First of all, we have absolute confidence that Christ is firmly in charge of his Church, precisely in the thick of the decadence, chaos, incoherence...as He was when He, abandoned by his apostles, performed his "Graious Act" on the cross. Regular readers of Fleckinstein know my "Fr. Burke Principle": Father "no-work" Burke, our pastor throughout my childhood and youth, was almost never around except when he he scurried about the Church and sacristy, manically and aimlessly, in a phantom-of-the-opera-esque cape. But... the work of the Church proceeded symphonically through a marvelous cadre of flawed but faith-and-love-filled priests, sisters, brothers and laity. This primordial experience left me with absolutle certainty that Christ is serenely in control of His Church, regardless of the clergy. So...if our local priests are a coven of sexual deviants, our pastor a psychotic cleptomaniac, our bishop a malicious psychopath, our cardinals a conspiracy of Masonic Satanists and our pope an Arian Visigoth...still, inerrantly and efficaciously, our Lord through the workings of His gentle Holy Spirit, in the mysterious Communion of Saints, is dramatically ,in Word and Sacrament, working out our holiness.
Secondly, the legacy of John Paul and Benedict is very powerful and resilient. An entire generation of priests, especially the brightest who studied in Rome, are under their influence. Even if Francis succeeds in recreating the episcopate in his image, these heirs of the apostles will be dependent upon the proteges of his two predecessors as their most intelligent, reliable, competent, zealous co-workers. Add to that the fierce energy of the renewal movements and we are moving forward with exhuberance.
Thirdly, given our weakened papacy and episcopacy, I have found wisdom, purpose and encouragement in an "alternate ecclesial elite" of mostly lay folk. First, the "communio theologians" who carry on the work of the dual-pontificate, especially the Schindlers and their colleagues at the Washington D.C. John Paul Institute for Study of Marriage and Family. (Even as the Vatican desimates that Institute in Rome.). Secondly, for almost half a century I have been guided and energized by charismatic leaders like Ralph Martin and Neal Lozano. In recent years I have been heartened by the evangelical energies manifest in the Neocatechumenal Way and Communion and Liberation. Thirdly, the First Things crowd offers an always-challenging high-brow banquet of thought in the best Catholic/Evangelical traditions. Forthly, I am indebted to the remarkable Gil Baile who has repackaged Rene Girard, along with Balthasar and John Paul, in a congenial, breath-taking synthesis. Fifthly, a more low-brow but solid menu is regularly served up by The Catholic Thing, EWTN, Crisis Magazine, New Oxford Review, and others. Lastly, on broader cultural-political issues there is a vibrant school of younger thinkers who draw upon our Catholic heritage to offer alternatives to mainstream Republican-Democrat toxicities: Ross Douthat, Patrick Dineen, Rod Dreher, Yuval Levin, J.D. Vance, and others.
Lastly, regarding Pope Francis: in the words of my grand-niece: "Let me tell you something, he ain't terrible." He is a weak, but not a terrible pope. He has his bright sides: he is genuine, spontaneous, authentic; he loves Christ; he cares tenderly for the poor. He has conservative instincts that serve him well if inconsistently. I have enjoyed malicious delectation in the frustration of the progressives such as the synodality-maniacs in Germany. He could be worse.
So I am not despondent. Sometimes I have to caution myself against a slide into triumphalism!
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