The succession to the 267th pope is hotly debated. Pope Francis has set some completely new directions. Much criticism, but also much praise. The pope has been said to have broken new ground. But the bottom line is that the recently deceased pontiff certainly represented the most fundamental teachings and the goals of the Church of Rome. An insightful conversation between a Jesuit magazine and Australian Archbishop Costelloe.
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Archbishop Costelloe Praises Francis
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025. As usual, many voices were heard praising the Pope in the highest terms, while others had less complimentary words. Especially those who were not comfortable with Francis and his sometimes very unusually new “theological views.” An obvious expert and church representative particularly sympathetic to the former Pope is Archbishop Timothy Costelloe. He is President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Australia and was also personally nominated by Francis to represent Australia at the “Synod on Synodality” in Rome in 2023/24.
In an interview with the magazine “America – The Jesuit Review”, Costelloe expressed his impressions of the work of the recently deceased Pontiff (Source). According to the archbishop, he remembers above all that Pope Francis conveyed God’s mercy and grace to humanity. By focusing on this aspect of the Gospel, the Pontiff deeply touched people’s hearts.
Who should be his successor?
When asked who would be suitable to succeed the 267th pope, Costelloe replied that it was less important which continent the new pontiff came from, but rather that he utilized the “enormous potential” of the papacy in his “unique and special way” to create unity in this world. Pope Francis had been very successful in this “unifying force.” An important signal for the “universality of the Church” had to be sent.
Francis has set an example of how this can be achieved. Jesus turned the world upside down, the archbishop said. The Church, too, must be faithful to the Lord, “to the reality of who we are as a Church.” The Pope has the key role as leader and in uniting these things. Nowhere is the leader better expressed than when he kneels and washes the feet of others. That is the kind of leader that is needed.
In principle an honest archbishop
Costelloe didn’t beat around the bush. He expressed precisely what the Church and its (higher) representatives truly stand for. One only needs to read a little more closely to properly understand the Australian Archbishop’s statement. It is the Church’s fidelity to the Lord, but also “to the reality of who we are as a Church.” In other words, considering the Gospel in the light of Church Tradition. The Church’s tradition is superior to the Bible, according to a general statement of the Church of Rome.
Just consider the context
Francis was known for regularly washing other people’s feet. Be they representatives of Islam or inmates of a prison. Who had already practiced this? It was Jesus Christ who washed the feet of His disciples. Supposedly a sign of humility set by the Pope. But far from it! Who washed Jesus Christ’s feet? No one! Therein lies the crux of the matter. Jesus Christ Himself explained the reason for His action:
John 13:12-17:
“So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.“
The Pope – “Earthly Jesus”
The “Lord and Master” washed the feet of his servants. Is the Pope our “Lord and Master”?
Jesus set us an example. Is the Pope our great example?
In John 13:8, Jesus Christ explains to Peter another reason for washing feet:
“Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.“
It’s obvious. The Pope’s foot washing is not an expression of his humble humility, but rather the exact opposite: the usual haughtiness and arrogance of this Church. With such actions, the Pontiff presents himself as “our example-giving Lord and Master,” expressing to his servants that they will, and should, have fellowship with him. An act that fits perfectly with the traditional image of the papacy. (Info).
Just a change of strategy
Nothing, absolutely nothing, has changed over the centuries. Neither doctrine nor goals have changed. The (“infallible”) pronouncements of the councils, e.g., Nicaea, Laodicea, Trent, and Vatican II, remain unchanged to this day. Following a long tradition, dogmatic pronouncements were added even very late, including the “Immaculate Mary” (Pope Pius IX, 1854) and the “Assumption of Mary” (Pope Pius XII, 1954).
The papacy’s strategy for regaining monopoly power through the merger of church and state, modeled on the Middle Ages, no longer lies in cutting and stabbing, threats, oppression, open persecution, and “extermination from the earth” (as Thomas Aquinas put it), but in ensnaring seduction (Info). Precisely the “mercy” that Francis used to claim.
A unification of humanity. Yes, indeed, the central goal of the Church of Rome. An “inclusive human family” oriented toward the “common good” with “Christian aspects” as a moral model. Only, the basis for this is not the Gospel, which is merely a model for the use of familiar names and actions, but the Hellenistic philosophy of natural law. This automatically puts one in opposition to God and His law.
The result: a rebellion against the true Creator in the mistaken belief that one is doing the right thing.
Natural Law Instead of the Gospel
Aristotle and his co. are the true guiding principles of Roman Catholic theology. If you go back a little further in history, you immediately come across ancient Egypt and its “wisdom surrounding a great world of gods” (Info). Digging even deeper, you come across truly biblical figures such as Nimrod, Ham (a son of Noah), Enoch (son of Cain), and Cain himself. “Divine” figures such as Annu, Marduk, and Tammuz have their origins there and have merely received different names over the centuries and in different cultures. Slightly modified or supplemented stories, but essentially all the same.
The compendium of Roman Catholic social teaching makes no secret of the fact that it is based on natural law and not on the Gospel.
Exactly as the Australian archbishop expressed it. To be faithful to the Lord, “to the reality of who we are as a Church.” However, the “Lord” of the papacy is quite different from what they portray to the outside world (Info). Pope Francis has indeed made a major “universal” contribution to the approach to the stated goal.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Matthew 24:4
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)
