Pope Francis & Augustine

I have been reading Peter Brown’s acclaimed biography of Augustine, while also following the intense polemics surrounding Pope Francis’s Synod on Synodality. The pope’s initiative, which focuses on decentralizing decision-making in the Church and the need for fellow Catholics to listen prayerfully to those they might disagree with, has come in for predictably scathing criticism from writers at First Things, the Catholic Thing, and other conservative publications. Often the tone is condescending as well as exasperated, driven by a deep suspicion that the pope has a secret agenda. Francis, they believe, is disingenuous. His real ambition is to undo what was accomplished by his two immediate predecessors. Read Full Article »