After a mere nine months on the
job, Time magazine has named Pope Francis its Person of the Year for 2013. The editors at Time award the annual distinction
to the individual whom they consider the most influential global newsmaker of
the year. What is it about Francis
that makes him such a sensation?
Francis became pope at a time
when all the news streaming out from the Vatican was negative. The clerical
sexual abuse scandal, Vatileaks, the Vatican’s paternalistic attitude towards women
religious in the United States, the refusal to discuss the ordination of women,
and the endless focus on sexual morality had disheartened many faithful
Catholics. While many were wondering how much longer they could remain part of
the church, others had already left.
Into this milieu, a relatively
unknown cardinal, José Bergoglio, burst onto the world stage and captured the hearts
of Catholics and non-Catholics alike with lightning speed. Choosing the name Francis, after the
saint known for the renunciation of his wealth, his embrace of poverty and his
radical commitment to the gospel, Pope Francis signaled that change was
afoot.
Initiating change
At the institutional level, Pope
Francis is initiating change. He
has set up committees to address the church’s dismal record on child sex abuse
and to restructure the Vatican Bank. On a pastoral level, he has called a synod
to discuss the issues facing families. While there is nothing unusual about a
pope calling a synod, Francis is asking ordinary Catholics for input in advance
of the synod through the circulation of a questionnaire that is available
online in most dioceses.
Spontaneity and humility
Since his election as pope, Francis
has surprised the world with his spontaneity and humility. He is a man who
eschews both the trappings and protocols of the highest clerical office in the
church. He drives around the Vatican in a 1984 Renault, a gift from a priest
who served the poor, instead of the papal Mercedes. He acknowledges the institutional sinfulness of the church,
as well as his personal failure to perfectly follow Christ and receives the
sacrament of reconciliation bi-weekly.
He reaches out to the disadvantaged and wounded, not only caressing a
man disfigured with neurofibromatosis, but also by walking among the poor at
night in order to feed them. He
meets the temporal and spiritual needs of those with whom he comes into
contact.
Authentic, not about photo-ops
This man, who is the subject of
so many photos, is not about the photo-op. This man, whom some call “Francis,
the Frugal”, and who promotes a “culture of encounter” between the church and
the world, is about following Christ. Francis brings the Gospel message of hope
into lives that are broken, and into a world where the news is generally
negative.
An extraordinary ability to make God present
In my view, Pope Francis has an
extraordinary ability to make God present to people. He reminds the world that
the message of Christmas is a message for everyday: God is with us. He shows
the church and the world that God is not an abstract theological concept
wrapped up in dogma and doctrine, nor a far off deity unconcerned with the
affairs of humans. Francis carries
the healing mission of the church into the world.
This global newsmaker is about
much more than headlines, good public relations and snappy photos. He is about
the compassionate mercy of God, and that attracts attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment