THE SILENT CIVIL WAR WITHIN THE CHURCH

I was ordained to the Sacred Priesthood 43 years ago.

On the day the Bishop imposed hands upon me calling me to the Sacred Order of the Presbyterate, I could never have imagined I would live to see the day when a war would take place for the very soul of the Church.

What is most shocking is that the battle isn’t between the Church and the world, the flesh and the devil.  

No, it’s a civil war raging within the Body of Christ itself and, for the most part, it is being silently waged.

On one side are those Bishops, appointed by Saint Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI who have been reluctant to show allegiance to Pope Francis and the reforms he promised to the Cardinals who elected him.  

Theirs is a quiet campaign to undermine Pope Francis and slow down any progress the Holy Father attempts.  

There seems to be a growing consensus among this resistance movement that retired Pope Benedict is supportive of their disaffection with the direction in which Pope Francis is leading the Church.

On the other side, there are Bishops who have not only endorsed the Holy Father’s  reforms but have taken active measures to establish concrete pastoral policies and guidelines within their respective dioceses, Argentine and Maltese Bishops most notably among them.

But what is remarkable about these divisions is that the vast majority of Bishops around the world, and most curiously within the United States, have said nothing at all.  The Bishop of the Church are, for the most part, silent.

Why?  What reasons can there be to explain or justify their silence?

I think the strategy most Bishops have adopted is to “wait and see”.

Waiting for what?

The next Conclave and the Pope who will be elected to succeed Francis.

Until then, the silent civil war will continue with some Bishops who believe the time finally has arrived when the Church must seriously and effectively adopt the spirit of Vatican Council II.  And on the other side, will be those Bishops, neo-conservative reactionaries, and younger more traditional Clergy waiting (and praying) for this Papacy to end.

I believe and pray (for his own well-being and sanity) that Pope Francis understands that it will be his poor fortune never to see or know if the reforms he has attempted eventually will take solid root within the Church.  

That will fall to his successor, either the candidate of the resistance or the candidate of continuing reform.

A dear friend has suggested that we should pay particular attention to the name the next Pope takes upon assuming the Office of the Vicar of Christ.  

If he takes the name “Francis II”, we shall know in what direction he will seek to steer the Barque of Peter.  If he takes the name “John Paul II”, we can likewise expect a conservative crackdown and suppression of many of the initiatives undertaken during the Pontificate of Pope Francis.

The next Pontificate will determine the future path the Church will take and, when that Conclave concludes and the new Pope emerges, then, I believe, the battle will be engaged publicly and loudly by the Bishops themselves.

At that point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the Oneness of the Catholic Faith will endure or be wounded by yet another historic schism.

Let us pray for the Church, for our Bishops and all the faithful, for unity and charity in all our ways.  May the Holy Spirit truly be our Guide and Consoler.