Ecumenical Patriarch and Pope Meet in Holy Land

Photo by John Mindala

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of over 300 million Orthodox faithful worldwide, and Fordham honorary degree recipient, met with Pope Francis on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem on May 26.

Andrea Mennillo, PAR '16, who along with his wife Brunella is a member of Fordham's Parents' Leadership Council,  accompanied the pilgrimage as part of the Orthodox Churches’ delegation.

It was the third and final time the Patriarch and the Pontiff met during their joint pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. 

During their meeting, the Patriarch presented Pope Francis with a copy of a Fordham University Press book In the World, Yet Not Of the World: Social and Global Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (FUP, 2009), said Mennillo.  

—Patrick Verel

Media Spotlight: Patrick Hornbeck Weighs in on Vatican Strengthening its Financial Oversight

It’s not every day that publications focusing on corporate compliance and governance feature pieces about Pope Francis. But on May 21st, the Wall Street Journal’s “Risk and Compliance Journal” did just that, and featured a Fordham faculty member’s quote with it.

Journal columnist Gregory Millman says Pope Francis “appears to be taking a leaf from the corporate compliance playbook with major reforms of the Vatican’s governance and finances, aimed at guarding the Holy See’s reputation and making its dealings more transparent.”

The Vatican’s anti-money-laundering unit, the Financial Information Authority, on May 20 released its first annual report, and Millman reports that compliance changes at the Vatican go much further, and include establishing three new bodies with jurisdiction over finance and administration.

The essentials of the new governance structure were sketched out by Pope Francis in a February document called a Motu Proprio.

The objective is to bring 21st-century governance to an ancient organization whose traditional administration was inadequate to prevent the well-publicized scandals of recent years, Millman says:

“The first of the new Vatican organizations is a Council on the Economy, whose membership includes eight cardinals and seven lay experts. The second new unit, a Secretariat for the Economy, is equal in rank to the Vatican Secretariat of State. It reports directly to the Pope, and has jurisdiction over operational matters including controls, policies and procedures, purchasing and human resources. The third element of the new governance structure is an independent auditor general.”

Millman also says “Pope Francis’s governance changes also strike a blow against one of his bête noires: clericalism, or excessive deference to the clergy even in areas where clerical status is irrelevant.” And this is where a Fordham theology expert weighs in:

Patrick Hornbeck, professor and chair of the theology department at Fordham University in New York, said that the new structure’s provision for sharing of power between clergy and laity is “a significant and a distinctive feature of the emerging style of Francis’s papacy,” explaining, “I think that Pope Francis is recognizing that, with respect to issues like the economy, lay experts who deal in matters of finance and governance and compliance for a living might be better positioned to advise him on these issues than members of the clergy might.”

Read the whole piece here (subscription required).

-Gina Vergel

The Francis Effect in Washington

March 21 Update: It seems that Pope Francis is being talked about everywhere. Just this week his image landed on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, of all places. His presence has been ubiquitous in the nation's broadsheet newspapers since his election.

One subject that has been trending lately in the political circles is his influence on lawmakers in Washington, D.C. A January 5 article in The New York Times anecdotally assessed the pontiff's impact on the capitol, citing examples of both Democrats and Republicans aligning themselves with Francis's views on poverty--though their approaches differ. With President Obama scheduled to meet the Pope on March 27, Washington punditry will no doubt crash into Vatican intrigue.

One person who is eminently qualified to weigh in on both worlds is Melinda Henneberger of The Washington Post. After ten years reporting for The New York Times from Rome and D.C., Henneberger knows the turf well. Her talk at Duane Library's Tognino Hall on Monday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. is titled "A Francis Effect in Washington."

The idea for the lecture sprung from a course being taught by theology professor Michael Peppard, Ph.D. and political science professor Monica McDermott called "Religion and American Politics."

"It's relatively rare that the two departments team up for something like this," said Peppard. "We targeted Melinda because she's known for her straight political reporting, but she also has clout in the Catholic community for her commentary on religion as well." 

The program is presented by the Commonweal Campus Speakers program. The event is sponsored by the Department of Theology, the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, and the Department of Political Science's Forum on American Politics. Contact: Michael Peppard, Ph.D. at mpeppard@fordham.edu.  

Father McShane Discusses Pope Francis on Charlie Rose Show

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.

http://youtu.be/hOME-_YSOJo

- Gina Vergel

Fordham Jesuits and Faculty Discuss Pope Francis in the Media

Pope Francis (Image via Wikipedia)

Buzzworthy is not a word one would normally associate with a global religious leader, but it’s apropos for Pope Francis. 

The news media is greatly interested (rightfully so) in what the Pontiff has to say, and, naturally, it results in opportunities for Jesuits and faculty from Fordham University to offer analysis.

A 12,000-word interview published on Sept. 19 by major Jesuit publications around the world, including the New York-based America magazine, created the latest “buzz.” In the exclusive interview, Pope Francis said that the Roman Catholic Church has become disproportionately obsessed with condemning abortion, gay marriage, and contraception.

Father Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, will discuss the Pope's insightful interview on the Charlie Rose show on Friday evening. He'll be joined by Father Matt Malone, S.J., editor of America. Check local listings here. 

“The interview brims with Pope Francis' fundamental optimism about human beings – and his confidence in our ability, individually and collectively, to discern what is good and what is of God,” J. Patrick Hornbeck, Ph.D., chair of the department of theology, told The Christian Science Monitor.

Hornbeck also gave an interview on television about the Pontiff, as did colleagues, Maureen Tilley, Ph.D., and Father John J. Shea, S.J. Watch below:

Maureen Tilley, Ph.D., professor of theology, on WPIX.

Patrick Hornbeck, Ph.D., chair of theology, on Al Jazeera America.

Father John J. Shea, S.J., director of campus ministry at Lincoln Center, of WPIX.

Don't forget to keep up with Fordham news on Twitter and Facebook, where we update faculty in the news often.

- Gina Vergel