Francis has brought a "spring time" for the church in Asia

Gerard O'Connell
National Catholic Reporter
June 20, 2013

In Rome for a meeting of the post-synodal council, the Cardinal Archbishop of Mumbai, Oswald Gracias, talked to me about his ‘surprise’ at being chosen to be one of the Pope’s advisors, and how he envisages that role. He also identified some of the key issues that he thinks need to be addressed in the Church today.

But he began this exclusive interview by talking about the great enthusiasm Pope Francis is sparking in India, among both Catholics and non-Catholics, and in other parts of Asia.

Q. Francis has been pope for 100 days, what impact is he having in India and, more generally, in Asia?

A. Very, very positive! Very positive, in the sense that here’s a country with a lot of poverty also while there’s been great progress, and he’s struck a cord immediately with his consistent concern for the poor, the marginalized, and also telling the Church to be for the poor. India’s Catholics have been very impressed, but also the general populace who are not Catholic, they have also been very impressed by the Pope, by his remarks. He’s getting lots of publicity, everything he says is covered by the secular press, and his pictures appear very often in our papers.

It’s a big blessing for the Church. It seems like a spring time for the Church. He has sparked an atmosphere of joy, enthusiasm and excitement. There’s life, vitality and enthusiasm for the Church now. People say this is the Church that I like to belong to. People have gone to confession and mass because of the inspiration that Pope Francis has given.

Q. So the impact is strong in India, but what about in the rest of Asia?

A. I don’t have a lot of feedback as yet, but I’ve met some bishops from other countries, from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Cardinal Tagle from the Philippines, all have spoken very, very favorably of the Holy Father’s impact on their countries.

Q. He has appointed you to this group of 8 cardinals who are to be his top advisors. What was your reaction when you found out?

A. I was very, very surprised when I received the call from the Secretary of State that the Holy Father wanted me on this group of eight people to advise him. I said why me? I must say I almost felt certainly unworthy and humbled, but I also realized it is a tremendous responsibility and I felt like running away and saying get somebody else to advise you. But I realize it is something crucial, vital and very responsible.

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Q. How do you see the role of this group of 8?

A. I don’t know really. I think the group will make a difference if he wants it to make a difference. I’ve heard him so often refer to this group in recent times that my impression is that he is expecting a lot from us. It appears to me that we are a little like the group of consulters that a Jesuit provincial has; and which he appoints. These consulters are there to help him in his different decisions, and he calls on them whenever he needs. I think it’s something of that sort; it’s the Ignatian method. It has proved very successful for the Jesuit provincials, and I cannot see why it can’t also prove successful for the Pope.

Q. Many see the group of eight as a new form of collegiality.

A. Yes, it is a form of collegiality. In the General Congregations before the conclave, he will have heard the cardinals speak, and everybody giving their perceptions of what the Pope should be, it’s humanly impossible for one person to carry such a heavy burden given the demands of the papacy today, and the variety of situations, problems and challenges, it was essential that he would have a group such as this. But how exactly he chooses to call on this group of advisors will depend on him. This is what he has decided is the best for the Church. It is truly a bold and innovative step. And he has chosen all of the members of the group from the pastoral field, with one exception, so they can tell him what is happening out there

These are clearly people he has confidence in. They are also people who will tell him what the Church needs, what is best for the Church. He will be inspired spiritually, of course, but he needs assistance, assurance, the refinement of ideas, and a body on which he can bounce off his different plans.

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Q. In his written speech, Pope Francis envisages “further developments” in the synod of bishops “to foster even more dialogue and collaboration between the bishops, and between them and the Bishop of Rome”.

A. I think this is again something we should reflect on. The synod of bishops is now almost fifty years old, so it’s time perhaps to reflect, to evaluate, to see what it has achieved and to ask how it can be more effective. As I see it, the Second Vatican Council wanted the synod to be a kind of continuation of that Council, an instrument to keep up the spirit of the Council and the method of the Council, with its collegiality and so on.

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Q. I take it you are referring to the question of the divorced and re-married?

A. Yes, the question of the divorced and re-married, and how it is to be handled. And what is the pastoral care here? It is definitely an issue in certain countries today, more than in India, where it is not so much yet although there are already cases in India too.

I’m happy that the Pope is thinking about it, that he is not saying ‘this is a closed matter’. I was pleasantly surprised when he mentioned that. It’s a pastoral problem which we cannot push aside. There are human lives involved, the spirituality of these people is involved, their faith, their faith life is involved, their ecclesial life. So the question is: How do we handle this? How would Our Lord handle it?

Q. Are there other issues like this that you would like to see addressed in these years?

A. I think the whole issue of collegiality, and the Primacy. I think it is important today that there is a certain amount of free-flow between the center and the particular Churches. I think things have got a little bit over-centralized. So it is necessary to think about how the Church could be more effective, how the Church could be Church.

Pope John Paul II, in the encyclical on ecumenism, specifically asked for input on how the primacy might be exercised in a different way. Maybe this is the time for us to touch that question. Maybe we won’t find a solution, but it is necessary to begin thinking about it. It would help ecumenism, but I also think it would help the inner structure of the Church.

full article at National Catholic Reporter