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Pope Francis plays a masterful game in naming saints

Political adroitness matches his faith and humility
Pope Francis plays a masterful game in naming saints

Picture: AFP/Andreas Solaro

Published: July 16, 2013 06:17 AM GMT
Updated: July 15, 2013 07:38 PM GMT

Pope Francis is proving himself to be a genuinely holy man, a brilliant politician, and a leader who knows that reform requires a keen understanding of how creating a better future demands sophisticated invocations of the past.

Nothing demonstrated all three traits better than Francis' announcement that he would make both Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII saints. The obvious political analysis here is correct: On the whole, conservative Catholics will cheer swift sainthood for John Paul while progressive Catholics will welcome the news that an overly long process of elevating John to the same status had reached its culmination. One for one side, one for the other -- it's a good formula for harmony, something Catholicism needs right now.

But much more is going on here. Rapid sainthood for John Paul was inevitable, partly because of widespread devotion to him around the church and not simply in its conservative wing. A campaign to sanctify him took off from the moment of his death. Whatever criticisms might be directed his way -- on his sluggishness in facing up to the clerical abuse scandal, for example -- there should be no denying his standing as a world-historical figure.

His vital role in the collapse of Soviet communism will always be recognized as the product of faith married to shrewd statesmanship. And, speaking personally, getting to cover John Paul's 1986 visit to a synagogue in Rome where he robustly and decisively condemned anti-Semitism will always endure as one of the most moving experiences of my journalistic life.

But that story is a perfect example of why it was essential to sanctify Popes John and John Paul at the same time. Without Pope John, there would not have been the John Paul we came to admire.

Full Story:Saintly Politics Francis & His Formula for Harmony 

Source:Commonweal

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