海角大神

Even though he has been shunted to a ceremonial position, the formerly most powerful Catholic archbishop in the United States remains perhaps the most vocal critic of Pope Francis鈥檚 radical new pastoral focus and the direction of the modern Catholic church.

Cardinal Raymond Burke suggested that the pope鈥檚 views had at a recent church synod on family life.

He went even further in a website interview when he , in no uncertain terms, against what he said was the 鈥渞adical feminism which has assaulted the Church and society since the 1960s has left men very marginalized.鈥�

Beyond the current controversy, his words illustrate the wide gulf between Pope Francis and many American bishops at a time when the new pontiff has emphasized ministry of the poor, simple living, and traditional moral teachings understood in the context of pastoring people鈥檚 needs.

In his almost two years at the head of the sprawling worldwide church, Pope Francis has shifted its public priorities from insisting on dogmatic moral teachings to proclaiming the saving love of God.

His shift in tone, however, roiled many conservatives and traditionalists, particularly Burke, the former top canon lawyer at the Vatican.

The 鈥渉eroic nature of manhood鈥� has been lost, the former archbishop of St. Louis told the online site The New Emangelization, a magazine whose pun decries what it terms the 鈥渕an-crisis鈥� in the Catholic Church today.

鈥淢anly character鈥� and 鈥渃hivalry鈥� have been obscured since the church has had 鈥渢o constantly address women鈥檚 issues at the expense of addressing critical issues important to men,鈥� Burke said.

鈥淎part from the priest, the sanctuary has become full of women,鈥� Burke continued. 鈥淭he activities in the parish and even the liturgy have been influenced by women and have become so feminine in many places that men do not want to get involved.鈥�

Such statements, of course, have in turn roiled Church progressives and outside observers 鈥� as well as Catholic scholars and theologians.

鈥淗is words were startling, and one could also say that they鈥檙e ludicrous,鈥� says Bruce Morrill, the Edward A. Malloy professor of Catholic studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tenn., who is also a Catholic priest.

When Pope Francis was chosen to lead the globe鈥檚 1.2 billion Catholics nearly two years ago, he was hailed as the first pope from the Americas, the first from the southern hemisphere, and the first non-European in nearly 1,300 years.

The pope famously said early in his papal ministry, 鈥淚f someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?鈥� 鈥� a comment that quickly rippled around the world. At the church synod on family life last October, the pope appeared to stand behind a proposal to recognize that gay relationships, though morally problematic, often include 鈥渕utual aid to the point of sacrifice鈥� and constitute 鈥渁 precious support in the life of the partners.鈥�

As many have noted, Burke has been one of the most powerful American bishops in the past few decades. In 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed him as head of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican鈥檚 supreme court, and the highest ecclesiastical court official apart from the pope. And Burke in many ways led the conservative backlash against Pope Francis鈥檚 efforts to change the pastoral tenor of the church.

Last fall, the pope in effect demoted Burke to a ceremonial position as chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

鈥淏urke was and is a leader of the 鈥榗ulture warrior鈥� wing 鈥� and there are still many culture warriors among the American bishops,鈥� says Terrence Tilley, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Chair in Catholic Theology at Fordham University in New York. 鈥淏ut his interview was revealing, I think. He鈥檚 showing his paranoia, and my wife Maureen and I were talking about this, and she noted, 鈥業f you work for 鈥渆mangelization鈥� rather than evangelization, you鈥檝e just substituted patriarchy for the gospel鈥� 鈥� which I think is what Burke is doing.鈥�

The conservative cardinal, too, suggested that the child sexual abuse scandals that shattered dioceses around the nation the past 20 years, came as a result of 鈥渇eminized men鈥� entering the priesthood, rather than 鈥渕anly and confident鈥� men.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very different kind of analysis from what most of the human population would find persuasive, let alone scholars and legal authorities,鈥� says Father Morrill. 鈥淵et that鈥檚 the kind of analysis you find over the last 20 years from many church authorities.聽

鈥淯S Catholic bishops haven鈥檛 really pressed, or haven鈥檛 in any rigorous way, picked up on Francis鈥� priorities,鈥� Morrill continues.

But the pope has the power to appoint the next generation of leaders, and many hailed the appointment of Blase Cupich of Spokane, Wash., as archbishop of the Chicago diocese, one of the most powerful chairs in the American church. Archbishop Cupich, like Francis, was known for living simply, forgoing living in the Gold Coast mansion residence for Chicago鈥檚 archbishops.

鈥淧ope Francis doesn鈥檛 want cultural warriors, he doesn鈥檛 want ideologues,鈥� Cupich said in 2013. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the new paradigm for us, and it鈥檚 making many of us think."

Indeed, theologians note the basic style of thinking that Francis has brought the church, in contrast to his predecessors.

鈥淵ou cannot hope for what you already know,鈥� says Professor Tilley. 鈥淎nd if you know something, you cannot hope that it鈥檚 true and you cannot hope for anything different. Francis has injected hope. Where the Holy Mother, the Church, has always known all, and says, we鈥檙e going to tell you what it is 鈥� the line of the last two pontificates 鈥� Francis has left room for hope.鈥�