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FRANCIS’ VISION

THE SYNOD’S GREATEST CHALLENGE

Much to the dismay of his opponents, Francis is proving a formidable Pope. Perhaps the only occupant of the See of Peter to exercise equivalent influence in the modern era is Pope John Paul II, and it may be no coincidence that in both style and substance Francis has been quietly and subtly revisiting and revising some of the achievements of his saintly predecessor. The John Paul II papacy saw a top-down flow of teachings and instructions, with relatively little interest in what ordinary Catholics, lay and clergy, might think about them. An almost military model of command and control was applied to church discipline and doctrine. Those wedded to that pattern of leadership are the ones most discomforted by the different leadership model of Francis.

It is wise of Francis not to treat those unsettled by his reforms as enemies but to incorporate them into his project. A crucial moment will be the forthcoming global synod in Rome in October, which is focusing on synodality itself. The Pope has announced his own list of invitees, and among them are several who have let it be known they are unhappy with the direction of his pontificate, and the synodal process in particular. It is notable, however, that when church assemblies come together in a spirit of prayerful listening, many with previously fixed opinions become open to changes they might have otherwise thought impossible. That is what happened at the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965. English and Welsh Catholics had their own experience

of this at the 1980 National Pastoral Congress in Liverpool.

The attempt to impose the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae – which prohibited Catholic married couples from using contraceptives – on a reluctant faithful exposed the weakness of the authoritarian style of leadership. Out of the resistance to this teaching of the magisterium grew a sense among the bishops that a disobedient laity could not be trusted, and that theologians who encouraged them had to be whipped into line. That stifled debate and caused alienation within the People of God, which deepened as the extent of the global scandal of child sex abuse by Catholic priests became clear. The covering up of cases of paedophile priests by bishops and their preoccupation with the good name of the institution and the interests of clerical perpetrators, and their lack of concern for the victims and survivors, led to the demand for a new kind of Church. The top-down model had been disgraced.

The preparatory document for the forthcoming synod seems to reflect the mood of Catholics at parish level across the global Church. Beside the sense of joy in the faith there is no shying away from difficult questions, including on gender and sexuality. Above all, however, Francis is restoring a sense that responsibility for the life and work of the Church is shared by all the baptised, whatever their status, female or male, lay or ordained, gay or straight, married or single, young or old. How to align that creativity with a Church whose authority structure is still fundamentally – and necessarily – hierarchical will be the synod’s greatest challenge.

CLIMATE CHANGE

UK MUST REGAIN ITS GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

The planet may be hotting up alarmingly, but the political will to respond, at least in Britain, seems to be cooling. It is not the only country falling behind, though it once claimed to be a world leader. The government, with cross-party support, is still committed to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But the prospect of achieving this is looking grimmer by the day. Once again, political expediency trumps moral principle. As global warming triggers the apocalyptic trio of storm, fire and flood, millions may perish and millions more will flee for somewhere safer. The impact of global warming on mass migration has hardly yet begun.

Yet the climate crisis has opened up political opportunities, as President Joe Biden has demonstrated. His Inflation Reduction Act includes a $369 billion package of green energy research, development and investment, designed to eliminate carbon gas emissions – in a country traditionally committed to cheap energy from fossil fuels, and with powerful oil, gas and coal political lobbies. Washington has grasped the point that the future is green just when it seems to be slipping out of reach in Westminster. In both countries green policies are popular with the public, and climate change sceptics are a relatively small, albeit noisy, minority.

The Conservative Party’s resolve to protect the environment has faded. Lord (Zac) Goldsmith said after resigning from the

Government last month that the prime minister’s claim he was committed to the cause was “in effect a lie”. The Climate Change Committee, the government’s independent adviser, says in its latest report that official support for new North Sea oilfields, for a new deep coal mine, and for airport expansion projects, means that the UK has lost its leadership on climate issues. Progress is “worryingly slow”. Targets are at risk. King Charles may have indicated his disappointment when he met President Biden this week. The King was voicing his environmental concerns long before they became fashionable.

The other key player in all this is Labour. It has good credentials on climate change and Ed Miliband, the shadow minister responsible for climate change, has kept up the pressure. Sir Keir Starmer has committed Labour to an investment package of £28 billion a year on green energy, housing, and transport, but its starting date has been pushed back. Fearing that the outcome of the next election is on a knife edge, Labour has become risk averse. But bold new policies on climate change – with the emphasis on the new jobs the switch to a greener economy could create – could give the Labour Party the moral impetus it so far seems to lack.

If Labour puts green initiatives at the heart of its next election manifesto, it could shame the Conservatives to shake off their inertia. And the UK, whichever party is in power, might be a global leader in tackling climate change again.

2 | THE TABLET | 15 JULY 2023

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