Archbishop Schwietz continues public forums exploring church affairs

CatholicAnchor.org

Braving blowing snow and treacherous road conditions, approximately 30 people gathered Dec. 14 in Anchorage for “Conversations with the Archbishop.” The event took place at Holy Cross Church, where enthusiastic attendees showed up to hear Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz share his impressions of the current state of the Catholic Church.
Joined by Father Tom Brundage, judicial vicar for the archdiocese and pastor of St. Andrew Church in Eagle River, the presentation began with a game. Participants received a sheet of paper containing quotes from five different popes about economic issues. Attendees were then asked to correctly identify which pope wrote which statement.
It was soon evident that previous popes have taught the same doctrine for which Pope Francis has recently been either praised or denounced for articulating.
Father Brundage explained, “Our media seems to be portraying Pope Francis’ writings as something new and outside of Catholic teaching, but I think this is due to a lack of knowledge about the breadth and width of Catholic social teaching.”
At one point, Archbishop Schwietz and Father Brundage spoke about the conclave that elected Pope Francis in the wake of former Pope Benedict XVI’s shocking resignation.
“The cardinals wanted a reformer, a holy person who could lead the church,” Archbishop Schwietz explained. “When they came into the conclave, it was clear very early on that there was someone surfacing who fit the bill. He is of Italian extraction but from the area of the globe where the church has grown.”
Archbishop Schwietz detailed the ways in which Pope Francis has reached out to his Swiss Guard, often inviting them into his apartment for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; how he spent only one day vacationing at the papal home at Castel Gandalfo, earning grumbles from his staff who were required to remain in Rome during the intense heat of summer; and how his translators struggle to keep up with the many homilies and spontaneous speeches he delivers compared with his predecessors.
Archbishop Schwietz also shared his impressions of Pope Francis, whom he met earlier in the year during a trip to Rome.
“He’s very pointed about how joy has to guide us,” Archbishop Schwietz said. “We ought to live our faith in a way that is attractive. Why has the media been so enthralled with this man? I think they see him as truly genuine. He has a deep sense of joy. He exudes joy. He has absorbed that aspect of the Gospel.”
Archbishop Schwietz described how, despite a massive demographic shift in the church in which two thirds of its 1.2 billion members now live in the southern hemisphere, the governance of the church has remained highly centralized and bureaucratic.
“During Vatican Council II,” he explained, “There was quite a shift … and the call of the church was to recognize its diversity and decentralize its operations. Pope Francis wants operations to be simpler. I think we’ll see some cutting down of the bureaucracies in Rome.”
Participants had numerous questions after the initial presentation. One guest inquired, given that Pope Francis will possibly choose Archbishop Schwietz’ replacement, has he given any indication about the kinds of priests he is choosing for the episcopacy?
Archbishop Schwietz, who is less than two years from the retirement age for bishops, responded that Pope Francis is concerned that bishops be “pastoral — not career people. Men who will go out on the streets and be evangelizers.”
Another participant asked about Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), and how it will impact Catholics locally.
Father Brundage responded that clergy are just now starting to absorb it. Archbishop Schwietz anticipated that, by Lent, it is likely that discussion groups will start meeting and that some media may be available to help represent its contents to Catholics at large — similar to Father Robert Barron’s Catholicism series which aired monthly earlier this year.
Others inquired about the pope’s viewpoints on issues such as capitalism and married clergy.
Attendee Alice Garrod noted that educational events like “Conversations with the Archbishop” are needed in the church today.
“I’m really glad that we are doing this,” she said. “Education is very important. I think the vast majority of Catholics don’t know what it means to be Catholic. These types of events help so much.”
While the pope has repeatedly called bishops to be more present to their flock, Archbishop Schwietz launched the current “Conversations with the Archbishop” when Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in early 2013. He said he hopes for more sessions in the future.
“I started this back when Pope Benedict resigned, so that people can get their questions answered,” Archbishop Schwietz said. “It is my hope that we do these on a quarterly basis.”