«It is impossible to deal with a renewed relationship between human being and earth if the power relationships between the genres are not touched, if you are unable to intelligently dialogue at an interreligious level, if the ecumenical path is not treated. These are the challenges of the new Pope ». Young, prepared, scholar, Alice Bianchi is part of the Presidency Council of the Italian Theologian Coordination. In the latest books that has published explores the gender difference in the Church, and some biblical characters with particular attention to female figures He is a doctoranda in fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome and contract teacher at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Campus of Brescia.
Dr. Bianchi, was he expected?
«It was a surprise! I was in St. Peter’s Square when there was the smoke, with thousands of people, and I must say that when the new Pope appeared the sense of amazement has pervaded many of us ».
What do you think were its strengths, to the conclave?
“I think there were two more obvious criteria than the others, in this conclave: the first was geography, because in these years Francesco has shown very well that the church is plural and no longer stands on the columns of Europe. The second was the ability to insist on the urgency of peace, because the winds of war of these months have blown very strongly. There are obviously many other things to consider, but I think that Prevost has his strengths here: he is a former missionary, and yesterday he was the first Pope of history to speak a language that was not Latin or Italian from the loggia of San Pietro, a very concrete demonstration of synodality. And from his first sentences we understood that peace is close to him: he said “peace” 10 times. It is a strong sign ».
She dealt with the role of the female in the Church. Do you expect openings on the female question?
«From the bishop of Rome I always expect that you listen to the people of God, at least half of whom they are made by women, and by the successor of Francesco I expect even more an attention to what the Church elaborates. So much has been said about women in recent decades, and so much women have said, more or less listened to. Leone XIV greeted us with the phrase: “To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, all over the world we want to be a synodal church, a church that walks”; Therefore, my hope is that no voice is off ».
In his opinion, what are the most urgent issues that the new Pope will face?
“In these about 20 days of vacant location, many things happened, but the world is basically still the one with which Francesco did, and the challenges are the same: the real or threatened wars, the scandal of the abuse that makes the Church rot from the inside … There is a synodal journey not to be exhausted … the Gospel always has a lot to do, and the Church with him”.
What are the challenges that today’s political topicality will present to the Pope?
“The chronicles of these days do not discounts: India-Pakistan, Israel in Gaza, Russia-Ukraine, Sudan … ours is a world that more and more gives the violence, even in everyday life. It is useless to repeat the usual refrain on the polarization of the debate and the inability of conversation that now concerns us all and all inside the Church. But they are not challenges that propose to the Pope as a single, they are issues that invest all Christian communities all. Leone XIV collects a church that already has to do with all this, with the difficulty of managing conflicts ».
With the Motu his own “A Theologiam PromoVendam”, Francesco updates the statutes of the Pontifical Academy of Theology by calling it to “a courageous cultural revolution” to be prophetic and dialoguing, with a clear pastoral stamp. In his opinion, starting from this perspective, what developments do you see?
«Theologians and theologians must always be courageous, Pope Francis was right with his appeal. For those who do this job, the difficulty is always in grasping what is happening to the Church and telling it. Inside the academies, this certainly means continuing in the line of transdisciplinarity traced in the proemio of Veritatis Gaudium. We must know how to listen to all the fields of knowledge: we also move together in theology ».
The inputs of the pontificate of Francesco are many: ecology, synodality, interreligious dialogue … in your opinion, which of these will have to collect the new pontiff?
«Everyone, everyone, all. Synodality also means moving on multiple plans simultaneously. It is impossible to deal with a renewed relationship between human being and earth if the power relationships are not touched between genres, if you are not able to intelligently dialogue on an interreligious level, if the ecumenical path towards the unity of the churches is not treated, and on the latter point I would like to add: there is no synodal church without being ecumenical “.
In the field of moral theology, Bergoglio underlined the importance of the meeting and Mercy. What scenarios does this vision open?
“We have seen some scenarios in these years: people have so different stories that there can be no cold rule for everyone, which is worth without even consulting contexts, biographies, relationships … among other things, that it can be a rule so it is an illusion, and a large misunderstanding of morality. We keep in mind the meetings of Jesus in the Gospels, always deeply human ».
Finally, last December, At the international congress on the future of theology, organized by the Dicastery for culture and education, Bergoglio expressed the desire that theology helps to “rethink the thought” and the invitation to make it “accessible to everyone”, underlining the need for the female contribution because “a theology of men only is a half -theology”. At what point are we?
«Theology accessible to all and everyone is the one who lives in the synodal classrooms and places of everyday life. And women in theology are historically accustomed to making collective paths, recognizing dignity to those on the margins, and weave alliances. “Rethinking thought” means this. We have all the tools we need ».
