Articles by Leonardo De Chirico

After a couple of eventful months surrounding the Vatican, the time has come to shift into a more routine mood. Pope Francis has attracted a lot of attention from the media and has sent various messages of change and renewal. After the initial surprise, the various Vatican departments are coming to terms with a less pompous papacy, and the Pope himself is beginning to shape his own views on a number of open issues that are on the Vatican agenda. continue

"The beginning of wisdom is the definition of words" (Socrates). If you define a word in a certain way you make claims about reality. Our postmodern culture has stirred us to come to terms with the fact that words do not have stable meanings but exist in an flux that drives them in one way or another depending on the interests of their users. This is the current situation of the word "Evangelical". continue

The Three Tasks of Pope Francis The election of Cardinal Bergoglio to the papacy responds to three basic concerns that the conclave felt it necessary to address. These concerns helped to sketch the profile of the new Pope and Cardinal Bergoglio fitted it. continue

Benedict XVI shocked the whole world announcing his resignation from being the reigning Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries, no Pope had resigned but has instead waited for his death while still holding the office. His announcement was in Latin, not exactly the lingua franca of today's world. Before getting the attention of the media, journalists had to rush to experts in Latin to be sure of what was going on. In doing something remarkably new, Pope Ratzinger did it in a very old-fashioned way. Even in one of his last acts as Pope, he was both modern and traditional. In a way, he reflected the Roman Catholic way of doing things by maintaining tradition, yet at the same time constantly changing. continue

The priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17 is unanimously recognized as one of the foundational texts, if not the text par excellence, dealing with Christian unity. There our Lord prays to the Father for His disciples to be one. The pattern of their unity is the relational life of the Trinity. As Father and Son are one, so Jesus prays for his disciples that their unity will be "as" the Triune God is one. continue

The Synod for the New Evangelization can be thought of as "a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old" (Matthew 13:52, ESV). Jesus's explanation of the parable of the net is a useful starting point to come to terms with what happened at the Synod that just ended (28 October 2012). After weeks of intensive discussions, its final act was the drafting of a list of 58 propositions (i.e. points worthy of attention) that were presented to the Pope for his consideration in the future promulgation of a papal document (Apostolic Exhortation) that will become part of the Magisterium of the Church. The shape of the New Evangelization (NE) is becoming more and more clear, at least on paper, while it remains to be seen what practical outcomes will result from it. The achievements of the Synod as reflected by these propositions are a mixture of new and old things that call for discernment in order to not concentrate on a few selected items alone. continue

The recent death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini (1927-2012) provides an opportunity to reflect on wider Roman Catholic trends. He has been one of the most attractive and yet polarizing figures of the last thirty years. Jesuit, scholar, archbishop, popular writer, sought-after opinion maker, he has unwittingly created tensions between his numerous fans both inside and outside of religious circles. In addition to this, he has more than his share of vocal critics within the more conservatives sectors of the Roman Catholic Church. Even his death has seen the two parties commenting on it very differently. Martini's biography in itself is a trajectory which epitomizes some of the key features of post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism, e.g. Biblical renewal, the openness to the modern world, and the alleged inner conflicts within high-ranking Roman Catholic hierarchy. continue

Journeys of Faith is the title of a recent book which contains a number of biographical narratives about people in the US context who have changed their Christian allegiance from one church or tradition to another. It is a fascinating account on the complex reality of religious changes in peoples' lives. continue

Every institution has its problems and conflicts.It is part of the fallen human condition to create on-going clashes between people, offices, and services that should work together. Sin is also able to create evil structures that manipulate and maneuver colleague against colleague, friend against friend, etc. The Church is no exception. The problem is that when the Church becomes something else other than what is supposed to be, its operations are often affected for the worse. continue

If you visit St. Peter's square before the 15th of April, an unexpected and interesting attraction will be waiting for you. In the Braccio di Carlo Magno (i.e. Charlemagne wing) next to St. Peter's basilica under Bernini's colonnade on the right-hand side of the square, an exhibition entitled "Verbum Domini" (i.e. the Word of the Lord) will call for your attention. The colorful Italian-English brochure that will be put in your hands invites you to "Take a walk through the history of the Bible in this private collection of rare biblical texts and objects of enormous importance". Admission is free. continue