Pope Francis and the rise of a pastoral magisterium

Abstract

All popes following Pope John XXIII responded in several constructive ways to his call for a pastoral magisterium. The Church requires a teaching magisterium that is fundamentally pastoral in character. This dissertation specifically highlights and analyses Pope Francis’ refashioning of what has traditionally been referred to as the papal magisterium. The main reason for writing this dissertation is to underline the fact that Pope Francis is not just bringing to the Church a refreshing new papal “style,” but actually he is refashioning the papal magisterium. This dissertation seeks to pursue the “road not taken” in the post-conciliar church as to have a fresh understanding of the role of doctrine in the Church while enacting a different kind of papal magisterium. This dissertation shall seek to identity characteristic features of the pontificate of Pope Francis, that is, the thoroughly re-conceived exercise of papal teaching authority as a truly pastoral magisterium. A critical analysis will be made to highlight the Pastoral Magisterium and the Church’s dimensions: its synodality; the use of symbolic gestures; the ecclesial decentralization; an appropriate doctrinal humility; its need for self-criticism; the practice of discernment and the formation of conscience etc. Lastly, the dissertation seeks to define what a pastoral magisterium is not. The magisterium should not be thought of in a largely juridical key, with a focus too much on the matter of formally pronouncing on matters of doctrine. Rather what we should be asking is, how does Pope Francis situate doctrine in the life of the Church and how does he enact a dynamic and pastoral teaching authority in keeping with this understanding. The work aims to arrive at a pastoral “connaturality” where the Church’s doctrine can best be employed or revised to announce God’s generous mercy and solidarity with the poor and suffering. A pastoral magisterium calls for an exercise of teaching authority that never forgets that, as John Henry Newman put it, “truth is the daughter of time.