explanation of Pope Leo’s motto:
My election has taken place during the year of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. That Council represents a milestone in the formulation of the Creed shared by all Churches and Ecclesial Communities. While we are on the journey to re-establishing full communion among all Christians, we recognise that this unity can only be unity in faith. As Bishop of Rome, I consider one of my priorities to be that of seeking the re-establishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, unity has always been a constant concern of mine, as witnessed by the motto I chose for my episcopal ministry: In Illo uno unum, an expression of Saint Augustine of Hippo that reminds us how we too, although we are many, “in the One — that is Christ — we are one” (Enarr. in Ps., 127, 3). What is more, our communion is realised to the extent that we meet in the Lord Jesus. The more faithful and obedient we are to him, the more united we are among ourselves. We Christians, then, are all called to pray and work together to reach this goal, step by step, which is and remains the work of the Holy Spirit.
This is a promising sign that Pope Leo does not intend to promote a “false ecumenism” which is “unity without truth.” These are all traditional attitudes toward the non-Catholic Christians, as we can see from the pre-Vatican II “ecumenical” endeavours.
But Pope Leo also laid emphasis on the work of his predecessor:
One of the strong emphases of Pope Francis’ pontificate was that of universal fraternity. In this regard the Holy Spirit really “urged” him to advance with great strides the initiatives already undertaken by previous Pontiffs, especially since Saint John XXIII. The Pope of Fratelli Tutti promoted both the ecumenical path and interreligious dialogue. He did so above all by cultivating interpersonal relations, in such a way that, without taking anything away from ecclesial bonds, the human trait of the encounter was always valued. May God help us to treasure his witness!
This brings up the question: is Pope Leo attempting to truly continue the path of Pope Francis towards (prima facie), religious indifferentism, as in the Abu Dhabi document which affirmed the heretical proposition that “God wills the diversity of religions”? Later on in his address Pope Leo quotes that very document:
You have witnessed the remarkable efforts made by Pope Francis in favour of interreligious dialogue. Through his words and actions, he opened new avenues of encounter, to promote “the culture of dialogue as the path; mutual collaboration as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard” (A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019). I thank the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue for the essential role it plays in this patient work of encouraging meetings and concrete exchanges aimed at building relationships based on human fraternity.
After this Pope Leo affirms what is the stated aim of the Abu Dhabi document: “for world peace and living together.” Pope Leo emphasises that the world religions must promote human fraternity in order to prevent armed conflict. This is one of the bright spots of Pope Francis’s pontificate, his traditional stance toward war.
But if his address began by affirming “unity in Truth Himself,” then what is the purpose of affirming this dangerous human fraternity? If this is merely to attempt to prevent armed conflict (as the Post-War Council attempted) on the basis of a common descent from Adam, then this is a noble intention. But if this effort fails to explicitly root out the heresy of religious indifferentism, and souls are lost to eternal death as a result, what good is the earthly peace achieved?
It is clear that Pope Leo is not going to denounce his predecessor. What is not clear is if he will 1.) promote the same scandals to the faith or 2.) attempt to salvage Francis’s legacy for orthodoxy.
As we all experience the first days of our Holy Father, we ask God to help us revere him as he deserves, whatever happens, and stay faithful Catholics, with God’s help, and be found worthy of eternal life.
T. S. Flanders
Editor
St. Bernardine of Siena