Dr. @MurphHimself, Director of Loyola @HankCenterLUC, introducing papal biographer @austeni, to speak on "Pope Francis, the Synod, and the Call to Change"

On the title of the book...

"We must not be afraid to be a wounded Church," Pope Francis has said, acknowledging our failures with respect to the abuse scandal.

"So I hope you don't mind that I titled the book, 'Wounded Shepherd,'" @austeni told the Holy Father

According to @austeni, the Church as the people of God as articulated in Lumen Gentium, is at the core of Pope Francis' approach to evangelization. The greatest impediment to evangelization is when the institution becomes haughty, self-referential, and distant from the people

The experience of aparecida with the Latin American bishops, of "see, judge, act," was hugely formative for Pope Francis while he was Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio. It provided a template for listening and synodality that Francis has brought to the pontificate. - @austeni

For Pope Francis, the great accomplishment of Vatican II was to highlight the role of inculturation in the work of evangelization. For Francis, a love of and closeness to the culture is essential to effectively evangelize - @austeni

For Pope Francis, the scene of Jesus encountering Zacchaeus is a model for evangelization. Jesus challenges the scholars of the Law and his own disciples not to be guardians of doctrine, but to reach out to people - @austeni

Synodality is essential to the process of evangelization. The goal of synods is not to change doctrine, but is to see/judge/act, or to contemplate, discern, propose, listening to the people of God and asking how we might respond - @austeni

Many of the attacks on Pope Francis and synodality take place when Pope Francis lifts up the voices of the people of God themselves, young people, the indigenous people of the Amazon, for example. In many ways, it is an attack on incarnational theology. - @austeni

Dr. @MurphHimself points to Bishop McElroy of @DioceseSanDiego as having put this practice of synodality to work in his local diocese, having just completed a synod process with young adults.

Me: To read more, go here https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/religion/story/2019-11-09/san-diegos-catholic-church-works-to-recruit-more-millennials

First question is about Pope Francis on women.

@austeni: we're a long way from recognizing the legitimate role of women in leadership that's not simply making them clergy... But I'm not sure Pope Francis quite knows what that leadership will look like. And he would admit that

In response to Q about how Pope is open to Church being converted by "the outside," @austeni points to #LaudatoSi as an example of a papal encyclical that listens to science and adds that Francis has become more and more converted himself on the issue of climate change

Comment from Fr. Donald Senior, CP, a New Testament scholar and President Emeritus at @ChicagoCTU that he is struck by how Biblical Pope Francis' writings are, how well grounded in Scripture they are.

@austeni "I obviously agree!"

Asked about Pope Francis' time in exile, @austeni says that, in many ways, this pontificate is the result of that period, of his experience of desolation, limitation, and powerlessness

In response to Archbishop Pierre's invitation to U.S. Bishops to join in communion with Pope Francis at #USCCB19, @austeni expresses great hope in the ad limina visits that have begun taking place. Bishops are struck by how he wants to listen, ask how he can help them.

In response to Q on Pope Francis and the Church in Asia, @austeni says that Francis sees the future of the Church in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. That this is a truly global papacy, and that he seeks to encourage those churches with his visits and his appointment of cardinals

Kudos to @MurphHimself, the @HankCenterLUC, and @austeni for a wonderful discussion of Pope Francis and his pastoral vision for the Church.