The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis (BOOK REVIEW)

Author: Garry Wills (Penguin Group, 2015): Reviewed by Edwin A. Schwisow, September 10, 2015: I was reared in an Adventist home where I was taught that “the Catholics” were shameless, truth-rejecting, alcohol-bibbing, commandment-breaking, idol-worshiping, violence-prone blasphemers who claimed the rights of God on earth and ultimately would try to kill those of us who refused to accept their brand of totalitarian Christianity (my apologies to those who may be offended by my rhetoric here; I am simply describing the histrionic inventiveness of three kids who had been taught in sermon after sermon, lesson after lesson, that Roman Catholicism would be the primary contributor to time-of-the-end chaos such as had never before been known on Planet Earth. )
My sisters and I in fact created a little game known as “Catholics and Adventists,” in which the two sides would attempt to present the most derogatory reasons possible as to why the other side was decisively wrong (long harangues about the proper day of worship were favorite elements of the game; the audacity of the Pope to claim to stand in the place of Christ on earth—”Antichrist”—was another hot button in the game.) Each afternoon the game grew rowdier and more tumultuous, until Mother finally outlawed “C&A” altogether, apparently believing that the game itself would eventually cause a “Time of Trouble” such as had never before been known in her house.
Why is it that we Adventists hold the Roman Catholic Church in such depredation and disrepute, while we so seldom actually study the history and inner workings of the organization? Are we afraid that we might find something admirable and seductive underneath the harsh rhetoric? In my class work in Adventist education, not once did we seriously ponder the doctrinal progression of the Roman church, except in the context of its failings (as described by Protestant writers). I was well into my teens before I learned as a fact that the clerics of Rome were responsible for delineating which gospels and other elements of the New Testament were to be included in the canon, and which were to be discarded (quite a sobering revelation, which I determined could be accepted only by crediting the Spirit of God with salvific sway in safeguarding Holy Writ, even years after the Catholic Church had succumbed to the influences of the Dragon).
In Pope Francis we have a far more “accessible” prelate than in the past, one who once upon a time walked the same streets and visited some of the same buildings we Adventist missionaries did in Latin America, from the days of Fernando Stahl forward, in a post-Vatican II world in which the Roman church buried the hatchet of overt persecution and its clerics began to wear civilians’ clothing and celebrate the mass in the popular languages of the day. One fine day I well remember, Padre Jaime Postma, leader of our local diocese and a concert pianist, showed up at our front door and asked if he could play our piano for a while, and would any of the local children be interested in lessons?
Mother invited him in and we enjoyed a concert right there in our front room, but Mom turned down his offer of lessons, still fearing that his primary goal was to indoctrinate her children, who only three years before had been playing “Catholics and Adventists.”
My personal experience as a maturing Adventist roughly corresponds with the material in Wills’ book, “The Future of the Catholic Church with Pope Francis.”
Wills sees his Church (yes, Wills is a liberal, intellectual Catholic himself) as a massive institution that changes slowly but surely, regardless of the particular Pope at the controls, even as the hands on a clock keep time, but without appearing to move except through time-lapse exposures.
The book itself is more a review of the life and times of the Church leading up to the coronation of the first Jesuit pontiff, rather than a biography of the pontiff himself. This is understandable, given the newness of Francis on the world scene. Wills looks primarily at five vital areas of Church practice, beginning with the decision long ago in Rome to conduct all masses in the Latin tongue (in a move to encourage unity among the far-flung dioceses by teaching and preaching in the universal language). For the same reason, today, Latin (now considered a dead language) is discouraged in the churches, in an effort to better minister to contemporary generations.
Adapting to a World without Monarchies
In its early days the Church depended on a symbiosis with monarchies to survive and defend its far-flung real estate holdings. With the decline of monarchies, many of these holdings are no longer proprietary to the Church or are simply guaranteed constitutionally, in some way, in the countries where they are located. In Mexico, for example, it is illegal for a denomination to formally hold title to land, yet there are Catholic houses of worship by the thousands. The absence of monarchies in the West continues to alter the ways the Papacy plans for the future.
The Coming and Going of Anti-Semitism
For centuries improbable stories and misunderstandings pitted Jews against Christians throughout the former Roman Empire, and into the New World. The Jews had firmly established themselves as providers of financial services, which the Roman Church required in a world where they were biblically prohibited from paying or charging interest. Yet the Jews, who could lawfully negotiate interest rates with non-believers, had a hard time in a world where one could be an international banker or a Christian, but not both simultaneously. Certainly the position of Jews as experts in finance contributed to serious sociological misunderstandings and many attacks against Jews by enraged Christians. The calming of anti-Semitism is changing the way the Church functions and safeguards its wealth.
The Coming and Going of Natural Law
The Catholic Church has traditionally seen the world and its Heaven as naturally patriarchal and God Himself as masculine. With the arrival of the enlightenment, more and more the Popes have defended their traditional interpretations by interpreting Natural Lay to concur with their traditional understandings of the way God wants things to be. In a world of advancing education, this is less easily done today.
Consequently, concerns about natural law have enmeshed the Church in round after round of controversy about the proper roles of men and women in the Church, of sexual responsibilities and procreation, and ultimately the very purpose of marriage itself. Large numbers in the Catholic Church are unmarried and nominally celibate, a situation now slowly being addressed by Francis, as he appears more open than former Popes to relax the strict restrictions on marriage of clergy.
Use of contraceptive routines, medications, and devices are still nominally prohibited in many cases, but the Vatican no longer appears to be focused on contraception, except in the matter of abortion, which it vociferously opposes.
The Coming and Going of Confession
The practice of formal confessions and masses are in many cases the financial foundation of the Church, and appear to be here to stay for a long time.
How interesting that the Church has held on most tenaciously to the very rite that got it into so much trouble with Reformers in the 16th century. Luther rebelled against the Church in large part (it was the straw that broke the back of his religious camel) because of the Church’s claim to hold the salvation of individual members in its hands, and could determine the eternal fate of any and all, by divine authority purchased by the penitent with money.
Summary
There is little doubt that the Roman Catholic Church continues to fight for relevance in a world that increasingly has less and less room for religious ritual. But the Roman church has shown itself to be a vibrant force in Western civilization, and there’s no doubt it will remain so for a long time to come.
Whatever the case, the Church under Francis seems determined to raise its profile higher and higher in our lives, and assume more and more relevancy to everyday people. How well it succeeds will be interesting to observe, and whether or not other denominations follow suit is surely indicative of the Catholic Church’s fortunes in the developed and developing world today. This is a recommended book, though it moves slowly and is very thorough, something we Adventists may find unusual in a book about our perceived nemesis and natural adversary, the Catholic Church.
Anybody for a game of C&A?
Yes please, I’ll play. “Catholics are nasty because they dress Jesuits up in the clothes of other religions and then they send them in to white-ant the religions they don’t like from the inside.” I know this is true because Dr Ford was one, but he was found out. Now we have another one and his name is Edwin Schwisow.
Ok, your turn.
Calling me a Jesuit, is that the best you can do, Serge? I’ve been called far worse, by guys only half as smart as you….
Ed-
I know I’m much older than you and I also grew up in an SDA home. Either you lived in a singularly anti Catholic home, you are exaggerating, or you have misconstrued SDA teachings, my upbringing in an SDA home was nothing like yours with respect to the Catholic religion.
Your indulgent treatment of Francis is your choice and I think it won’t be long before you will have or should have a quite less benign view of his reign.
Remember what I have said, Ed.
Evidently, you have not read or taken seriously the book of Revelation, or the Spirit of Prophecy. I would recommend reading them to find truth. There are many good Christians in the CC that will be saved, but, the system is corrupt as a phony two dollar bill! It will one day enforce a National Sunday law and it will persecute God’s people to the point of death. God’s true Sabbath and all His law will be vindicated.
Linda,
you’re confusing the book of revelation with a certain interpretation off. Even if you can not imagine – someone can read the book of revelation and draw different conclusions.
It’s sad to become indoctrinated as a child like Edwin. I am grateful that my parents (and my local church) did it different!
Is it possible to have been reared Adventist during the 1950s and 1960s and not to have feared and trembled at mention of The Beast? My parents did not “rub it in.” The whole atmosphere was saturated with fear and loathing of the hairy beast, and many a Sabbath we hungered well into the afternoon, as members poured out their pre-potluck souls to God to spare us and give us more time to do what we should have done in times of ease.
I have been steeped in Sister White writings, as surely as all of us who were raised Adventist. Wonderful reading. As is the Bible, which I have read all the way through a number of times, in various languages, translations, and editions.
In the US, two-dollar bills are not commonly found in our usual cash streams, but they are not phony… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_two-dollar_bill
Serge: I’ve known Ed since college days. I may not agree with everything he says, but I know this, he’s no Jesuit. Scott
That’s the thing about Jesuits, Scott. You can never ‘really’ know. Hey, how do we know you aren’t one also, defending your brother in the cause?
Yes. The pervasive fear at that time was present in my childhood, also, but the fear of Russia and Communist infiltration into American life was superimposed on the Mrs. White anti-Catholic theology. Eventual “fleeing to the mountains” is a feature that probably enriched my childhood (It certainly enriched my dreams.) in much the same ways that the Grimm fairy tales did. They gave voice to the primal human emotions that we all must deal with and work through as we mature. As a child, fear of Russian domination/communism was the more pervasive of the two. It was scarier to me. I remember when Ike had a heart attack while playing golf. Thoughts immediately went to how that would effect the Russian/American balance. Adventists seem to look at current events in terms of Mrs. White’s predictions in a similar manner.
Interesting. In church school we saw the fear of Communism as something non-Adventists experienced (hearts failing them, etc.); we Adventists had prophecy and to our eyes there was no mention of a Communist holocaust either in the writings of Sister White or in Daniel or Revelation. The end-time scenario in the great controversy hinges on the powers of apostate religion in flux; nothing is said of the powers of atheism or socialism leading to end-time horrors. That said, I only reflect what I experienced in my church and in the part of the world where I lived; the pastor not infrequently spoke of Communism, but in the sense that it was not to be feared, for Communism was not players in the prophetic scenarios set forward by God….
Serge Ive have known Ed since college days. He’s no Jesuit.
The thing I find slightly curious here is- why has no-one stood up to defend Des Ford against the ridiculous notion that he is a Jesuit? Its been whispered so often, so folks actually believe / suspect it?
One more thing people seem to have missed entirely: Ed told us about his childhood game of C&A (I identified with Ed so much on that point and on how his early life in Adventism reflected my own, yet half a world away). At the end of his article he invited us to a game of C&A. I see that I was the only one who took up the offer.
I love my Mom, and she didn’t raise no Jesuits! That said, I have admired at various levels alleged Jesuits like Roland Hegstad, the late Sam Bacchiocchi, Cliff and Doug from the tribe of Judah, and others who by popular acclaim are securely ensconced in honorary cassocks of the Pope’s vanguard society. Which leads me to wonder what Catholics call one another when they really want to pronounce the supreme malediction on a fellow priest or brother? Perhaps the “A” word?
Anyone ever tell you, Ed, that you may have a tendency to engage in hyperbolic speech?
If you accept the writings of EGW and the Bible prophecies as taught by the SDA church how can you be so dismissive of the RC church and its machinations?
Maybe its very shrewd approach to matters have blinded certain eyes to reality.
Not growing up in the SDA church (baptized as a young adult), I wasn’t privy to this kind of nonsense. I am very thankful for that. I only had to fear atomic bombs and Russians. As I read the first paragraph of Ed’s childhood, it’s a wonder he grew up normal! It’s like antisemitism and racial distortions.
Unfortunately when a group perceives another group as an “enemy” out to get them, it colors their whole worldview. Now even if this were true (maybe it will be), it appears impossible to present the threat to the ordinary member for they will take and run with it to the church’s detriment. Did EGW really understand what she was doing? It seems to have been in the genes of that whole generation–to distrust other groups. Isn’t that what wars are based on? It doesn’t have to be religion, but ethnic groups and nationalities.
Warning the world of the soon return of Jesus needs to tell about Him.
Revelation’s Beast, Image to the Beast, and Babylon all point to the corrupt and confused state of the religio-political world in the “last days.” Institutional, or institutionalized religion, is represented. God’s true people, as individuals and not as denominations — not even the SDA denomination — are called out of that mess (Rev. 18:4). When we say “Roman Catholic” or “apostate Protestant” we paint with a broad brush. Let’s be sure we recognize the difference between institutions and individuals.
I graduated from a wonderful Jesuit university, the University of San Francisco and regularly get new from them. They were the priests who fought the wealthy landlords in central America and on the side of the poor workers. They have always emphasized mercy and care for the poor in a very benelovent manner.
A requirement for all graduating candidates was to write a spiritual autobiography explaining how they developed their personal belief system. No denominational material was acceptable; even if one was a Buddhist, or atheist, they should explain their reasons for adopting that philosophy.
I wonder how many seminary graduates have ever been given this requirement for graduation? It was the most soul-searching essay I ever wrote, examining one’s inner thoughts.
Something was apparently amiss in my Adventist upbringing. I was led to believe that in the end times Catholics would cause trouble for Christian Sabbath keepers, but was never taught that one order of Catholics was any more evil than any other. What is it about the Jesuits that raise the hackles of so many?
I’ve been raised in the SDA church and have been a member of it for the past 56 years since I was 11 years old. I’ve seen outward changes in the Catholic Church and in my own church. If EGW was truly inspired by God, then many of these changes were revealed to her. Most people who have a real understanding of the history of the papacy and have read the GC as objectively as possible realize the outward changes in the Catholic church are partly for self preservation and in the long run for greater control. They still admit that if they had the upper hand, they would enforce there religion by the forces of the state. But since they don’t have the power to do that, they use other means to gain influence over the minds of men. Jesuits have a long history of using any means at hand to accomplish their goals, including deception or force. Most of my personal associations with Catholics have been congenial. There are many honest souls in that communion, we need to pray for them. And we as SDAs need to seek for divine wisdom on how to reach them.
“Most people who have a real understanding of the history of the papacy and have read the GC as objectively as possible realize the outward changes in the Catholic church are partly for self preservation and in the long run for greater control.”
You are absolutely correct. Some have depicted the Jesuits as the “hound dogs of the Inquisition.”
Francis is extremely clever and note that even the very elect may be deceived.
“natural adversary, the Catholic Church.”
Ed, your personal perception. Show in current literature or even EGW writings where that is specifically the case.
“current official SDA literature”
Need to have a correction mode!
“The calming of anti-Semitism…” Really? What world does Wills live in? Didn’t the poke recently endorse the insane Iran nuke deal?