ROCC:
REFORM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Reflections on 21st Century Catholicism
website director: John R. Connolly, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor, Loyola Marymount University
REFORM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Reflections on 21st Century Catholicism
website director: John R. Connolly, Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor, Loyola Marymount University
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this website is to investigate and reflect upon Pope Francis' vision for the Catholic Church in the twenty-first century and his mission to reform the church. Through this reform Pope Francis seeks to enable the church to more fully address the pastoral needs of Catholics today and to make the institutional Church more responsive to the challenges that the Church is facing in the twenty-first century.
Pope Francis' vision of reform for the Catholic Church is rooted in the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, more specifically in "Gaudium et Spes, The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World." For Pope Francis "Gaudium et Spes" is not merely a list of formulations, but the manifestation of a new theological method and a new ecclesiological orientation.
This website will investigate and evaluate the specific aspects of the theological foundation of Francis' vision of reform, its pastoral ramifications, and its reception by Catholics today. One cannot claim that Pope Francis' vision of reform is perfect, however, we optimistically propose that it provides the best hope for restoring the resilience of the institutional Catholic Church and the faith of Catholic believers in the twenty-first century.
NEW ARTICLE - SEPTERMBER 30, 2023
A Brief History of The Catholic Church's Response to the
Lefebvrist Movement's
Rejection of the Vatican II Reformed Liturgy
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
Lefebvrist Movement's
Rejection of the Vatican II Reformed Liturgy
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
REVISED ARTICLE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
Pope Francis on the Vatican II Reformed Roman Missal
The New Traditionalists
A Commentary
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
The New Traditionalists
A Commentary
by John R. Connolly
(See Article)
NEW ARTICLE - MARCH 8, 2023
Pope Francis Says Those Who Use Benedict
To Criticize Him Have No Ethics
To Criticize Him Have No Ethics
by John R. Connolly
In an airborne press conference on February 5, 2023, on his trip back to Rome from his pastoral visit to Congo and South Sudan, Pope Francis responded to a question about his relationship with emeritus Pope Benedict. Given the background that a number of right-wing Catholics used the death of Benedict as an occasion to point out alleged tensions between Francis and Bendict, a reporter asked Francis if he thought that, after the death of Benedict, his mission would be more difficult.
Pope Francis responded by emphatically stating the Benedict was not saddened by the decisions he had made. He said, ‘I was able to talk about everything with Benedict and to change his opinions. He was always at my side, supporting [me], and if he had some difficulties with me he said it and we talked and there were no problems.” Going further, Francis stated that actually “Some of the things that are said, that Benedict was saddened at this or something else, are invented tales.” In fact, he said that he had actually consulted with Benedict on some decisions and that Benedict was in agreement.
Using some of his strongest language ever Pope Francis condemned those who tried to manipulate the death of emeritus Pope Benedict. People, Francis said, who instrumentalize the death of such a good person “have no ethics.” “They are of a party, not of the church.” But then, in a cooler moment, he returned to his more merciful self. Francis said, “Let’s drop it; these things will fade away or go forward as has happened in history.” He concluded this part of the interview by saying, “I wanted to state clearly who Benedict was; he was not saddened.
(Gerard O’Connell, Pope Francis: Critics who used Benedict’s Death “Have No Ethics,” America, February 5, 2023).