by Marcello Veneziani

What is the weak point of the message of Pope Francis to the world, what is the main reason why it arouses great dissent? Corrado Augias on la Repubblica, responding to a reader who had seen his televised dialogue with me, he noted that in my last book I would have erected "a coherent edifice of reactionary thought" in which I criticize the Pope because he reduces faith to sociology. The observation about the Pope is correct (even if I deal with something else in the book) but I would not place it in the realm of reactionary thought. The definition of reactionary in itself doesn't scare me but it doesn't reflect the meaning of that criticism.
To tell the truth, I don't criticize the Pope just because he breaks with the past, with Christian tradition and civilization, with the history and doctrine of the Church of past centuries. But for something that in my opinion is more radical and more devastating. It's no longer there in the Church of Pope Bergoglio the waiting horizon, the expectation of the future and transcendence. Everything is folded and resolved at the historical juncture, in this today and in the urgency of helping.
The incomparable resource of the Christian religion compared to any secular vision is to envision the eternal beyond time, the future beyond earthly life, the resurrection beyond death. The Christian message that opens hearts and conveys minds is all aimed at the future, and faith like hope are theological virtues entirely aimed at the future, to what will happen. The supreme strength of faith it is taming death, give a glimpse of life beyond the earthly parable, make it clear that it doesn't all end here, that life is beyond and outside the tomb, come out; and beyond the human there is the divine, beyond history there is eternal light. And about this bet, on this opening to the eternal, it establishes morality and relationships between men and with the world. Illusion or lie for atheists and skeptics, hope or promise of redemption for devotees and believers, but the ultimate reason for believing, of praying and the morality that derives from it, it's there, in that expectation. Pope Bergoglio's Church is entirely focused on the present, addresses the issues of the present, takes the contemporary condition to heart: migrants, the fame, peace, the corrupt, social injustices. Priority task, if not exclusive, of the Church is for him to address these problems, urge acceptance, denounce disparities and produce humanitarian policies. And if the churches are empty of priests and faithful, it is a question of changing their corporate name, and make them places of welcome for the poor and hungry, more assistance less prayer, more solidarity less liturgy, sacred and devotion.
It is true that charity is the third theological virtue with faith and hope. But what if the Church's task was to make life better for the people alive today, its role would be no different than that of a humanitarian organization, di Amnesty international, of an emergency room association. The Cross would only be the Red Cross. The decisive challenge of a faith is God and not improving the living conditions of those present.
That in the name of faith the Christian also takes on this burden is good and right but that faith in God is replaced by social motivation marks the end of faith, and transforms faith into social commitment, prayer in humanitarian aid. The implication is that it is more important to save a man at sea than a lost soul. I know the answer: saving a man, except Jesus Christ, in every man there is Him, Giving charity is the best way to demonstrate faith in God. But judging by the attention, from the words and deeds of every day, Rather, something different is happening: God is replaced by Humanity, Christ is replaced by the Poor Man, the soul is replaced by the body to feed, otherworldly redemption is supplanted by social redemption. And the ritual becomes irrelevant, the liturgy, the symbol, prayer, faith. Ecco, the thing that is most disconcerting and that many feel, it is the Substitution. In place of God, humanity. The cathedral is the barge. But does it take faith to carry out actions of solidarity or altruism is enough, religion is needed, the immortality of the soul and transcendent God, or the revolution and humanitarian socialism are enough?
Sometimes my polemical passion leads me to lash out in criticism and I apologize for that; I have no certainties, much less am I a custodian of truth, I know I could be wrong. And if I dare to criticize the current Pope I do so in the name of popes, theologians and saints who thought differently from him. But for the sake of truth I cannot remain silent about what I think I see. I doubt faith and I take on the torment; but I can't accept the idea that Bergoglio's Church, instead of helping me dispel my doubts, increases them, or even make me consider them secondary, irrelevant, with respect to the urgency of providing humanitarian aid.
This is all reactionary, dear Augias? I don't think so. Unless you consider God the Prime Reactionary.
MV, The Truth 17 February 2019