May 11, 2025
My dear Kirkland Catholics,
I will level with you, the bulletin is such that we have to submit it to the outside printers more than a week in advance, so I am writing this on April 30 for the weekend of May 10/11; knowing that the conclave begins on May 7th, and not knowing if we will have a new pope or whether conclave will still be going on when you read this column. So wanting to talk about this whole process but somewhat blind, I focus on what will be relevant regardless: that is – what we do in a time of papal transition, and a caution about accepting the narratives the media puts out about the “character” or “approach” of the new Holy Father.
I remember an article online some years back that had quotes from either Pope Benedict or Pope Francis and then asked the reader to “guess” who said each quote. It was somewhat set up to “gotcha” because if you only listened to secular media’s characterization of “conservative & stern Pope Benedict” versus “progressive & mild Pope Francis” you would probably guess incorrectly each time. To say that each pope has their own approach and priorities is a given, but the Holy Father’s basic task is to be prophetic (in terms of forward-thinking and calling out injustices) and to be the safeguard for the integrity of the Faith. Each Pope, then, should be both progressive and conservative depending on one’s view. Both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict (and Pope Saint JPII) were both progressive and conservative in this way. So please be careful about accepting the mass media’s narrative about the new Holy Father. It is a good opportunity for me to plug what I believe is currently the best and most objective Catholic news source, which is Crux (cruxnow.com).
The Church is in perpetual need of reform until the Lord comes again because her leaders and members are sinners, and structural sin or at least structural obliviousness tends to set in when we rest on our laurels or fall into complacency. The Holy Spirit does not often move powerfully in places we (or the Church) is complacent. Pope Francis warned repeatedly – especially in his early papacy – about the danger of church-self-absorption. I pray that the new Holy Father continues to be prophetic, and challenges us to be prophetic according to our Baptismal calling, and that our parish continues to push away from complacency into radical discipleship, so that we can be the followers of Jesus who bring His light to others. May the Lord bless our new Holy Father in abundance, and may we keep him near the top of our prayer lists especially early in his papacy.
With love in Christ,
Fr. Brad