The Face of Mercy / Daniel Conway

Follow pope’s example, live the Gospel by words and actions

Pope Francis is full of surprises. We experienced this firsthand when Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin was elevated to the College of Cardinals in a move that even he found “shocking.”

The pope from Argentina has a different way of doing things than his predecessors. That doesn’t make him better or worse than recent popes, but it does align him somewhat with St. John XXIII who surprised the whole world when he called for the Second Vatican Council, and famously “opened the Church’s windows” to the modern world.

St. John XXIII was a traditionalist at heart who had great love and respect for the Church’s fundamental teaching and practice. But he was also a man of the people who recognized that change in how those teachings are expressed was needed—for the sake of the Gospel, and in the best interests of the Church’s evangelizing mission.

The popes who followed John XXIII have affirmed the need for radical change, a new evangelization, but the way each pope has gone about affecting this change has been different. I would argue that these differences have been in style, not substance.

Blessed Pope Paul VI could not bring himself to reject the Church’s traditional teaching on human life and sexuality. St. John Paul II was an ardent defender of liberty who stood firm against the oppressive, totalitarian systems he grew up in. Benedict XVI argued passionately against the danger of relativism in politics and in Church governance. Pope Francis stands with the poor and against all efforts to marginalize individuals and peoples. He also exercises his ministry in a more open and personal way—sending handwritten notes, making late night phone calls and making unscheduled visits to hospitals, prisons and refugee camps.

All of these papal stances represent aspects of Church teaching that are critical to Christian discipleship in our contemporary world. All reflect the words and example of our Lord Jesus Christ who alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. All are authentic to the human beings who occupy the Chair of St. Peter at given moments in human history.

At least in retrospect, the popes who preceded Pope Francis were more predictable. They were not as prone to gestures or surprise moves as our current Holy Father is.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, when he was the cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires, surprised people by riding the bus, cooking his own meals and doing his own laundry. That’s what first attracted Marie Tobin, the mother of our former archbishop, to the cardinal from Argentina. She was surprised, but very pleased, to learn that he is a simple man not given to putting on airs. Years later, Mrs. Tobin was once again surprised—and very pleased—that the Holy Father had recognized the same qualities in her son, now Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin!

What are we to make of the surprises of Pope Francis? What are they intended to teach us? How can we learn from them—and apply them to our daily lives?

A recent issue of Rome Reports, a newsletter that follows the daily activities of the pope, offered a summary of the teaching of Pope Francis using his own words:

Teaching #1: “God does not want the condemnation of anyone, nobody. I once heard a very nice saying: ‘There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.’ How beautiful is this!”

Teaching #2: “What does it mean to ignore the suffering of man? It means to ignore God. If I do not approach that man, that woman, that child, that old man, that old woman who suffers, I do not get close to God.”

Teaching #3: “The Christian does not exclude anyone; he offers a place for everyone; he has room for everyone. Allow them to come to you.”

I believe that the gestures, symbols and surprises of Pope Francis are all intended to underscore this teaching: God is close to us, but to touch him, we must walk with all our sisters and brothers—especially those who are on the margins of society. All are loved. No sin cannot be forgiven by God. All have a place in the one family of God.

Let’s follow the example of Pope Francis. Let’s commit ourselves to living and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our words and our actions. Above all, let’s be willing to move beyond our own comfort zones to touch others, to encounter Christ!
 

(Daniel Conway is a member of The Criterion’s editorial committee.) †