‘The courage to be candid’ - Chaput on Francis, and what's next

Michie · Tuesday at 8:59 AM

"We’re meant to be active witnesses of Jesus Christ, not fellow travelers."

Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap., is the emeritus archbishop of Philadelphia, a long-time leader among American bishops, and an influential voice among American Catholics for decades.

The archbishop spoke with The Pillar this week about the Francis papacy, and what he thinks the Church needs now.

You met Pope Francis almost 30 years ago —1997 — when you were both diocesan bishops, and you've said you were impressed by him then, and continued to regard him warmly. What attributes of Francis can the Church learn from?

He had a naturally generous instinct toward the people he met, and he understood the nature of small gestures. After the 1997 synod, where we met and worked together in Rome, he sent me a beautiful personal note and novena prayer with a little portrait of Our Lady Undoer of Knots. It was one of his favorite Marian devotions. I had it on my desk every day for years.

Little kindnesses aren’t expensive, but they stay in the memory, lift the spirit, and have an impact much larger than their size. Pope Francis understood that. We could all learn from it, and the world would be a better place if we did.

While you praised Pope Francis and his initiatives during his papacy, and you spoke often of your personal regard for him, you also raised criticisms during the Francis pontificate about issues that concerned you.

Continued below.