The Holy Father Francis

Regardless of his infrequent doctrinal errors and his liberal stances on inviting people of non-European cultures to Europe, the Jesuit Pope Francis did quite a few great things this year 2018 as well as in 2017. His most popular charisma lies in preaching Jesus to the poor and the outcast, his emphasis on reconciliation with other Christian bodies, and his open-minded dialogue with non-Christians which, however, does not deter him from condemning the use of force by any power over minority Christians.

Most impressive is how Pope Francis described God as a "father" to atheists too who died. This took place in mid April 2018 in response to an Italian child who was sad because his dad, who was an atheist, passed away and requested the Holy Father to give him a response - See the conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U4NqZjn4ZQ

In March, 2018 Pope Francis declared the addition of a memorial of "Mary Mother of the Church" to be celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost in the universal Church (see http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/03/03/pope-francis-adds-new-marian-celebration-to-church-calendar/. The title "Mary Mother of the Church" was pronounced by Pope Blessed Paul VI in 1965 at the end of the Second Vatican Council.

Three heroes of the Second Vatican Council, its reforms, and its implementation come to mind. Francis canonized the "Good" Pope John XXIII who convoked the Council, and the "Great" Pope John Paul II who implemented vigorously its constitutions and declarations. Francis beatified Pope Paul VI and in October he will canonize the same Pope "Giovanni Battista Montini."

When Montini was made a cardinal by John XXIII, the "Good" Pope told him "You know that if you were cardinal in 1958, I would not be Pope today" referring to his predecessor the great reformer Pope Pius XII who had chosen to keep Montini in his successful career as a diplomat and under-secretary of the Vatican without conferring on him the "red beretta."
But Montini as Pope Paul VI was very much a great scholar who continued the Second Vatican Council with the fathers of the reform Council, the first in 400 years, till the end and was the first pilgrim Pope to many countries in different continents. In a prophetic fiat, he also issued his encyclical "Humanae Vitae" in 1968 maintaining the validity of procreation along with love between married couples; a sign of continuity and development, yet commitment to Catholic Tradition. Over a hundred years ago John Henri Newman converted to Catholicism because he found the development of doctrine in the fathers of the Church and wrote his famous statement "On the Development of Christian Doctrine". In his waning years, an aged Paul VI minced to the philosopher Jean Guitton the disquieting passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke "When the Son of Man returns, will he still find faith upon the earth?" With John Paul the Great, the Church recovered from the liberal extremes and continued to uphold the fruits of Vatican II. Three experts who participated in Vatican II were made cardinals by John Paul II: The Jesuit Henri de Lubac; the Dominican Yves Congar, and the German Joseph Ratzinger who became his Prefect of the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" and became Pope Benedict XVI after John Paul's long pontificate in which John Paul II masterfully shared his increasing sufferings with the millions in crowds that met him everywhere he went in 5 continents.

In the vein of seeking full unity of Christians, we need to go back to the reform by the Second Vatican Council with its declarations about separated brethren in the Christian faith: see http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/index.htm
Following the Council many meeting were held between heads of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches and between heads of the Catholic Church and heads of the Oriental Ancient Orthodox Churches. In 2016 Pope Francis held a meeting with Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow - See: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/12/pope-francis-russian-orthodox-patriarch-kirill-make-history-cuba-first-meeting-in-1000-years
In 1999, the Catholic Church reached an agreement of a common declaration with the Lutheran Federation on the doctrine of  justification - See here: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
In  2017, the Catholic Church together with heads of Protestant communions marked the 500-years anniversary of the Reformation - See this interview: https://cruxnow.com/interviews/2017/09/27/500-years-ago-wasnt-protestants-catholics-embracing-luther/
In 2017 too Pope Francis visited Egypt and held many meetings with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II and other Orthodox leaders: See http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/april/documents/papa-francesco_20170428_egitto-tawadros-ii.html

Above all, let us Christians remember that Christ is the "Axis of History" - See http://todayquestions.blogspot.ca/2018/01/the-axis-of-history.html

Let us act in His Spirit for the world to see His light!