Francis: a papal surprise

A few days ago, just on the second day of the conclave and in the fifth vote, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elected the 266th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and the 265th Successor. of San Pedro, and has taken the name of Francisco. He is the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit pontiff and the first non-European pope in many centuries.

This new pop brought many surprises. For one thing, he did not expect the cardinals to pick a new pontiff so quickly, given that they seemed to lack a clear direction following the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and the fact that no cardinal stood out as the clear favorite. enter this conclave. But apparently the cardinal electors had already begun to form a consensus around a particular candidate when they entered the conclave, a candidate about whom they did not speak openly to the media. That was a discreet move on his part, and a brilliant way of dealing with the modern world’s media machinery that does its best to influence the election of the next pope. They allowed journalists to zero in on their favorite candidates and indulge in their favorite speculations, then pulled the rug out from under them with the swift election of a “dark horse.” It is blatantly obvious that the cardinal electors did not allow the world’s media to influence their decision. That is encouraging, and the Cardinal Electors deserve our high respect and warm congratulations for doing their duty so well under difficult circumstances. In electing a Pope, it is his solemn responsibility to follow his conscience and cast his vote for the man whom he considers best qualified to lead the Church at this particular time. And they have taken that responsibility seriously, thank God.

On the other hand, he did not expect that this particular cardinal would be chosen for the papacy. I included him in my list of thirty-two papabili because, according to my research, he qualified as a serious papal candidate; however, I put him a little lower on the list (at #20) because I felt he was a bit of a risk taker, mainly due to his age and relative obscurity. I also felt that a Latin American pope was less likely than an Italian or other European. But age, nationality and familiarity with the general public are only secondary considerations for the cardinal electors when choosing a new pope.

Also, I did not expect a Jesuit Pope, but I am still delighted to see one. I have great respect for the Jesuits because of their high education and faithful service to the Church throughout the centuries, as well as in our day. They were founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola to be simple but highly trained and loyal servants of the Pope, and were prohibited from accepting ecclesiastical honors such as bishop, cardinal, or pope. So it is ironic to have a Jesuit who has accepted these three honors. But of course it is up to the Pope to appoint bishops and to appoint cardinals, and he can bestow these honors on whomever he thinks should be bestowed. And it’s up to the cardinals to pick a pope and pick the man they think he’s best suited for that job. Saint Ignatius perceived that the danger of accepting honors is that they can make men proud and arrogant. But despite the great knowledge of him, Jorge Bergoglio is obviously a humble man and has remained so, which is why he was given these honors, and why it was appropriate that they be given to him. He accepted them in humble obedience to the authority of the Church, not out of pride or to advance his ecclesiastical career. His education as a Jesuit will undoubtedly be a valuable contribution to the papacy and the Church.

And finally, he did not expect the new pope to take a name that no previous pontiff has used. I thought he would be called Pope John Paul III or Benedict XVII or Paul VII or John XXIV or Pius XIII or something like that. But no, he thing Francis. What a beautiful and appropriate name, perhaps in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the poor and humble man, and Saint Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary, or perhaps in honor of Saint Francis de Sales, the “gentleman” of the 16th century. Holy.”

This man was not familiar to me; He had never really seen him before his appearance in the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, so he wasn’t sure what to expect. When he first stepped onto the balcony, he initially seemed a little distant and reserved, perhaps even a little nervous and fearful, as he stood there almost motionless, facing the massive crowd of cheering people in St. Peter’s Square, acknowledging his applause. with solemnity. an occasional slight movement of one hand. He seemed as stunned as we were by the cardinals’ choice of a pope. Frankly, I felt a little sorry for him. Like Cardinal Ratzinger before him, he did not want to be elected Pope and probably did not even expect it. As he stood before us, dressed simply in the white papal robes with his pectoral cross, he seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and in a very real sense he did, because the modern papacy is a tremendous responsibility. . His rigid and dignified posture reminded me of the pre-Vatican II pontiffs.

Then, when His Holiness began speaking into the microphone, smiling as he greeted people warmly in Italian, my fears melted away and I was instantly convinced of the new Pope. His words of greeting lasted at least a minute, longer than those of the two previous pontiffs. In a thoughtful and respectful gesture, he first turned our attention to his great predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and led us to pray an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be for him. He impressed me how he then bowed down to everyone and asked us, the faithful, to pray for God to bless him before giving us the first blessing of him as our new Pastor in Christ. This done, he added a few words of farewell, saying that he hoped to see the people on Sunday and wishing them a good night.

This is clearly a man of deep humility, simplicity and deep faith, a man of sober and balanced temperament who also knows how to communicate with an audience through carefully chosen words and meaningful gestures, a man who, I believe, will primarily evangelize the world. through his own mighty example of his holiness.

Now that I am getting to know Pope Francis a little better, and who he was as Cardinal Bergoglio, I realize that my first impressions of this aloof and fearful man were inaccurate. This is not a bold and outgoing character like Pope John Paul II or a shy and gentle scholar like Pope Benedict XVI. This is a completely different type of man: noble and dignified, reserved and correct, with a calm presence, but nevertheless a man of deep joy, kind and cheerful, who is able to connect with people. He has his own personality and style, and when he stepped onto the world stage as our new Pope, he was more or less just being himself.

I gather one thing in particular about this man’s unique personality and style from the weather we spent waiting for him to emerge after the white smoke and official announcement of his election, and the time he took on the balcony to greet and guide us. in prayer, and how he tarried a moment before leaving. This is a man who is in no hurry. He takes his time and is comfortable doing it. And I think that sends a very significant message to our modern, fast-paced, highly secularized, materialistic world of the 21st century, in which we are pressured to rush to get so many different things, that there is something far more important. than everything else so it’s not worth rushing. It is when we slow down and let go and listen that God can speak to us in the stillness of our hearts. We must have the courage to isolate ourselves from the world from time to time to deepen our relationship with God and allow him to direct our lives towards our heavenly goal.

As I continue to look at the papacy, I realize that each pope is unique and has something special to teach us. Pope John Paul II taught us to be bold and courageous in proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Pope Benedict XVI taught us the importance of being properly formed in our faith and of keeping the liturgy and the Second Vatican Council within the proper context of the rich tradition of the Church. And I believe that Pope Francis will teach us how to slow down and listen to the Holy Spirit, as well as how to serve the Lord and others with simplicity, humility and charity. It will take a while to get used to his style, but we will get used to it just as we got used to the style of Pope Benedict XVI before him. I am sure that he will do a good job succeeding the two great pontiffs of our time, and he will continue to lead the Church in the direction that Popes John Paul and Benedict have taken.

We are truly blessed to have Pope Francis as our new Holy Father. May God bless you and help you, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and all the Angels and Saints, to faithfully fulfill the task that has been entrusted to you in the years to come.