Surprised by Orthodoxy

Pope Francis has been widely lauded recently, and for good reason. The way he is going about things is quite different than some of his predecessors, and people are well warranted in being pleased. Nevertheless, there is something surprising about people being surprised by him, so to speak.

Some examples of comments which have received a lot of coverage:

Atheism: "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! 'Father, the atheists?' Even the atheists. Everyone! [...] We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don't believe, Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: We will meet one another there."

Environmentalism: "I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.”

Homosexuality: "If a gay person is in eager search of God, who am I to judge them? The Catholic Church teaches that gay people should not be discriminated against; they should be made to feel welcome. Being gay is not the problem."

Abortion: "We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. [...] When we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time."

Capitalism: "Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting." "The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings."

But all of these comments represent traditional, orthodox Christianity. If we are surprised, we are surprised by the two thousand year old teachings of the dominant religion in the West.

On the other hand, in our contemporary context, plain old orthodoxy is a surprise -- and a refreshing one.