But Vigilance Is Needed . . . Why We Can Breathe a Sigh of Relief On Querida Amazonia

By FR. BRIAN HARRISON, OS

A great deal has now already been written about Pope Francis’ anxiously awaited post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia, promulgated on the Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2020. Many or even most Catholics were expecting — with either enthusiasm or trepidation — that the Holy Father would follow-up last October’s “Amazon” Synod of Bishops with some ground-breaking progressivist decisions that would, for better or worse, make a great impact on the universal Church.
Well, that didn’t happen. In this article I will not attempt to review the entire exhortation, with its poetry-studded papal “dreams” about various broad ecological, humanitarian, and ecclesial concerns. Rather, I will focus on what seems to me the most important immediate take-away from Querida Amazonia, namely, Francis’ decision not to implement either of the two specific innovations that the liberal majority of Synod Fathers most keenly anticipated.
As a ready resource for Wanderer readers who may not have the time (or inclination) to read and study the entire apostolic exhortation, I will cite here several paragraphs covering these two concrete issues, highlight some key statements in bold type, and follow them up with some brief comments:
I: Married Priests?
Speaking of the indisputable shortage of priests in the remote Amazon region, Pope Francis says:
89. In the specific circumstances of the Amazon region, particularly in its forests and more remote places, a way must be found to ensure this priestly ministry. The laity can proclaim God’s word, teach, organize communities, celebrate certain sacraments, seek different ways to express popular devotion and develop the multitude of gifts that the Spirit pours out in their midst. But they need the celebration of the Eucharist because it “makes the Church.” We can even say that “no Christian community is built up which does not grow from and hinge on the celebration of the most holy Eucharist.” If we are truly convinced that this is the case, then every effort should be made to ensure that the Amazonian peoples do not lack this food of new life and the sacrament of forgiveness.
90. This urgent need leads me to urge all bishops, especially those in Latin America, not only to promote prayer for priestly vocations, but also to be more generous in encouraging those who display a missionary vocation to opt for the Amazon region. At the same time, it is appropriate that the structure and content of both initial and ongoing priestly formation be thoroughly revised, so that priests can acquire the attitudes and abilities demanded by dialogue with Amazonian cultures. This formation must be preeminently pastoral and favour the development of priestly mercy.
Comments by BH: By not even mentioning the possibility of married priests for the Amazon region, and by urging Latin American bishops to address the shortage of priests rather by greater prayer for vocations and by encouraging priests to go as missionaries to the Amazon region, Pope Francis is clearly saying “No” to the recent Synod’s proposal, in no. 111 of its Final Document, to ordain “proven” married men (viri probati) to the priesthood. Implementing that proposal would inevitably set off a chain reaction throughout the world, in many or all areas where there is a serious shortage of priests.
At the beginning of his exhortation (cf. no. 3), the Pope does indeed say he wishes to “officially present” the Synod’s Final Document; but he does not thereby bestow magisterial status on that document, as even the liberal Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, head of the Synod dicastery, acknowledged at a Vatican press conference,. That status would have been bestowed only if the Pope had confirmed (or endorsed) the synodal document in full. Indeed, the very fact that Francis has declined to implement the Synod’s explicit call for married priests shows that he is not endorsing all of its specific proposals.
The Holy Father does not even cite the Synod document. At the end of no. 3 he explains, “I have preferred not to cite the Final Document in this Exhortation, because I would encourage everyone to read it in full.” Thus, it appears in context that by using the somewhat vague words “officially present,” the Pope is really only telling the whole Church formally, via his own new magisterial document, that the Synod’s Final Document is something well worth reading. That of course could be said by a Pope about innumerable non-magisterial texts.
II: A Female Diaconate?
In a section headed, “The strength and gift of women,” Pope Francis has this to say:
99. In the Amazon region, there are communities that have long preserved and handed on the faith even though no priest has come their way, even for decades. This could happen because of the presence of strong and generous women who, undoubtedly called and prompted by the Holy Spirit, baptized, catechized, prayed and acted as missionaries. For centuries, women have kept the Church alive in those places through their remarkable devotion and deep faith. Some of them, speaking at the Synod, moved us profoundly by their testimony.
100. This summons us to broaden our vision, lest we restrict our understanding of the Church to her functional structures. Such a reductionism would lead us to believe that women would be granted a greater status and participation in the Church only if they were admitted to Holy Orders. But that approach would in fact narrow our vision; it would lead us to clericalize women, diminish the great value of what they have already accomplished, and subtly make their indispensable contribution less effective.
101. Jesus Christ appears as the Spouse of the community that celebrates the Eucharist through the figure of a man who presides as a sign of the one Priest. This dialogue between the Spouse and his Bride, which arises in adoration and sanctifies the community, should not trap us in partial conceptions of power in the Church. The Lord chose to reveal his power and his love through two human faces: the face of his divine Son made man and the face of a creature, a woman, Mary. Women make their contribution to the Church in a way that is properly theirs, by making present the tender strength of Mary, the Mother. As a result, we do not limit ourselves to a functional approach, but enter instead into the inmost structure of the Church. In this way, we will fundamentally realize why, without women, the Church breaks down, and how many communities in the Amazon would have collapsed, had women not been there to sustain them, keep them together and care for them. This shows the kind of power that is typically theirs.
102. We must keep encouraging those simple and straightforward gifts that enabled women in the Amazon region to play so active a role in society, even though communities now face many new and unprecedented threats. The present situation requires us to encourage the emergence of other forms of service and charisms that are proper to women and responsive to the specific needs of the peoples of the Amazon region at this moment in history. . . .
103. In a synodal Church, those women who in fact have a central part to play in Amazonian communities should have access to positions, including ecclesial services, that do not entail Holy Orders and that can better signify the role that is theirs. Here it should be noted that these services entail stability, public recognition, and a commission from the bishop. This would also allow women to have a real and effective impact on the organization, the most important decisions and the direction of communities, while continuing to do so in a way that reflects their womanhood.
Comments by BH: The passages of nos. 100-101 and 103 placed in bold type above, taken together, constitute a reassuring and timely reaffirmation of the Catholic doctrine that reserves sacramental Ordination to men. Twice here, in nos. 101 and 103, Pope Francis speaks against the admission of women to “Holy Orders.” That term of course covers all levels of this sacrament: not just bishops and priests, but deacons as well. The Pope’s negative response to recent proposals for a female diaconate is also implied by his expressed opposition to “clericalizing” women (no. 100). For deacons, as well as priests and bishops, are clerics.
Finally, the Holy Father gives a good thumbnail summary in no. 100 of why it is that priestly ordination is not for women: speaking of the Eucharist as a “dialogue between the Spouse and his Bride,” Francis points out that “Jesus Christ appears as the Spouse of the community that celebrates the Eucharist through the figure of a man who presides as a sign of the one Priest.” The mystical nuptial symbolism of the Eucharist, in which the priest acts in the person of Christ the Bridegroom, is central here.
In short, the Pope’s decision to adhere to the Church’s tradition and doctrine on these two vital issues can bring a welcome sigh of relief to orthodox Catholics. However in an ongoing battle, relief is not necessarily final victory. Our prayers, penance, perseverance, and respectful advocacy will continue to be vitally important if these reassuring decisions by the present rather unpredictable Pontiff are to be followed up effectively.