What Is Pope Francis?
 | Author:
Fr. Cody Williams, Holy Cross Church
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Fr. Cody Williams
Holy Cross Church
Regardless of how the world pictured Pope Francis, he is a pastor and desired to be a pastor. Two points mark the pontificate of Pope Francis. In 2016, he began a Jubilee Year of Mercy, calling on the world to emphasize the gift of God’s mercy. He writes, “Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.” Second, this year he inaugurated the Year of Hope. He writes, “Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross.” These two events show his pastoral heart: to bring people to the heart of Jesus, to make the Church a field hospital for the sick, suffering, and lost, to bring the mercy of God to all, and to reach out to the world and embrace it with the love of a father.
Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina as the son of Italian immigrants and named Jorge Mario Bergoglio. After finishing his training as a chemist, he started his path to the priesthood. At first he joined the diocesan seminary but then changed course and joined the Jesuit Order. The Jesuits are known for their emphasis on teaching and ministering to the poor. His upbringing gave him a special love for the poor and immigrants. After finishing his doctorate, he was sent to teach at the local college in Buenos Aires. He was named archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, taking the motto: miserando atque eligendo. Roughly translated, it means “by having mercy and by being called.” This line is derived from the call of Matthew: “by seeing him and having mercy, he called him.”
On March 13, 2013, he was elected as Bishop of Rome, the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. He took the name Francis after a saint he greatly admired for his simplicity, love of poverty, and care for the poor: St. Francis of Assisi. As Pope, he showed his love for the poor, the abandoned, and the lost through many of his actions. On Holy Thursday when we celebrate the washing of feet in reenactment of Jesus’ action, Pope Francis went to prisons and washed the feet of the inmates. He continued to show his love for all people by working for peace in the world, visiting the sick, orphanages and prisons, and meeting with people from all walks of life.
Pope Francis wrote several letters to the world on issues central to the needs of our times and to faith. His letters paint the picture of a man of faith whose desire is the salvation of all. In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On Brotherly Love) he stresses the need to understand the common humanity of all people if we are going to have true peace in the world. His final letter, Delixit Nos (He desired us), he speaks about God’s desire for all people. Seeing our day-to-day struggles, consumerism, and a quest for pleasure, he laments the loss of love for the heart of Jesus: “The deepest part of us, created for love, will fulfil God’s plan only if we learn to love. And the heart is the symbol of that love.”
Even in his final moments, Pope Francis reminded the world of the truths he preached. He continued to write to people, lead the church, and show the hope that God has given us while recovering in his hospital bed. He celebrated Easter even though his illness had taken a serious toll. Now, in our year of hope, he shows us the end goal of hope: eternal life.
