Don’t be taken in by his big smile and gentle demeanor. Pope Francis is an apocalyptic figure, who some Catholics believe could be the antichrist.
Many people within the so-called traditionalist community look at him askance after the Holy Father suppressed the most recent iteration of the Tridentine liturgy. Other anxious Catholics accuse him of confusing the faithful and undermining the Church’s unalterable doctrines, like the inviolability of marriage.
Due to their apocalyptic angst, prominent high-ranking clerics, including cardinals, have worked to undercut Francis’ agenda. This became clear after the Synod on the Family and, more recently, after Pope Emeritus Benedict’s funeral. Upon Benedict’s death, the former pontiff’s personal secretary published a book in which he accused Francis of aiming to demolish Benedict’s legacy. Meanwhile, it came to light that an influential, recently deceased cardinal was the author of an anonymous attack on the pontiff.
Some clerics see Francis as an apocalyptic figure because his approach to the papacy varies from that of the previous 34 years. It is true that Pope Francis has set different priorities (not doctrines) than his two immediate predecessors, and he is carrying out the mandate of the Second Vatican Council in ways that earlier popes did not. Furthermore, many bishops have joined the “culture wars” on the side of specific political parties. The pope has urged Catholics to abandon partisan politics and cultural disputes in favor of focusing on the proclamation of the Gospel.
The pope from the “end of the world” has concentrated on geographical and existential peripheries during his pontificate. He has traveled to unlikely locations including South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Peru. His new cardinals represent communities with small Catholic populations like Sweden, Mongolia, and Brunei. His opponents in traditional Catholic strongholds accuse him of abandoning Christian Europe and caving in to the “enemy of Christendom.”
Leading personalities in the world of Catholic media have coordinated opposition to the apocalyptic pope. Influential Catholic television, print, and online networks and smaller para-church organizations use their platforms to disparage him relentlessly. Hordes of social media accounts, many using Latin names and crusader avatars, continuously spew poison, slander, and falsehoods because they believe Francis represents an existential threat. The pope famously denounced these diabolical works of Catholic media outlets.
When Francis first expressed his desire for a “poor church for the poor,” wealthy and powerful Catholic adversaries began to portray him as an apocalyptic figure. Since then, they have sponsored initiatives, staged opulent conferences, and backed politicians who resist the pope and the “first post-colonial papacy.”
These prominent clergy, media organizations, and keyboard warriors see the current Synod on Synodality as an end-of-the-world event. By decentralizing power and allowing common people to have a voice, Francis has alarmed many who believe church structures and customs can never change. By creating structural changes, Francis has made Vatican posts and liturgical tasks available to women. The old boys network perceives this as a sure harbinger of the end of the world.
The people who believe Pope Francis heralds the apocalypse may be correct, but not for the reasons they believe.
The term “apocalypse” refers to a revealing or unveiling. It is not a final conflict between good and evil. Instead, it is a person or event that provides a more accurate depiction of reality. By these standards, Francis is without a doubt an apocalyptic pope.
Leading up to the 2013 conclave, then-Cardinal Bergoglio delivered a speech to the College of Cardinals in which he alluded to the apocalyptic Book of Revelation He referred to Revelation 3:20 in which Jesus says, ‘“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.”
Perhaps you’ve seen a painting of Jesus standing at a door with no doorknob. The image suggests that Jesus waits for each person to open the door of their heart and let the Savior enter. The Argentine archbishop reversed the image. Jesus was not hoping to be let in. Instead, he was imprisoned inside the Church, awaiting release.
The act of opening the door and letting Christ out has revealed the mentality of those who have worked to keep him locked in.
Pope Francis has followed in the footsteps of his apocalyptic predecessor, Pope John XXIII, who convened the Second Vatican Council. Good Pope John reportedly stated that it was time to open the church’s windows and let in some fresh air, which is nothing less than the Holy Spirit. Papa Roncalli’s opening statement, much like Papa Bergoglio’s, appeared as an implicit judgment against the actions of those who had closed the door and shuttered the windows over the prior four centuries.
It is critical to distinguish between activities and persons because people often identify with their actions. However, people are more than their deeds, and they have the power to alter their behavior. Catholicism call this “conversion.” Many who have heard Francis’ message and witnessed his example have embraced their own conversion and have joined him in opening the door and windows.
As an apocalyptic pope, Francis has revealed the humanity of refugees detained in camps, fleeing wars, and drowning in the Mediterranean. On his journeys, he brought attention to Latino, African, and Asian countries. By advocating for justice, Francis has shone a light on people exploited by wealthy corporate interests and populist-nationalist politicians. In reforming the Vatican offices, he has decentralized power to root out corruption and make the Church more humane.
Pope Francis has connected our contemporary ecclesiastical and worldwide issues to the prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Magnificat. “He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”
As an apocalyptic pope, Francis has highlighted the love that many marginalized people, including Catholics who identify as LGBTQ, have for the Church — and the love the Church must have for them. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his papacy, Francis stated, “The Church is not a home for some, it is not selective. The holy faithful people of God are: everyone.” That is extraordinarily apocalyptic.
Although the pope has not yet fully implemented reforms relating to the abuse situation as extensively as many people would like, some survivors have noted how he has changed their lives. Pope Francis has apocalyptically unveiled the deep systemic nature of clericalist corruption. He has also taken the revelatory step showing that Catholics can have positive relationships with Jews, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and atheists.
As an apocalyptic pope, Francis embodies the words of St. Paul, “For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Corinthians 4:6).
Maybe every pope is apocalyptic in his own way, unveiling truth about the world, the Church, and themselves. In his decade as pontiff, Francis has revealed far more than anyone had imagined when he introduced himself with a gentle, “Buona sera.” He has exalted Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, in a unique way, thereby illuminating the condition of the church and the hearts of its members.
The Holy Father celebrated daily livestreamed Mass at Casa Sanctae Marthae during the worst of the pandemic. In his homily on May 2, 2020, he makes an illuminating observation. “The light shows many ugly things within us that we do not want to see: vices, sins… Let us think about our vices; lt us think about our pride; let us think about our worldly spirit: These things blind us; they distance us from Jesus’s light…He asks us to see them, first; to have the courage to see our darkness so that the Lord’s light may enter and save us.”
In the same sermon, Francis assures us that we should not be afraid of what the light reveals. “Let us not fear the Lord: He is very good; He is meek; He is close to us. He has come to save us. Let us not be afraid of the light of Jesus.” May we have the courage to recognize what the apocalyptic pope of mercy has revealed in us.
