Father McShane on Charlie Rose: The Week
If one wants to get a better understanding of what the
Jesuit Pope is putting out there, who better to consult than a member of
the Society of Jesus?
That’s exactly what newsman Charlie Rose did on Sept. 20, as
he had a pair of Jesuits on his PBS show, “The Week,” to dissect Pope Francis’ much
talked about interview with America magazine.
Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, was
joined by Father Matt Malone, S.J., editor of America.
Rose asked Father McShane to give his thoughts on the
interview, and whether it offended anyone.
“I would say most of the women and men who work in the
parishes and frontline ministry, receive this with unfeigned joy, with great
enthusiasm of spirit,” Father McShane said, “because it speaks in terms that
resonate with the lived experiences of those who are pastors, women or men. I
think those who did not receive this with joy would be those who have conceived
of the faith in narrow, dogmatic terms, and not in terms of what Francis says
is the beginning of the faith—encounters with the Lord.”
Father McShane, who last appeared on the Charlie Rose show just hours after Pope Francis was named as Pontiff, also opined on whether the Pope is a moral center to the world.
“I think he does want to call the world to its senses,”
Father McShane said. “Although he seems very off the cuff, I don’t think he
does anything off the cuff. I think he reflects deeply about what he’s going to
do and then gives voice to the plan that he has conceived through testing and
goes forward with it. I do think he wants to have a moral voice present in the
world and I think in all that he did around the Syria question, he wants to
unite all religious voices.”
Watch some excerpts from the interview on the Fordham YouTube page, and follow
Fordham on Facebook, where we will post the whole video when it’s available.
- Gina Vergel
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