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.)