Remembering A Great Pope

By Vincent Doyle, Founder of Coping International

It was another child of a priest, Aidan Wilson, who informed me of the death of His Holiness. At first, shock and then, realisation that what was expected had happened. It was the end of an era, the end of a milestone, a theological milestone and a pastoral move of mercy toward the most marginalised people, whom society does not even know exist, the invisible people, the hidden children, the children of the ordained and religious.

It was June 4th 2014, the 19th anniversary of the death of my beloved father, Rev. JJ Doyle (RIP) when Pope Francis and I met for the first and only time. He moved toward me and I was introduced, “sì, sì … I know.”  I looked upon him with eagerness, the letters I handed him included a letter from the UNCRC pleading for mercy and kindness toward children of priests/religious. He read almost the entire letter in my presence, the letter I penned myself, the UN letter was beneath my letter from Coping, then, as only a priest could, he held it to his heart and said, “ … I will read.” He blessed me and moved on, and that was it, in under a minute, the moment that had been planned for months ended.
My interpreter and I went for coffee and gelato nearby and reflected on what might (if anything) happen after this tremendous moment. However, I was barely back on Irish soil when the Irish Bishops met, and Coping and a theological and pastoral outreach received the blessing of the Irish Catholic Church. Soon after, multiple Episcopal bodies and Religious Orders would equally back Coping, an initiative with its seed firmly at the feet of Peter’s successor.
Doors began to open in Rome, the Congregation for Clergy, and the Congregation for Religious, among others. I began to meet with these dicasteries and Congregations and tease out the theological and sociological implications of hiding children and allowing said children to experience openness, an openness encouraged by, not despite, the church.
All of this openness, these open doors, listening ears, documents, letters, conversations and interviews with media came to a crescendo when the Pontifical Commission for the Safeguarding of Minors [PCPM] agreed to undergo a worldwide study of the topic, this was agreed and the mechanics of how this would be achieved had begun before the death of His Holiness, Pope Francis.

In his weekly audience, on January 28 2015, Pope Francis commented,

“The absent father figure in the life of little ones and young people causes gaps and wounds that may even be very serious. And, in effect, delinquency among children and adolescents can be largely attributed to this lack [.]”

He spoke often of fatherhood, and I was informed that when the PCPM spoke to Francis collectively to update him on their work, when the working group on children of priests spoke on the issue, he listened with attentiveness and sincere interest. He was the catalyst behind 11 years of focus on the subject by the PCPM, the first Pope in history to treat the wound that children of the ordained and religious experience with openness and pragmatism.
Francis built upon the initial work completed by Benedict XVI, who in 2009 commissioned internal guidelines to guide the pastoral responses on behalf of the catholic church worldwide when responding to issues surrounding clerical parentage. Whilst the guidelines mark a monumental step in the right direction, more needs to be done. The attentiveness of the various dicasteries and congregations, including the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, ensured and cemented that need; it was a realisation and an acknowledgement that “yes”, more needs to be done. That work began under Francis.
However, perhaps the greatest move under his papacy came in October 2024 when it was confirmed that the PCPM was examining “vulnerability” from multiple perspectives, including children of priests. The Commission confirmed the following…

“[The PCPM] has started to outline the necessary theological, spiritual and anthropological context in which vulnerability may arise, and to a deeper understanding of vulnerability as a concept and the myriad considerations that apply to it in the life of the Church.”*

The academic approach, infused with the pastoral, reflects the apostolic tradition, from Benedict to Francis, from a future doctor of the church, whose work was passed onto another true Shepherd of the flock, who translated that which was written into concrete actions, words and deeds.
Through a brief conclusion and on a personal note, I will miss Pope Francis because in him I saw not only a priest but a man who understood the importance of the human touch; like Christ before him, he was unafraid to step off the boat into turbulent waters, and I am sure had many nights in Gethsemane that only the Heavenly Father knows of. Rest in peace, Your Holiness, and thank you for all that you have done for us, your priest’s children, and I, for one, will never forget you nor your kindness and will do as you instructed many times ... I will pray for you.
Amen.

* {Letter to Coping from PCPM, 16.10.2024. https://www.copinginternational.com/vaticanpcpm/}