Spiritual lessons from an old English gardener.The latest book by George Weigel, an author well known for his biography of St. John Paul II, contains his reflection on the tasks awaiting the Church in the immediate futureas a series of challenges that will face whoever is elected pope after the current pope..
Book
The starting point for this reflection is the moment of transition that, according to the author, the Catholic Church is going through.
The seriousness of this moment is underscored by comparing it, as he does in the introduction, to the transitions that involved, successively, the break with rabbinical Judaism, the emergence of patristics, the constitution of medieval Christianity and, finally, Counter-Reformation Catholicism.. At this point we would be in what he calls the "step".from Counter-Reformation Catholicism to the Church of the New Evangelization".
On the other hand, the author is aware of a purely chronological issue: the transition that the Church is undergoing The fundamental point is the Second Vatican Council, in which both John Paul II and Benedict XVI took an active part; Pope Francis, for his part, was preparing for priestly ordination in the Jesuit novitiate.
However, whoever is elected Pope at the next conclave will certainly have experienced the Council as an adolescent.The oldest of the electors would have been twenty-five years old at the time. This implies that he will not have lived with the same intensity as his predecessors the post-conciliar debates.
At the same time, the next Pope will have to continue the task of implementing the outcome of the conciliar sessions and give shape to what Weigel calls "the Church of the New Evangelization".
Logically, it is impossible to know what the outcome of this step will be, just as it is impossible to know what concrete challenges the Church will face in the future. Nevertheless, Weigel offers some indications on the most relevant issues, and - given his background and experience, combined with a vision anchored in faith - he is a voice that deserves to be heard.
The task of the next Pope is centered on Christ and the Gospel, and he must lead the Church along that path.
Ruben Pereda
Starting with the most obvious one - the new evangelization - Weigel discusses the following topics what it will mean to be Pope in the decades to comeHe also stressed the importance of a new approach to the Vatican, descending to how his relationship with bishops, priests and laity should be, or the reform of the Vatican. He underlines the importance of a Church in which doctrinal clarity coexists with mercyin which the dialogue with other religions is based on the search for truth.and whose relationship with social problems is based on knowledge and moral authority.
The conclusion of the essay sums up the key point perfectly: the task of the next Pope is centered on Christ and the Gospel, and he must lead the Church along that same path..
