The early returns on recently-elected Pope Francis have been very favorable. The 76-year-old Argentinian seems humble, deferential, pleasant and even humorous. No, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is not the charismatic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who could host his own cable talk show. But neither is he “God’s Rottweiler.” By all accounts, under those papal trappings and vestments is a genuinely good man, who now presides over a church with 1.2 billion members.
What will be telling will be his ultimate impact.
That means on the curia, which could use an corruption-challenging overhaul, and on social- and economic-justice issues, which are not to be confused with matters of doctrinal purity. But most of all, it means dealing with the underlying roots of the scandals that have been undermining the church’s credibility and relevance. That means matters of celibacy–and who is attracted to that lifestyle. That means matters of male domination–and who is precluded from that priesthood. And that means matters of birth control–and who is responsible for a woman’s body. If reform is to be Francis’ legacy, it will have to move on multiple fronts.
What the Catholic Church can ill afford is simply a much more appealing version of Benedict XVI.