Answers of some of the illiterate and poor indigenous Catholics–migrant workers to an Indian metropolitan city–to the question such as ‘Do you know who the pope is, what does the pope do, where does he live, have you heard of his teachings etc., were baffling. Hardly they knew who the pope was or what he does or what he spoke of or wrote on. More interesting were their answers; he may be living in America (as several powerful and wealthy people allegedly live there or aspire to live there) and he was the one whom India’s Prime Minister Modi hugged once.
To put it in perspective, these people came from extremely remote parts of central India and lived ‘outside the cover area’ where the Catechism and knowledge of Christianity have not sufficiently penetrated, and yet, paradoxically, the ‘almighty’ social media reached them -noticed from their ability to recall the pope’s picture with the Prime Minister. And, to be fair, they may represent a very small section of Indian Catholics whose knowledge of the pope is abysmally low. One can reasonably expect that a large section of Indian Catholics would know more about the popes, and certainly about Pope Francis, and of his exemplary life, teachings and travels. Doubtless, Pope Francis globally captured the imagination of the people in an unprecedented way and, more than others in the past, Francis reached millions of people through social media. Diverse assessments of the impact and influence of Pope Francis are on. Here, in a limited way, I shall comment on the impact of Pope Francis on the Indian Catholics and some ways to receive him better.
Speaking to the fellow Jesuits in the Baltics on 23rd September 2018 Pope Francis said: “What needs to be done today is to accompany the Church in a deep spiritual renewal. I believe the Lord wants a change in the Church. I have said many times that the perversion of the Church today is clericalism. But 50 years ago, the Second Vatican Council said this clearly: the Church is the people of God, Read number 12 of Lumen gentium. I know that the Lord wants the Council to make headway in the Church. Historians tell us that it takes 100 years for a Council to be applied. We are half the way there. So, if you want to help me, do whatever it takes to move the Council forward in the Church.” As with the earlier Popes, Francis tried to advance the teachings of the Council, in his own way, and one way to assess his ministry of the last ten years is to see how far he and his teachings are understood and received.
Broadly, one can recognize three categories of people: the admirers, the critics and those who consciously try to receive and advance Francis’s view/vision of the Church. These constituencies of the faithful are not mutually exclusive and a shade of each could be in all.
Many admire Pope Francis in India and the group includes the ecclesial leaders, clergy and religious and the laity. The pope’s life and gestures, choices and options, images he employed and the areas that he focused and wrote on are simply astonishing and overwhelming. Importantly, social media helped us to have access to this aspect of his papacy. While some topics he dealt with are predominantly intra-ecclesial, others are global concerns and both turn out to be extremely newsworthy.
The critics, within and outside the Church, consisting largely of the traditionalists, struggle with his comments, teachings and priorities. Those who want the pope to focus more on proclaiming the Gospel than on engaging the world (involving dialogue with cultures, religions and those living on the peripheries as well as the socio-economic and political spheres) and those who prefer a clear and precise teaching on a topic at times get disappointed.
Apart from those who admire the pope and his teachings and those who struggle with them, there is a section that strives to implement the pope’s vision, his call for the renewal of the Church. What are the ways in which the pope’s teachings reach the people, including the laity, religious and the clergy? Several acknowledge that they came to know about the pope from the media, from the homilies and conversations, from the retreats and conferences. It will be actually difficult to know how many, among the clergy and the religious and the laity, regularly follow, read and bring these topics for discussions and for translating them into the life! Synodality gives an incredible opportunity for this exchange and one can hope for better reception of the vision of Vatican II.
Arguably reading habits have declined for various reasons and many simply prefer to read messages or listen to or watch short messages in the audio and video forms. Again, apart from English and Hindi, there are several major languages in India in which Catholics or others prefer to have access to the messages of Pope Francis. Also, there are some official media outlets and television channels that are engaged in this mission. Frequently, depending on the presenter and the intended audience, the message gets adapted and interpreted. Many will have to work on transmitting the messages of Pope Francis in a manner that is not only attractive but also authentic, the one that moves ‘the Council forward in the Church.’ In a world where the message can easily be misrepresented or misinterpreted, it is imperative that those who are gifted have to involve themselves in this ecclesial mission. Social media could play a vital role in the reception of the Vatican II in India, especially as Pope Francis envisages it.