The media does what the media does. We need to acknowledge this and then develop strategies

The Bishops' Priorities, 

the Media's "Agenda",

and the "Francis Effect"

Bishop Christopher J. Coyne, the newly elected Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Communications, discusses the recent General Assembly, the Pope, media spin, and mission vs. maintenance

Bishop Christopher J. Coyne is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and is the newly elected Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Communications. He received his doctorate from the Pontifical Institute of Liturgy at St. Anselmo in Rome, and is a former Professor of Sacred Liturgy and Preaching at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA. Bishop Coyne is a former director of the Office for Worship for the Archdiocese of Boston and was also the media spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary for Communications of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Bishop Coyne recently corresponded with CWR's editor, Carl E. Olson, about the recent USCCB General Assembly, held last week in Baltimore, and shared his thoughts about that meeting, specific challenges facing the U.S. bishops, and the “Francis effect”.

CWR: As you noted in a post you wrote during the recent USCCB General Assemblyin Baltimore, there have been competing, even contradictory, media accounts of that meeting and its agenda. How would you, as an actual participant in that meeting, describe the proceedings? What were the main points of discussion, concern, and focus?
Bishop Coyne: The general meetings of the USCCB are driven by a list of priorities established by the bishops for four-year planning and action purposes. Our work in session is intended to assist each Ordinary in his Archdiocese or Diocese in fulfilling his mission as its chief Shepherd. A lot of what we do in the general meetings is routine and often unglamorous: we receive reports from the various regular or ad hoc committees on the present state of the work of the Conference as regards the present “priorities.”

So, for example, two of the priorities of the Conference at the present time are the defense of religious liberty and the traditional understanding of marriage. As such, we had a report both in public session and executive session from each ad hoc committee which deal with these issues. As someone who has been attending these meetings for the last four years, at times they are very informative and helpful, at other times they can be tedious and routine. Its the nature of assembles like ours.

CWR: You’ve noted that the top points of discussion were established even before the election of Francis. Yet many seem intent on reading the so-called “Francis effect” into everything. First, how would you describe the “Francis effect”? And how do you think it actually affected, shaped, or challenged how the U.S. bishops are approaching this meeting and their efforts in the coming year?

Bishop Coyne: Well the “Francis effect” plays itself out in a number of ways. First, is the increased positive attention that the Catholic Church is encountering now internationally. Pope Francis in his words and actions has captured the attention of Catholics, other Christians, non-Christians, agnostics, even humanists precisely because he has changed the conversation about who we are as Catholics. He has intentionally, I think, chosen to speak about what and whom we are “for” rather than what we are “not for” or even against.

This is not to say that Saint John Paul or Pope Benedict did not do this as well. On the contrary, if you read their writings or listen to their preaching, they too were men who spoke of the joy of the Gospel, of the gift of salvation, of our care “for" the poor, the unborn, the marginalized, the immigrant. Pope Francis is not saying anything different from his predecessors in terms of the content of the Faith. What he is doing differently is the manner in which that content is being expressed. He is a master of the small gesture that seems to capture people’s attention and their hearts.

Second the “Francis effect” plays itself out in a kind of nebulous free-for-all of interpretation. Because he is a man who has shown great spontaneity in actions and words, his gestures and actions are open to different levels of interpretation. To use an analogy form Christ’s life: Jesus often spoke to the crowds in parables, parables that many did not understand and us such were understood in different ways by different people—the Pharisees, the scribes, the curious, even his disciples. They would ask, “What does this mean?” Some would say this, some would say that. Later on, Jesus’ disciples could catch a moment aside with him and say, “Teacher, what does this story mean?” and he would explain, “The sower is the Son of man and the seed is the Word of God …”

A lot of what Pope Francis does is like that. He speaks from his heart. At times, his words are open to various interpretations that he could easily clarify. For example, if one could have gotten Pope Francis aside and asked him to clarify what he meant by, “Who am I to judge?” he would have clarified what he meant by his words. Now, whether it would have made any difference in how it was played out in the end is another story. But he was not changing the rules or the Church’s teaching. Some would argue that as Pope he should be more careful precisely to avoid these confusions or misinterpretations. The Pope’s opinion is not just one among many: he is the Pope.

For me, I think Pope Francis is first and foremost a pastor with a pastor’s heart. He wants to encourage, invite, challenge, and walk with his flock so that they may come to know the fullness of the Catholic Faith and live it. If it is messy at times, so be it. That’s the life of a good pastor. He “knows the smell of his flock” because it is often his smell as well.

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