Gerry O’Hanlon letter in The Irish Times
Letter to Irish Times Editor
29 March 2025
Pope Francis’s radical vision
Sir, – There is a curious omission in Diarmuid Ferriter’s interesting assessment of Pope Francis (“Pope Francis has not been a revolutionary”, Opinion & Analysis, March 21st). There is no reference to the Pope’s signature project of reform and renewal of the Catholic Church under the rubric of synodality.
This is important because the synodal reform envisaged by Francis radicalises the vision of Vatican II referred to by Prof Ferriter. No longer is it a matter of a more collegial church with a balance of papal and episcopal power, now it is the People of God who are at the top of the “inverted pyramid”, and pope and bishops are at their service, to promote their mission. No more “helping Father”, rather a reimagining of church at every level, including local parish, so that it is the baptised who are the chief protagonists.
Of course rhetoric is one thing and implementation another. And the Catholic Church has a long way to go to turn this vision into reality. Nonetheless, as Prof Ferriter himself notes, it has made a start. Increasingly there are structures in place to facilitate the “co-responsibility” of laity in decision making, women are occupying middle and senior management positions, a new culture of transparency and accountability is being put in place and the ground is being laid for doctrinal development.
All this is so necessary, not least in humble repentance to victims of clerical sexual abuse and their families, and given the non-reception of church teaching on sexuality and gender in many parts of the world, including our own.
All this ferment, which will be reflected once again in Ireland next October at the pre-synodal assembly in Kilkenny, and the following October (2026) at the full National Synodal Assembly, is happening with a degree of calm which is in stark contrast to the bedlam accompanying change in our wider world at the moment. The timetabling of a world-wide Ecclesial Assembly for Rome in October 2028 to evaluate progress is another earnest of the firm intention to continue with this momentum of reform. It would be an astonishing achievement if radical change could be introduced to such an enormous and venerable institution in a peaceful way.
We can argue over words as to whether this represents revolution or evolution: undeniably it represents change, and many of us view this change as a source of hope for believers and unbelievers alike.
Yours, etc,
GERRY O’HANLON, SJ
Dublin 10.
In the Credo we sing:
“Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam”.
This gives us the Traditional four Marks of the Church.
The word “Synodal” isn’t there.
2. Sodomy is condemned in St. Jerome’s Vulgate. e.g. I Cor VI IX-X. Pius XII in Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943), said that the Vulgate is free from error in matters of Faith and Morals.
Fr. James Martin has been endorsed by the Holy Father as the Prince of all things
.
Fr. Martin said in 2019 on Scripture condemning Sodomy, “The issue is precisely whether the biblical judgment is correct”. This is Heresy as per Pope Pius XII above.
And yet the entire Irish Hierarchy met with Fr Martin in Knock last year.
(Ed: Link to article in America Magazine from 14 March 2024 of Fr Martin’s visit to Ireland, when he met the Irish Bishops…
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2024/03/14/ireland-saint-brigid-james-martin-247487 )
“Fr. Martin said in 2019 on Scripture condemning Sodomy, “The issue is precisely whether the biblical judgment is correct”. This is Heresy as per Pope Pius XII above.”
I asked a Cretan what he thought of St Paul’s judgment that all Cretans were liars and he replied, “St Paul talked a lot of nonsense!” Here is the text: Titus 1:11 It is imperative to silence them, as they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what they should not. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, once said, “Cretans have always been liars, vicious beasts, and lazy gluttons.” 13 That testimony is true.”
Asked and answered. Either you accept Pius XII’s Encyclical ‘Divino Afflante Spiritu’ and what he says about the Vulgate or you don’t.
Precision had been lost in Synodality.
Another entertaining exchange: I asked an American Evangelical what he made of God’s approval of braining innocent babies. His reply, quick as lightning, was: “Three points. One, how do you know they were innocent? Two, do you not believe that God appoints humans as agents of his vengeance? Three, who are you, a sinner, to criticize the word of God” (Well, maybe not so entertaining, since that clobber-text is being enacted in Gaza just now, as are the many where God commands genocide.)
An excellent and appropriate response from Gerry O’Hanlon to Diarmuid Ferriter’s assessment of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
It is more than surprising that Prof. Ferriter failed to mention what is indeed Francis’ signature project of reform and renewal of our Church, synodality.
Is the Francis pontificate revolutionary or evolutionary? I think it is bordering on the miraculous! Given our experience of the previous 40 years before Francis, in Brendan Hoban’s words our “long difficult wintertime….traversing the middle ground between frustration and anger” until we received “God’s unexpected gift to his Church” I never expected to have someone like Francis in Rome in my lifetime.
And was Prof Ferriter unaware that, recently, even from his sick bed on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Hospital Francis signed off a 3 year plan making it clear that no diocese or bishops’ conference can opt out of embedding synodality in the life of the Church? I am sure we all know instances where such renewed clarity is very necessary, though perhaps not at home in Ireland because, thankfully, we have so many important and influential figures like Gerry who are successfully pushing the agenda and vision of the Synod.
PS. I am genuinely mystified as to what set Dermot off on this particular rant.
Joe@2, I am sure you are aware that there is now complete unanimity among scholars that Paul definitely did not write the so called pastorals, Timothy 1 and 2 and Titus.
And, that there is virtually unanimity that he didn’t write Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Thessalonians either.
(Sorry Dermot!)
No need to apologize Paddy. These Scholars are irrelevant when compared with the Ordinary and Universal magisterium of our much loved and sorely missed Pius XII. I profess unwavering acceptance of the Ordinary and Universal magisterium of Pius XII (under which Divino Afflante Spiritu was issued) and his ex Cathedra Teaching under which “Munificentissimus Deus” was issued.
I intend no disrespect towards your Scholars: I don’t believe what they teach is of the Holy Ghost. If Synodality is a fifth Mark of the Church, can you explain why the Holy Father doesn’t change the Credo and CCC accordingly? (Please see my very first comment) Pius XII’s Encyclical “Divino Afflante Spiritu” stands. Roma Locuta…. I am wondering Paddy, Do you accept “Munificentissimus Deus” promulgated by Pius XII in St. Peter’s Square on the ifrst Class feast of all Saints, in 1950? (I have a degree in Engineering so I am comfortable in the Presence of Learned Scholars, e.g., the late Professor Ludwig Ott.)
Thanks, Dermot, for helping me find a text I was thinking of when at the incredibly stimulating Nicene Creed conference, which has moved from the Augustinianum to the Angelicum on its third day, I heard a German scholar denounce the Council of Nicaea for anathematizing the errors of the Arians; I suggested that anathemas are not violent curses but formal seals of dogmatic utterances and that even Pius XII in 1950 must have had them. Well, here is his very gently phrased anathema: Perciò, se alcuno, che Dio non voglia, osasse negare o porre in dubbio volontariamente ciò che da Noi è stato definito, sappia che è venuto meno alla fede divina e cattolica…. A nessuno dunque sia lecito infrangere questa Nostra dichiarazione, proclamazione e definizione, o ad essa opporsi e contravvenire. Se alcuno invece ardisse di tentarlo, sappia che incorrerà nell’indignazione di Dio onnipotente e dei suoi beati apostoli Pietro e Paolo.
Dermot, for goodness sake, why has everything to be either black or white? As you know, life is more complex than that. And Pius X11? Come on?
Joe @8, for those of us who are not Latin scholars do you think you could translate?
Re the Council of Nicaea I have only very recently come to realise that the very concept of the Trinity actually had its origin at Nicaea. My God the innocence of us all, well some of us anyway.
As I have mentioned many times here I have sat through Sunday homilies since I was a child and not one priest/preacher thought it worthwhile to inform us of that. And they must have known!