Here’s What Pope Francis’ Critics Are Missing (And It’s Big)

Almost since day one of his papacy, I’ve heard critics of Pope Francis grumble, accuse, and actually become hysterical about their speculations over what they believe his agenda is and what they think his motivations are. With each new news report, and especially with his announcement yesterday regarding a change to the annulment process, it becomes increasingly obvious that too many Catholics are completely missing the Pope’s big point, which is the need for us to be Christ-like and show mercy to those Catholics in divergent situations.

Pope Francis’ declaration has not damaged the sacrament of marriage in any way, nor has it made it easier to get a divorce as many secular news sources have reported. What he has done is reduced the time that the annulment process usually takes by removing the mandatory decision in the second instance and giving full authority to the bishops and tribunal of the first instance. Why is this a good thing? Well, let’s take a look at this from a divorced Catholic’s point of view.

To say that a civil divorce is a nightmare is to say that childbirth is  a little uncomfortable. The losses sustained are on so many levels and the hurt is virtually unbearable. Divorce attorneys love to pit spouses against each other, particularly when children are involved, and judges often make decisions that leave the broken family worse off than when the couple initially splits. This can drag on for years and has bankrupted (both financially and emotionally) millions of people.

But that’s just the civil side. Then there is the spiritual side. On the one hand, many divorced Catholics simply assume they are not welcome at church because of their divorce and go find a home at some other church. But a lot of them go to mass and are met with rudeness and indifference from their fellow parishioners. This is a travesty.

So you see, it takes a lot of courage to be willing to dredge up all the terrible memories and relive painful scenarios so a panel of judges can make this weighty decision that affects the rest of their lives. Many people shy away because of that one factor, but when you throw in the prospect of this process possibly lasting up to 2 years or more and the fact that you must shell out some hard-earned dough to pay for it, even more people shake their heads and walk away because it just doesn’t seem worth it to them. They’d rather get on with their lives.

This is why these people need mercy and compassion and why the Holy Father’s decision expedites that. A shorter wait for an answer is not a fundamental change in Church teaching, it is not an attack on marriage, it simply makes the annulment process easier to swallow.

My heart breaks when I see so many Catholics (who have never faced divorce or petitioned the annulment process) getting whipped up over how “wrong” Pope Francis is, and that this fixation is actually blinding them from seeing the true motivation behind his actions: the salvation of souls.

In the Vatican’s September 8th report on his holiness’s announcement, the final paragraph read as follows:

Indeed, the prefatory remarks make clear from the very start, that the single most important principle guiding the Holy Father’s action and the work of reform undertaken, is that of salus animarum – the salvation of souls – which is the suprema Ecclesiae lex – the supreme law of the Church.

What else do we need, friends?

When confusion and doubt take hold, the best practice is always to go back to basics, so let’s do that for a moment. If we are Christians, we must be Christ-like. What was Christ like? Merciful. He saved the woman caught in adultery from a stoning death. He did not condone her actions, but said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more” (John 8:11). He ate and drank with tax collectors. “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today’ ” (Luke 19:5). He had a socially forbidden, unconventional conversation with a woman at a well and gave her new life. “The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4: 9-10).

What would Jesus do? Show mercy. We should all do the same by going out to find those wounded in the battle and bring them in to the field hospital that is the Church. That’s SO much better than complaining.

I welcome your comments and questions at [email protected].