Is Pope Francis trying to change the culture of the Church ? Chris Lowney, author of “Pope Francis: Why He Leads the Way He Leads” thinks so ! Tim Williams CM reflects on a recent article in National Catholic Reporter by Chris Lowney titled “Francis challenges us to take dusty paths to new frontiers”.

Fr. Williams is the Director of the Daughters of Charity in Australia. He concludes his reflection …

“Some may not agree with all that Maureen Fiedler writes. Some may even argue that “tampering with” the traditional vows is indeed a frontier too far ! But she does  give an example of how thinking and attitudes may need to alter.

In the history of the Church, there have been many who have felt compelled to tamper with current ideas and tackle new frontiers. Louise de Marillac and Vincent  de Paul are certainly people who broke away from the common perceptions of the  time in order to go to those new frontiers. They did not wait for Church leaders and civil leaders to take responsibility for attending to needs. So rather than throwing all responsibility on our own Vincentian Family leaders, we have to ask ourselves what  each of us is doing to move forward as Pope Francis asks. Dare we even think  about the culture changes needed ? Or is this a frontier too far ?”

http://vincentians.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Paths-to-New-Frontiers.pdf