Pope Paul VI walks next to Eugene C. Blake, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, as he visits the WCC in Geneva June 10, 1969. Pope Francis is scheduled to attend an ecumenical prayer service and meeting at the WCC during a one-day visit to Geneva June 21. (CNS photo/courtesy World Council of Churches)
Commentary
The canonization of Pope Paul VI on Oct. 14 makes this an opportune time to look back on the years surrounding the Second Vatican Council in order to put in context the present state of the ongoing implementation of the conciliar reforms.
Blessed Paul VI, who was pope from 1963 to 1978, was arguably the most influential and beleaguered Catholic of the 20th century. His impact on the church was especially significant in light of the time in which he led the church and served the world. The direction and initiatives he undertook, the insightful and prophetic teachings he published and proclaimed, and the way he helped shape the face of the post-conciliar church, give us legitimate cause to identify him as the father of the modern church. So much of the church in the new millennium owes key aspects of its development to his papacy and the changes he facilitated and oversaw.
Paul VI was subject to tremendous criticism because of the polarity of the issues he was forced to address. No matter which position he took, someone was going to be upset. He consistently steered the church down a middle path and as a consequence avoided any major schisms. The break with the St. Pius X Society was due to the intransigence of its leader, Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, and it did not become a major movement within the church.
Blessed Paul VI received the most criticism for “Humanae Vitae” and the New Order of the Mass. In both cases people failed to look at the context of his decisions, and the consequences of the choices that he had. On these two issues he continues to receive criticism, although he is also commended for his prophetic foresight and courage.
Paul’s teachings are impressive, and his successors have drawn from them extensively. His support for the biblical renewal, the liturgical and ecumenical movements, and sacramental reform are other outstanding features of his papacy. We often take for granted major innovations that he introduced, like the anticipated (vigil) Mass, which meets important pastoral needs (particularly of the elderly).
Although over the years appreciation has grown for his pontificate, there continue to remain detractors, both of him and his magisterium. Just as during his pontificate, he got it from both sides. However, by absorbing this abuse and misunderstanding, and responding constructively, he held the church together, and maintained a steady course that his successors have built on.
Blessed Paul VI was in a no-win position on several fronts. The one thing he refused to do, and he pointed this out in his last homily at St. Peter’s Basilica, on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in 1978, was compromise the sacred deposit of faith. Paul, like St. John XXIII before him, recognized that change and growth was necessary, but with the proviso that central articles of the faith must be safeguarded.
He was a pope of dialogue, which was the subject of his first encyclical, “Ecclesiam Suam” (Aug. 6, 1964), and of empowerment. He decentralized the church and practiced subsidiarity, thereby enabling many persons to share their talents with the church in an uplifting way. He raised many capable prelates to be cardinals, including the next three popes to succeed him.
Blessed Paul VI is being canonized not for his teachings or magisterium, and much less for his personality, but because of his holiness. He suffered much for the church, and was distinguished by his great love for the church, a love that held it together.
As we reflect on his life and papacy amid his canonization, let us consider his great vision of a civilization of love that he lived in heroic fashion, constituted by the peace that he constantly worked to achieve, both between nations and within the church.
St. Paul VI, prophet and pilgrim of peace, pray for us.
Karl A. Schultz is the author of “Prophet and Pilgrim of Peace: 99 Sayings by St. Paul VI,” published by New City Press, and “St. Paul VI: A Pictorial Biography,” by Tan Books, which will be available in October, 2018. Schultz is one of the presenters at the Damien and Marianne Catholic Conference Oct. 5, 6 and 7 at the Hawaii Conference Center and at the Kauai Faith Formation Conference, Oct. 19-20, at Immaculate Conception School in Lihue.
