Something Nice for Paul VI

On October 19, at the close of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome, Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul VI (1963-78), who oversaw most of the Second Vatican Council and its implementation.

To commemorate this milestone, this blog is featuring posts on Pope Paul -- honoring his legacy by reflecting on his individual and lasting contributions to the life of the Church. These posts are authored by bishops and lay Catholics:

• "How Paul VI Shaped my Ministry" by Bishop Howard Hubbard
• "Pope Paul VI and Dialogue -- We Wouldn't Be Here Without Him" by Bishop Denis Madden
• "Pope Paul's Call for Peace and Justice Challenges us More than Ever" by Jill Rauh
• "Finding the Challenges and Joys of Paul VI's Teaching on the Family" by Maria Wiering
• "A Church That Must Go Out -- Pope Paul's Final Exhortation" by Bishop David Ricken

and a bonus...

• "Seven Things Paul VI Did Before Pope Francis Made it Cool" by Don Clemmer

Note to diocesan editors and webmasters: These commentaries are free for your reprinting and posting. Please note the source as this blog, linking back where possible.

(CNS Photo/Giancarlo Giuliani)

Seven Things Paul VI Did Before Pope Francis Made it Cool

Only a pope who has railed against clericalism to the extent that Pope Francis has could get away with canonizing two popes at once and then beatifying a third within six months. But that's exactly what will happen October 19, when Pope Francis moves another one of his predecessors, Paul VI (1963-1978), one step closer to official sainthood.

There's been ample consideration of how Pope Francis completes a triumvirate with his two immediate predecessors, and it's easy to compare Francis to the jovial, Council-calling, tradition-shirking John XXIII. But in numerous other ways, there's a direct line of influence from Pope Paul to his latest successor, who was ordained a priest during Paul's pontificate and largely formed by it:

1. "A poor Church for the poor." In his first audience as pope, Francis explained his choice of name as inspired by Francis of Assisi — the man of poverty, the man of peace, the friend of creation. He has gone on to condemn on numerous occasions a "throwaway culture" linking everything from poverty to genocide to a willingness to cast people aside as disposable. Pope Paul's 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio greatly laid the foundation for this thinking, as did his 1972 World Day of Peace message, "If you want peace, work for justice."
2. Atheists in Heaven. Pope Francis got headlines (and a Vatican clarification) in May 2013, when he asserted in a homily that God's saving grace was also available to atheists. Maybe surprising, salvation for unbelievers was hinted at in Paul VI's first encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam (1964), in which he ponders (#104) whether atheists have truly rejected God or have rejected a poor representation of God made by Christians.
3. Birth control and mercy. In March, Pope Francis addressed Humanae Vitae, Paul VI's 1968 encyclical on marriage by characteristically saying the encyclical should be applied "with much mercy, attention to concrete situations." Anyone who thinks this is a new approach to Humanae Vitae, however, hasn't gotten to #29 of the letter, in which Pope Paul encourages priests to bring the mercy of Christ to the couples they serve. He says priests should draw confidence from the fact that the Holy Spirit is also working in the hearts of these couples.
4. Mission Church. If Pope Francis' vision of Church could be boiled down to one phrase, it would be: a mission of mercy to the margins. It's not enough for the Church to simply welcome people. It must go out. Pope Paul addressed this in what could now be called his prequel to Francis' Evangelii Gaudium, the 1975 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi. (Pope Francis calls it the greatest pastoral document ever written.) Pope Paul summarized the outward focus on the Church in one sentence: "She exists in order to evangelize."
5. The Patriarch. When Francis met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople in the Holy Land in May, he was explicitly echoing the historic meeting of Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in 1964. Francis, however, had already met Bartholomew; the patriarch was even present at Francis' inauguration Mass. And Patriarch Bartholomew came to the Vatican, June 8, to participate in the interfaith prayer service for peace with the presidents of Israel and Palestine. With Francis and Bartholomew expected to meet in Turkey later this year, it looks like Francis is parlaying Paul's example and turning the Sees of Peter and Andrew into one dynamic duo.
6. Bishops working together. Pope Francis made it clear at the opening of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome this month that he wanted the bishops to speak their minds honestly and listen humbly, that in making their discussion frank they would serve the needs of the Church. He got his wish, and now the Church will engage in a year of discussion leading into yet another Synod on the family in October 2015. Paul VI instituted the Synod of Bishops as a way of continuing the collaboration of the world's bishops on the heels of the Second Vatican Council.
7. Servant Leadership. When Paul VI discarded the triple papal tiara, he sent a message that the pope was not a king, but a bishop, a pastor, a servant. In his first days as pope, Francis turned heads by appearing on the balcony of St. Peter's sans traditional red cape and deliberately referring to himself as bishop of Rome. He also could have been channeling Paul when his inauguration homily (and one of his first tweets) asserted that "True power is service."

CNS Photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo

Finding the Challenges and Joys of Paul VI's Teaching on the Family

By Maria Wiering

Looking back, I’m sure the moment was awkward.

My now-husband and I were on our second date: evening coffee at a laid-back café in St. Paul, Minnesota. We had been friends for years, and I wanted to investigate potential roadblocks as we moved from friendship to something more.

So, I asked, with the coolness of the Grand Inquisitor: did he agree with the Church’s teaching on contraception?

Graciously, my husband has no recollection of this moment. I recall him looking slightly uncomfortable, but he affirmed that yes, he trusted the Church.

Whew, I thought, probably searching for the next conversation non-starter.

The truth is, if he had said no, it probably would have been a deal breaker. I felt strongly about avoiding contraception, and realized I needed a like-minded spouse. The question wasn’t like asking his feelings on vegetarianism, or another lifestyle preference, even one with ethical components. I was asking him, essentially, if he was willing to surrender decisions about our family size – and therefore our personal plans and aspirations – to God’s providence.

Admittedly, it was a big ask.

In Humane Vitae, the 1968 encyclical affirming the Church’s teaching on birth control, one gets the impression Pope Paul VI also knew he was putting in a steep order. He acknowledged that abiding by the Church’s teaching could be a burden for some couples, and told them to focus on eternal life – not a card one usually has to play if the immediate upside of something is blatantly obvious. However, the encyclical is incredibly pro-woman, pro-child and pro-family, which is what has convinced me, and many others, to shape our lives around it.

After Paul VI explained contraception was an unacceptable means to prevent births, he acknowledged that couples who wished to avoid pregnancy must practice self-discipline. He promised it would bear fruit: “It fosters in husband and wife thoughtfulness and loving consideration for one another. It helps them to repel inordinate self-love, which is the opposite of charity. It arouses in them a consciousness of their responsibilities.” And, he added, it’s a good example for their kids, too.

By contrast, he pointed to the potential characteristics of a world rife with contraception use, including marital infidelity; a “general lowering of moral standards”; disrespect of women, making them “mere instruments of selfish enjoyment”; and governmental endorsement (imposition even) of artificial contraception.

Looking around today, it’s hard to argue he wasn’t right.

In March, Pope Francis said Pope Paul VI’s “genius was prophetic.” He cautioned, however, that the encyclical should be pastorally applied with great mercy – something Paul VI called for as well.

As Catholics, we often think of this mercy being expressed in the confessional, but it should be an attitude we in the pews embrace as well. We Natural Family Planning promoters must avoid a better-than-thou air of haughtiness. A certain sense of pride is understandable, given our minority status and the kind of dedication it requires to practice it. NFP is, however, only a tool to space births, not the marital end game. A merciful attitude towards Catholics who struggle to keep this teaching, instead of an us-and-them approach, would serve all lay Catholics well.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t widely extol the benefits of NFP. I love understanding how my body works, and that my husband understands it as well. It also appeals to my crunchy, organic-produce-loving self, as it requires thought and time, but nothing artificial – and potentially harmful – in my body. It also has helped numerous friends pinpoint fertility problems and eventually become pregnant.

I’ve been married – and a mom – long enough to know that this vocation does entail burdens, some that the girl at the coffee shop six years ago couldn’t have anticipated. Those burdens, however, deepen my admiration of my husband and appreciation for my son, and are lightened by the quiet comfort and joy of cooperating with God’s plan for our family.

Maria Wiering is a staff writer at the "Catholic Review," newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. USCCB offers resources for finding a national NFP provider and local NFP classes.