Since the announcement that Pope Francis was naming fellow Argentinian Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández, now cardinal-elect, as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, he has been put under the microscope by the world’s press.
The relationship between Pope Francis and Cardinal-elect Fernández goes back to their time together in Argentina, when the pope was cardinal of Buenos Aires and he appointed then-Father Fernández, who was a professor at the Catholic University of Argentina, as his personal “peritus,” or theological adviser, during the all-important conference of Latin American bishops in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007. In 2009, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio named Father Fernández as rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. Historians cannot help but compare the relationship to Pope John Paul II to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who of course was elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Many conservative Catholics fear that Cardinal-elect Fernández will move the Church further along the path of reform initiated by Pope Francis. However, the new prefect has stated that we need to have a greater dialogue with the culture of today, so that the beauty and depth of our teachings are life-giving.
“Without dialogue with culture, we risk our message, however beautiful, becoming irrelevant,” he said. “This is why I am grateful for my time as a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture, where I learnt a lot alongside Cardinal [Gianfranco] Ravasi.”
Cardinal-elect Fernández, in lockstep with Pope Francis, believes that it is within the context of dialogue, encounter and accompaniment that teaching and doctrine is truly transmitted. He said on this topic, “It is appropriate to remember these words today. No religious doctrine has ever changed the world unless there has been an event of faith, an encounter that re-orients life. And this does not only apply to Christianity, but can be seen in the history of religion.”
He plans to follow the direction that Pope Francis wants the office to promote, when the pope explained that Cardinal-elect Fernández’s role will be “promoting theological knowledge rather than chasing after possible doctrinal errors.”
This new trajectory shared by Pope Francis and Cardinal-elect Fernández includes reaching out beyond the confines of Roman Catholicism to other world religions and Christian denominations. Both men were deeply involved with outreach to other religious communities in Argentina. While rector of the Pontifical Catholic University, Father Fernández entered into interfaith dialogue with Argentinian Jews through a joint Bible study project. He describes the encounter, “It was not just about discussing issues that could interest Jews and Christians; it involved a greater commitment. It was the communal study of the Bible by rabbis, priests and evangelical pastors.” He added, “As far as dialogue with Judaism is concerned, we Christians can speak of an ‘irreducible complementarity.’”
The encounter with Jews in Argentina has formed both their attitudes how to enter into peaceful and respectful dialogue with those who do not share our faith. We can hear this in the statements of Cardinal-elect Fernández made about the relationship with Jews in Sacred Scripture. Then-Father Fernández explained, “It is irreducible in terms of the theological issues on which we do not agree. But it is also a true complementarity because we have in common the treasure of the Torah, what we Christians call the Old or First Testament. Christians and Jews receive that Word in different traditions that allow that revealed Word to develop different powerful insights. For that reason, we can enrich each other.”
We hear the echo of Fernández in Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”: “While it is true that certain Christian beliefs are unacceptable to Judaism, and that the Church cannot refrain from proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Messiah, there exists as well a rich complementarity that allows us to read the texts of the Hebrew Scriptures together and to help one another to mine the riches of God’s Word.”
It will be interesting to see what comes of the constructive collaboration of thought between Pope Francis and Cardinal-elect Fernández as the Church moves forward in synod, dialogue and interreligious accompaniment.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is diocesan director of Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Atco.
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