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Some moderates worry about the impact of the conservative lobbying. Says one Italian theologian: "Even if the Pope does not intend it, certain actions encourage conservatives who have been waiting 20 years to roll back the effects of the council. This creates a climate of anxiety and distrust." Vatican observers say that in his own mind, John Paul is totally a man of Vatican II. Yet he does insist upon holding to the letter of what the council said, despite liberals who contend that the "spirit" of the council inspires openness to further changes not specifically endorsed by it. Confusion over this point is precisely the reason the Pope called next fall's special synod.
In the face of criticism that the Pope is turning back the clock to precouncil days, one of his closest advisers declares that this is a misinterpretation of papal aims. John Paul, says this observer, looks to the future, viewing his mandate in terms of three core concepts. They are integrality, identity and clarity: the integrality of the Christian message; the identity of the priests and nuns who present it; and, above all, clarity that will let everyone know exactly what the church stands for.
Integrality is a concept that explains what to some is a paradox in John Paul's vision of the church's mission. One common interpretation categorizes the Pope as liberal on social issues but conservative on doctrine. Says a close Vatican adviser: "Such talk is totally incomprehensible to Pope John Paul. To him, Christian doctrine is one unified whole, a package deal that doesn't break down into social and theological, this-worldly and otherworldly. There is a social message in the Eucharist, just as there is a doctrinal basis for social action. In fact, he sees the Eucharist as the primary social action, a moment when all people are unified with each other and with Christ, when division and class struggle are impossible."
The second of John Paul's concepts, identity, explains his concern about restoring firmer discipline among priests and sisters, and distinguishing their role from that of the laity. One of his first decisions as Pope was to tighten up on official approval of requests to leave the priesthood, a process known as laicization. He quickly followed with a worldwide letter to priests stating that celibacy is a lifelong commitment. Turning to priests in religious orders, the Pope reproved the leader of the Jesuits, the largest and most influential of male orders, because its members were too frequently challenging church policy. He later installed his own temporary administration at Jesuit headquarters. Though the order is on its own again, it is not yet clear how much new Superior General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach will bend the society to the papal will. John Paul's strictures do not seem to have discouraged vocations: six years ago the worldwide total of candidates for the priesthood was 61,000; in 1982 it had risen to 73,000.