Research On Religion » Jorge Mario Bergoglio

James Felak on Picking Pontiffs and Pope Francis I

tonygill — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:00:47 +0000

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Unless you’ve taken up the hermit lifestyle, you probably have heard about the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the selection of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the Catholic Church’s new pontiff. The help us understand what the Catholic papacy is all about, and how the Church transitions from one leader to the next, we call upon James Felak, professor of history at the University of Washington – a frequent and popular guest on our show. Prof. Felak begins the discussion with an overview of what role the pope plays in the Catholic Church, including his responsibilities in writing encyclicals and serving as the Court of Final Instance. We examine the pontiff’s role in relation to a presidency or corporate executive, two of the more pervasive analogies in the popular media, and James explains why those models are not an accurate description of the pope’s duties. This becomes an important insight as we discuss whether or not a new pontiff can take the Church in a radically different direction, as many pundits have been speculating in recent weeks. James likens the Church to an elephant that can plod along with force in a single direction, but has trouble making rapid turns. The vast size and bureaucratic continuity of the Church makes it difficult for any single pontiff to dramatically alter the institution. We also review the relationship between the Holy See and the various bishops and national bishops’ conferences around the world. Attention then turns to the process of papal transition and we examine closely the decision of Benedict XVI to resign, the Conclave of Cardinals, and who finally emerged on the balcony shortly after the white smoke appeared. Prof. Felak brings some interesting insights into the last pope’s resignation based upon Benedict’s scholarship on norms and meta-norms. The health of Benedict XVI becomes a topic for discussion and James provides some interesting observations on the role of suffering in the Church and how this related to John Paul II. Only on Research on Religion can you hear such fascinating and deep insights! We move then to the selection process, looking at both the politics leading up to the Conclave as well as speculating about what went on behind closed doors. Tony asks James whether the short notice provided by Benedict was a strategic move to limit politicking among the Cardinals. After all, he stepped down only three weeks after his announcement during on the the busiest months of the Catholic calendar (e.g., Lent and Palm Sunday), meaning that the Cardinals had to hustle out to Rome, conduct their business, and (hopefully) choose a new pontiff by Easter. Tony also peppers Prof. Felak with additional questions about whether Benedict will be setting a new precedent among popes and how much outside influence from different Catholic factions and secular governments plays a role in the election process. Our discussion also explores who the Cardinals are, how they are selected, and what roles they play in the Church. Our conversation also covers the issues of secrecy surrounding the Conclave, whether there has been any leaks, who gets on the first ballot, how candidates get eliminated during the voting process, and the duration of the event. James notes that Tony tends to be interested in these strategic details, but then Tony reminds him that he is a political economist after all! Finally, James offers up his reflections on the selection of Bergoglio with a fascinating observation that nobody else in the media has pointed out, and one that might be critical for the direction of the Church. To find out what that observation is, you will have to listen. We also talk about how big of a deal it is that Francis I is from Argentina and that he is a Jesuit, as well as his theological and ideological leanings. And what about that name Francis? We talk why that name was chosen, why popes take certain names, and what name James would have taken had he been picked for pope. We finish with Tony asking James why non-Catholics should care about who is chosen as pope, prompting a very interesting response about the role of ecumenism. Recorded: March 18, 2013.

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama

tonygill — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:00:01 +0000

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How well did the popular media do in covering the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the Conclave of Cardinals, and the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis I? There is nobody better to ask this question of than Jeremy Lott, editor of RealClearReligion (www.realclearreligion.org), a website devoted to aggregating news from around the world on all things religious. Jeremy, a frequent guest on our program and a Catholilc himself, has a broad perspective on the media’s coverage of events within the Vatican over the past month — the good, the bad, and the ugly. We begin with a general assessment of how the media reacted overall. Jeremy mentions that there were some definite bright spots including John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter, but that much of the popular press tended to view the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of Francis through the lens of American politics. Given that many within the media, especially those general reporters who were assigned this beat in February, come from a class of people who are not very religious, it is not surprising that much of the reporting was awkward and misinformed. We then divide up the past month into three distinct phases: 1) the resignation of Benedict XVI; 2) the Conclave of Cardinals; and 3) the election of Pope Francis I. While much of the media was surprised by the resignation of Benedict, Jeremy shares some fascinating observations about various clues that should have led us to expect such an event, including reference to a bear with a backpack on Benedict’s papal seal and a certain action he took at the tomb of Celestine V. Following this discussion, we explore the media speculation surrounding what would occur during the Conclave and look at some of the dominant questions being asked, including whether the Cardinals would “get with the times” and pick an African pontiff and bring the Church into the 21st century. Throughout the interview, Tony and Jeremy share some of the questions that they were asked by reporters recently and how frustrating those experiences were. We also talk about the intense focus on the Vatican smokestack and the appearance of a seagull signalling something — anything! — all of which demonstrated how little the media had to say about the closed-door proceedings at the Conclave. (Tony shares his frustration that the announcement of Francis’s election pre-empted his meme about the smokestack and Jonathan Livingston Seagull from going viral.) Jeremy contrasts some of the questions he received from the media with more procedural questions he received from his Protestant neighbors in northern Washington. Finally, it is on to the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pontiff and how that surprised both the Vegas oddsmakers and pundits. Jeremy explains why we shouldn’t have been surprised and how the media reacted to the personality and character of Bergolio. In the last ten minutes of our interview, Tony asks Jeremy what other news stories have flown under the radar amidst all the frenzy about the new pope. He covers three big news stories that should have received more attention including the dramatic success of The Bible television series on The History Channel, the Baptist missionary doctor who apparently cured a child born with HIV, and (of all things) Latter Day lactivists, a brewing controversy in Salt Lake City. Recorded: March 16, 2013.