Dear God, Please Protect This Pope

Francis is the first pope in history to do something as daringly humane as this:

Last March, just before the opening of the most recent papal conclave, I shared a few thoughts about what a “Lutheran-Elector” might look for in a new pope. The great task of the new pope, I wrote, will be community building, and the key pastoral and theological gift I see as most necessary for the new pope to possess is “the ability to carry on a conversation”…

I think I got what I asked for.

On October 18th, Francis had a document sent to the bishops, asking them to help him listen to the church. Said Monsignor Ronny Jenkins, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, in his letter communicating this to Cardinal Dolan,

The synodal reality is manifested with the most effective participation of the world episcopate under the governance of the Holy Father, who wishes to strengthen it for a better exercise of collegiality.

After the recent meeting of the Ordinary Council of the Synod, the Holy Father, who presided over it, decided to convene an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops next year, from 5 to 19 October, on the theme: Pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization.

During this meeting, the Members of the Council drafted the Preparatory Document, which you will find enclosed.

I would be most grateful if Your Eminence would distribute the Document to the Dioceses, and ask them to share it immediately as widely as possible to deaneries and parishes so that input from local sources can be received regarding the themes and responses to the questionnaire, as well as any helpful statistics, for the preparation of the Instrumentum laboris.”

Despite what some have said, this is not a poll. It is a questionnaire that asks for data, but does not seek to measure how many people agree or disagree with various documents or positions of the church. It does not put these matters to a vote, and may the highest number of responses prevail. Instead, the document asks for descriptions of life in the parishes and dioceses around the world. It asks the church to reflect on how it goes about proclaiming good news.

Just go read this (scroll down to find the questions). It’s amazing.