Il  "New York Times" si interroga 

Dove va  Papa Francesco? 

Il “New York Times” ha dedicato a Papa Francesco un lungo articolo che inizia in prima pagina (con grande evidenza) per  continuare  in quelle  interne (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/world/europe/pope-with-the-humble-touch-is-firm-in-reshaping-the-vatican.html?ref=francisi&_r=0 ).

Il fatto è importante di per sé, perché indica l’attenzione che  la colta America liberal  riserva  alle vicende della  Chiesa Cattolica, ma anche la simpatia con cui guarda al Santo Padre, giudicato  un Papa prudente che  però 

“With the Humble Touch Is Firm in Reshaping the Vatican”  Una figura tuttavia, si legge,  che “remains tricky to define, a doctrinal conservative whose humble style and symbolic gestures have thrilled many liberals”.

Il servizio nell’insieme è molto equilibrato, pur partendo dal presupposto “modernista  che  quanto più il Papa dialogherà con il mondo moderno tanto più la Chiesa diverrà patrimonio universale di tutti, fedeli e non. Particolare attenzione è dedicata alla “battle” di Francesco  contro la Curia e il “carrierismo” curiale.

It was a pointed rebuke of the poisonous atmosphere that had troubled Benedict’s papacy, and for which the former secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was often blamed. And it was a reminder that Francis, if a new pope, was not new to the machinations of the Curia, having tangled while in Argentina with a powerful conservative faction. “He was not an ingénue coming out into the world,” said Elisabetta Piqué, an Argentine journalist who has known Francis for more than two decades and whose recent book, “Francis: Life and Revolution,” documented his past clashes with Rome. “He had had almost a war with this section of the Roman Curia.” Now Francis talks disparagingly of “airport bishops” who are more interested in their careers than flocks, and warns that priests can become “little monsters” if they are not trained properly as seminarians.

Ma anche  i tradizionalisti non sono trascurati.    

As a priest, Guido Pozzo led a Vatican commission tasked with bridging the schism between the church and traditionalists critical of the Second Vatican Council. In November 2012, Cardinal Bertone elevated him to the rank of archbishop and Benedict appointed him to run the church’s charity office. Francis, who is much less interested than Benedict was in appealing to the schismatic conservatives, has since sent Archbishop Pozzo back to his former post. Another is Cardinal Burke. In 2008, Benedict installed his fellow traditionalist as president of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s highest court, and the next year appointed him to the Congregation for Bishops. The post gave Cardinal Burke tremendous sway in selecting new bishops in the United States.In December, Francis replaced him with a more moderate cardinal. “He’s looking for places to put his people,” said one official critical of the pope.Another Vatican conservative took offense at Francis’ disdain for elaborate dress. And speculation that Francis might convert the papal vacation home of Castel Gandolfo into a museum or a rehabilitation center has also raised alarms. “If he does that,” said an ally of the old guard, “the cardinals will rebel.” For now, the resistance is not gaining traction. “The Holy Spirit succeeds also in melting the ice and overcoming any resistance,” Secretary of State Parolin said. “So there will be resistance. But I wouldn’t give too much importance to these things.”

 

Si sottolinea anche il cambiamento  di approccio, all’insegna, come pare,  del neutralismo,  verso la politica italiana, 

For years, Italian politicians have courted the Vatican, and vice versa, as both Pope John Paul II and Benedict encouraged Italy’s prelates to speak out on issues that concerned the church. Francis’ distaste for directly involving the church in politics has now threatened that old link between Italian prelates and Italy’s conservative politicians. “Today, the Italian bishops are keeping silent,” said Pier Ferdinando Casini, a prominent politician who once met with cardinals and even popes but has yet to meet Francis.

 Insomma,  un servizio interessante, da  non perdere. Che evidenzia,  se si vuole usare un termine politico,  lo spostamento ( o ritorno)  su posizioni di centro-sinistra della Chiesa.  Che poi il mutamento  di rotta   sia effettivo e  condivisibile  è altra storia…

Carlo Gambescia