On 24 March, Vatican News published the following short text by Tucho
Fernández, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Tucho gives seven reasons why 'we need Pope Francis'.
(1) The first: because Francis 'is a man of God, visibly in love with the Gospel of Jesus'.
(2) Secondly, because this Pope 'sees beyond, with an unusual intuition that transcends all immediacy'.
(3) Thirdly, 'because he has an unshakeable courage that allows him to say what politicians are silent about'.
(4) Fourth: 'Because he is a poet who, with gestures and a few words, sums up what others cannot express in long ramblings'.
(5) Fifth: 'Because he is consistent, austere, committed, able to give his all'.
(6) Sixth: 'Because he is the most powerful voice of the poor and abandoned of this earth'.
(7) And finally: "Because this world needs a father, someone who, like him, reflects the fatherhood of God.
Luis Badilla calls this an "unusual text" with a "sweetish and pubertal content".
Translated
and reissued in Vatican propaganda, it "sends shivers down the spine
and leaves a Catholic with an adult and mature faith stunned". Badilla
asks what could be the reason for Tucho's childlike obsequiousness.
Francis, as described by Tucho, is "anything but what he should be".
Instead, according to what Tucho writes, "the important thing is that Francis speaks instead of the politicians who are silent".
Badilla
explains that Tucho reveals "the image of Pope Bergoglio that has most
damaged his pontificate" by turning him into "a political and social
leader, an activist for the working classes".
For him, the
questions always remain the same: "Is Pope Francis the head of the
Catholic Church or is he the Secretary-General of the UN?"
Should
a pope "serve to accompany us to the salvation of the soul or to guide
us in our political choices and voting intentions?"
Badilla's
question: "Is it still possible to nourish and grow one's faith in
Christ as a choice and a grace independent and separate from one's
personal political convictions, leaving the judgement to one's
conscience?"