HE IS sometimes portrayed as a “liberaliser” or as the “woke Pope”, willing to overturn centuries of tradition if necessary, to make sure
the Church is fully aligned to the spirit of the age. This is a misreading of Pope Francis, as three things that took place last week illustrate. In reality, the Pope retains the instincts of an old-school Jesuit superior. When he sees threats to unity or potential abuses, he is ready to be firm. And he has never been afraid to row against the cultural tide.

First, Francis ruled that bishops now need written permission from the Holy See before establishing “public associations of the faithful”, groups wanting to set up a new religious congregation in their dioceses. It may seem obscure, but it is a significant reform. The Holy See has long been concerned about the proliferation of “institutes of consecrated life or societies of apostolic life”. In an alarming number of cases, the founders of new orders – including the Legionaries of Christ (Mexico), the Community of St John (France) and the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae (Peru) – have later been found to have sexually and spiritually abused their members.