04 22 25 Regis University's Dr Chris Pramuk on Pope Francis' impact on the Church

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News. Marty Lenz, Gina Gondi, Good morning.
Pope France is passing away yesterday morning at the age
of eighty eight after months of declining health.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about it. Professor of theology at Regis University.
It's doctor Chris Pramock. Doctor Pramik, thank you so much
for your time this morning.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Yeah, good morning, It's very good to be with you.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Can you start by explaining a little bit what it
meant for Pope France's to be the first Jesuit pope
and what that really meant for the Catholic Church.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Well, you know, the Jesuits are formed in a very
distinctive spirituality shaped by the life of Jesus in the Gospel.
It pushes them out to the margins, especially to those
at the very margins of society, and also, of course
education is central to their mission. His formation also in
the church in Latin America, in Argentina among them, really

(00:54):
stapped his vision of the world and issues that face
us as a human family as well as half the church.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Professor the Francis's papacy within the church a church. Is
it seen differently than it is maybe to the lay
people outside of the church.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
You know, I think when I think of his ministry,
it goes well beyond the impact of his ministry, not
just Catholics, but people all around the world look to
hope for a kind of a moral compass, you know, in.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
A world really, Professor, I hate to interrupt you, but
your phone is cutting in and out. Can we can
we try to reconnect? Can we have you call back
or we can call you? Okay, thank you? Seven twenty
one here on Colorado's Morning News is. We try to
continue that conversation, but want to make sure the technology
is up and running as we try to get reconnected
with Professor. Our social media question this morning, in light

(01:51):
of the pope passing away in certain trends in the
US with church attendants declining, we just asked, simply, do
you still attend church? A couple of options. I tend regularly,
I go occasionally. I'm religious, but I do not attend.
And the other option atheist, diagnostic or something else. So
you can let listen to your thoughts on x and
on Facebook. I apologize, Professor. I'm glad that we have
you back. I was just asking about if sometimes internally

(02:12):
within the church, if they look at the pope's papacy
differently than the lay people and even people that aren't
Catholic necessarily.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Yeah, I think that's a great question. I think he'll
be His loss is being felt by people, you know,
all over the world, Catholics certainly. I woke up yesterday
morning to the news and it just just felt a
deep sadness at his loss, but also a deep gratitude,
you know, for his life and witness. When I think

(02:39):
of Francis, the symbolic actions, his outreach to the poor,
the disfigure, to children, to migrants and refugees. You know,
he was a moral voice in the world that desperately
needs it. Always he was talking about God's mercy. He
never tired of speaking to people about the mercy of

(03:00):
God for those especially who feel themselves on the outside,
you know. And so I think his life, his teachings
within the church are tremendously important. There's a documentary history
of his teachings on the environment. For example, today is
Earth Day and we're celebrating Earth Day, and Francis brought

(03:21):
that issue very much, the environmental crisis to the fore
and his teachings. We often focus on his personal humility,
his kindness, but there's also a whole lot that he
did internally in the church to kind of give the
laity of voice, give ordinary lay Catholics of voice, to

(03:42):
create structures winded in church moving forward into a new
century that will outlast him for many decades to come.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
You mentioned a number of his teachings that really resonate
most and impact the community today. If we had to
localize this, how do you think Pope Francis will be
viewed in our local Catholic community and then maybe broader
as a global leader as well.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
Well. I can speak to my own experience with my
students at Regis. You know, young people really looked to Francis,
were moved by his witness, his kindness, his compassion. I
think he brought us back to the heart of the
Gospel in a way that certainly previous popes had emphasized.

(04:26):
But Francis was a deeply pastoral leader. You know, his
first concern was with people with persons, particularly those who
were suffering. So I think locally he encouraged us to
build what he called cultures of encounter, where we opened
the doors and learn from each other, listen. He emphasized

(04:48):
dialogue quite a bit, so that message I think resonated
out very deeply, both locally nationally globally as a style
of church, if he will, what he called a listening church,
and I've saw seeing it in my students' response to
him as well as at our local parish. He just

(05:10):
set a style, if I could put it that way
for the church moving forward, that I think will be very,
very hopeful and very fruitful.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Professor, you teach at a Jesuit Orders university. Obviously in Regis,
the Pope Franchis was a Jesuit. I know there was
some controversy when he became pope because of the Jesuit
Orders compared to some of the others. Do you think
we'll see another Jesuit pope? And having said that, the
pope seemed less doctrinaire than what we're used to seeing
in Pope's less conservative, if you will, and in many

(05:39):
ways many Catholics in the US seem to be much
more conservative. Is are we more out of step with
the Church the Holy See? Or or is what the
US is perceiving Catholicism more in line with what people
think Catholicism is.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
It's a great question. I think the temptation here in
the US is to kind of thing breaks down along
those political conservative, progressive, left right divides. But it's important
to remember he was the pastor of a global church,
a multicultural, multi racial church, and he you know, he

(06:15):
never wanted to make decisions from the top down. He
was convinced that the Holy Spirit moves within people, within
human beings, within culture, societies, as it were, from the
bottom up, and so he felt it was super important
for the leaders of the church to listen to their people,

(06:38):
what he called a sinodal church or a listening church,
you know. And so change moves fairly slowly in the
Catholic Church, partly because of that conviction that God is
moving at the ground level and it's important to listen
and discern where the Spirit is moving in the church,

(07:00):
which I you know, in terms of the future direction,
it's hard to say. I think that Francis has made
a lot of internal structural changes in the church and
the College of Cardinals. Above all, he set a tone again,
a pastoral tone for the leadership in the church. I
don't think we're going backwards that's my hope. It's my

(07:23):
feeling that he really has changed the culture of the church,
both internally and then looking outward in ways that will
not be temporary, that will move forward in the life
of the people of God. And I'll just say, you
know again, well beyond the Catholic Church, you know, he

(07:46):
I think will be remembered as a light in the sea.
Is really a confusing and tumultuous time in our world.
I'm going to dearly miss him, and I know many
many people will too.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
Professor of Theology at Ready University, it's doctor Chris Pramick.
Doctor Prammick, thank you so much for your time and
insight on this. We appreciate it.