Viewpoint: Pope Francis and His Critics: Pastoral Perspectives

Deacon William T Ditewig PhD

Deacon William T Ditewig, PhD, from the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, writes: No one could have predicted the crises we face today, and they are slamming us all at once. Even before the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were challenged by the erosion of credibility of all institutions, including churches. Our national politics were continuing their toxic descent into entrenched partisan screeching, and no one has been left unaffected. Add the pandemic to the mix and we have entered a whole new reality, affecting each and every one of us. Just when we need to come together to help each other through all of this, safety demands we be kept apart.

All of this has had profound effects on how we are called to be "Church" today: how we gather (or not), how we pray (no singing), and how we continue our mission of spreading the Good News.

Threatening to pull us even further apart, critics of Pope Francis have been doubling down on their accusations against him and his leadership of the church. These critics are adding even more confusion, anger and uncertainty to an already chaotic time. I recently contributed three reflections to Where Peter Is. Here are the links:

Part One is "The Spirit of Vatican II: Out into the Deep" https://wherepeteris.com/the-spirit-of-vatican-ii-out-into-the-deep/ was published on Wednesday, August 19.

Part Two, "Reacting to Archbishop Viganò: A Pastoral Reflection," https://wherepeteris.com/reacting-to-archbishop-vigano-a-pastoral-reflection/ was published Friday, August 21.

Part Three, "The Matter of Words," https://wherepeteris.com/the-matter-of-words/ was published Monday, August 24.

LINK

Deacons Today: Servants in a Servant Church https://billditewig.blog/