Papa del Popolo

            For the first time in a long time, it feels good to be Catholic. The troubles that have beset the Church here in the US and across the globe have been, at times, overwhelming for the average person in the pew (myself included). So, to have the opportunity to watch the presentation of our new Pope live on TV (I played hooky from my weekly Rotary meeting), was an enormous spiritual shot in the arm. Then, to learn that he is the first pope from the Americas and that he would be taking the name, Francis, symbolizing his long-standing commitment to the poor and marginalized, enabled this discouraged Catholic to hope that his papacy would move in a fresh direction; one which would rescue a Church mired in scandal, ecclesiastical intrigue and the loss of Church-going members on a massive scale.

            To highlight the importance of that last issue: the National Opinion Research Center reports that only 7% of Americans identify as “strong” Catholics. In Italy, the most “Catholic” country in the world, that number is a mere 22% and in Brazil, home to the greatest number of Catholics on the globe, only 20% attend Mass on a regular basis.

In his resignation statement, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the Church facing a world of "rapid changes" whose faith has been "shaken".  Our new Pope is faced with a bewildering array of challenges that are unique to this century. With Catholics abandoning the pews in droves, vocations to the priesthood and religious life in free fall and the very credibility of the Church itself in question, Pope Francis will shoulder burdens that would fell lesser individuals. His every move will be analyzed, critiqued and criticized. Fellow Jesuit, Commentator Thomas Reese, SJ succinctly characterized the ideal qualities of the next pope as “Jesus Christ with an MBA.”

Fortunately we appear to have a Pope who is keenly aware of the power of symbolic behavior to shape minds and change hearts - beginning with the name he has chosen - which has never been selected by any previous pope. And, because he is a Jesuit, he quickly made certain that everyone knew he was referring to Saint Francis of Assisi and not Saint Francis Xavier, one of the co-founders of his religious order. Furthermore, our new Pope, on exiting the Conclave, eschewed the papal limousine to ride in the same bus as the Cardinals who elected him. Perhaps my favorite symbolic behavior of this Pope took place on the loggia overlooking Saint Peter’s Square just after his election had been announced. Before imparting the usual blessing of a new pope on the crowd gathered in front of him, Francis asked the crowd to pray for him. He bent forward in prayer and immediately the crowd of thousands in the Square grew silent with their own prayer.

I’d like to think there was an additional explanation for the Holy Father’s selection of the name Francis; which lies in the founding story of the Saint from Assisi. While praying in La Porciúncula - a small chapel which had fallen into disrepair - he encountered Jesus in a vision, asking Francis to “rebuild my church”.  It was only later, when Francis had gathered the small group of men who formed what would become the world-wide Order of Franciscans, that the Saint realized the Lord wanted him to address the spiritual and philosophical decay of the Catholic Church, not a small chapel located beyond the gates of Assisi.

Perhaps the Lord is calling Pope Francis to “rebuild his Church.” Perhaps we have a pope who understands that actions matter more than words. Perhaps “sign and symbol” will become the hallmark of his papacy and serve to fulfill the dream of the last two popes to create a “new evangelization” which will bring Catholics together in ways that weren’t possible in the recent past. Saint Francis encouraged his friars to preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.

I think this pope gets that instruction right.