Practising Catholic and Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Wills argues this in his latest book, titled: "The Future of the Church with Pope Francis".

"Since one begins from a certitude that the Church was always what it has become, one simply has to extrapolate backward from what we have," Mr Wills wrote.

The Church has survived because it has been able to change, whatever the ahistorical mind-set of its leadership, he continued.

He detailed changes in the Church's attitude toward Latin, government authority, Judaism, natural law and the sacrament of penance.

Mr Wills believes that Pope Francis, too, understands that history runs from past to present, not the other way.

The author has high hopes for this Pope because Francis himself has changed.

An autocratic Jesuit superior has turned into wildly popular Pope who stresses mercy over judgment.

"Pope Francis, like Chesterton, does not see the Church as changeless, as permanent, as predictable, but as a thing of surprises," Mr Wills wrote.

"And he has, in his pontificate so far, surprised many by things he has said or done."

Francis may not change Church teaching himself, Mr Wills believes, but he can set in motion a chain of events that lead to change.

The historian cited Vatican II's vindication of the ideas of silenced American theologian Fr John Courtney Murray as an example of positive change by the Church.

Vatican II likewise overcame the Church's deplorable history of anti-Semitism with Nostra Aetate, Mr Wills wrote.

A renewed attitude to authority, Mr Wills hopes, will be based on the Word Incarnate, Christ living in the body of the Church, vivified by both Scripture and tradition.

In previous books, Mr Wills challenged the historicity of Church teaching on priests, sacraments and transubstantiation.

His latest book also charges that natural law has failed to produce a credible set of principles to guide modern sexual morality.

Sources

• Philly.com
• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In an interview with Macleans.ca, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills said Francis hasn't asserted his power and to do so would be a "weakening" thing for him.

"Instead, he's yielding power constantly," Mr Wills said.

"He's trying to share power, which is really a way to keep it and a way to make change happen."

The historian cited the case of last year's extraordinary synod on the family, which, he said, Francis handled brilliantly.

"The marriage and family synod last fall seemed like a setback to a lot of people, but I think he handled it very well.

"Other synods didn't publish their results, their procedures or anything, and popes could just totally ignore what they said.

"Francis undercut the whole thing by saying, ‘Publish'."

Mr Wills said this sort of openness is reason for hope.

"That's not letting the Curia play its game of secrecy and backhanded action," he said.

"Secrecy was always a terrible aspect of the Church."

Mr Wills sees hope for the Church because he sees this Pope favouring change coming from the "bottom up", from the people.

"He's very similar to John XXIII, who called together the bishops at Vatican II, but issued no marching orders," Mr Wills said.

"He intervened only to prevent some bishops from being frozen out."

Mr Wills, who is Catholic himself, has just written a book called "The future of the Church under Pope Francis".

The book is aimed at Catholics who hold that the Church is immutable.

"It helps, in holding such a position," Mr Wills wrote, "not to know much history."

He cites a former Church ban on usury and attacks on democratic government, which were never formally renounced.

But the Church simply stopped talking about them after it saw the People of God had moved on.

Mr Wills sees the same process underway for contraception and confession.

Other recent books of his include "Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit" and "Why Priests? A Failed Tradition".

Sources

• MacLeans.ca
• Crisis Magazine
• Image: Crisis Magazine