Cardinal Bergoglio’s Diagnosis Becomes Pope Francis’s FRAG Order

Joe Six-Pack, USMC here with a little vocabulary lesson, and a heads up on the mission at hand.

FRAG Order is a phrase that rolls off a Marines’ tongue as easily as a civilian saying “how’s the weather?” I have vast swaths of officer-types at Quantico doing the heavy lifting for me so I can easily explain to you what a FRAG order is, and why I think the Pope is issuing one. First, a definition.

Fragmentary or Frag Order.

A fragmentary or “frag” order is “an abbreviated form of an operation order, usually issued on a day-to-day basis, that eliminates the need for restating information contained in a basic operations order. It may be issued in sections.” Frag orders are often necessary due to enemy countermoves. Expect frag orders in most operations. Remember “no plan survives contact with the enemy.” Frag orders typically contain the mission (paragraph II) and execution (paragraph III). They also contain any other parts of the order that have changed since you issued the original order. Frag orders are an important technique to keep orders short. In general, Frag orders contain changes to the previously given orders; consequently, the information communicated does not repeat information that remains the same.

Now, I admit I have no idea what “intervention” means in the sense it is used in the link that follows, but it sounds like something a doctor or nurse would say in a field hospital. Sticking with medical terms, Vatican Radio notes that Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, the archbishop of Havana, shared what amounts to a diagnosis made by then Cardinal Bergoglio when addressing his brethren in pre-conclave meetings.

Here are the thoughts attributed to Pope Francis.






I think you’ll understand why I call them a FRAG order now, and not just a diagnosis. And it’s a FRAG Order, because the Original Order still stands,


As Vatican expert John Thavis notes, Pope Francis, Our Lord’s Prime Minister, is already executing the plan, in case you hadn’t noticed.

Operational tempo hasn’t always been the Church’s strong point in the past. But as I noted a few weeks back, Pope Francis understands how the New Evangelization requires us to sallie forth bringing the Good News to all.

The days of preparation behind fortress walls are over.


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