Op-ed:
"Habemus Papam" ("We have a Pope") By: Diane Sori
Today, the Holy Roman Catholic Church and Vatican City were aglow in
pageantry...beautiful crimson robes...the Swiss Guard...trumpets and
prayers...and the majestic bells of St. Peter's Basilica...all
heralding the rise of the white smoke from a chimney of the Sistine
Chapel signaling that a new Pope had been elected.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the
Jesuit archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was named spiritual
leader of the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics. The new 76 year old
Pope, the first from the Americas, comes from a part of the world
with 483 million Catholics...about 40% of the church's faithful.
Choosing the name Francis, Bergoglio honors 12th century Saint
Frances, a man know for his simple lifestyle and dedication to
'works of mercy' and shows that Bergoglio wants to unite the church
(Franciscans have been traditional rivals of Jesuits over the
centuries).
But this man came out of nowhere for he
was NOT the favorite going in or even in the group of front runners.
Coming in second in 2005 before he bowed out of the running,
Bergoglio was chosen following the resignation of Benedict XVI (the
first pontiff to resign in 600 years), because he appealed to
conservatives in the College of Cardinals, as he held strong against
liberalizing trends within the Jesuit order while standing firmly for
core doctrine like those before him, and because he appealed to
moderates as a continuing symbol of the church's commitment to
helping the poor in the developing nations of the world.
And it seems Bergoglio is a pastoral person, a man aware of what life
is about. Extremely down to earth and humble, Bergoglio was also
chosen because he relates so well to the people...regular folks NO
different than you or I. This man rides the bus, cooks his own
meals, regularly visited the slums that surround Argentina's capital,
and is known for being a man who leads a simple life without the
trappings of excess, a man who lives in a small apartment outside
Buenos Aires proper, a man who refused to use a platform to elevate
himself above the cardinals standing with him as he was introduced to
the world, a man who instead of blessing the crowd first, showed
humility as he bowed his his head and asked the crowd to pray for
him. "Let us say this prayer, your prayer for me, in silence,"
he told the crowd.
Announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words "Habemus Papam" ("We have a Pope") the new Holy Father, the 266th Pope and the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, appeared on the Vatican balcony dressed in traditional white papal vestments, and blessed the crowd in St. Peter's Square, estimated to be more than 100,000 people. "Let's pray always for each other. Let's pray for the whole world. May there be a great brotherhood," Pope Francis said in Italian as he even spoke of the lasting brotherhood between Catholics and Jews.
His words were Evangelical like in
their simple message...yet powerful in their humility of prayer, the
new Pope Frances nevertheless has a tough job ahead of him as the
church's recent very public crises show that times have changed and
that secrets can no longer be hidden from public view. Pope Francis
must restore the trust that has been missing for millions of lapsed
Catholics and he must re-energize the base of the faithful. Will
this new Pope reform the Catholic Church or will he keep the status
quo...will he embrace differences or will he adhere to the rigid
orthodoxy of the past...only time will tell as he faces a church
yearning for reform yet the institution itself still seems tied to
the past.
But for today the Vatican put on her
finest as the world...Catholic and non-Catholic alike...watched, for
today the majesty...the pageantry...the grandeur of it all honored NOT
only the new Holy Father but also honored the faithful for today the
man who would lead them was chosen, and if nothing else he deserves our
prayers and well wishes for his job will be hard and his path strewn
with obstacles. But with faith and God's guidance maybe this most humble
of men will bring the church into the 21st century while maintaining
all that is good about its past.
I wish you well Pope Francis and may God bless you on this exciting journey.
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