A Pope of the people

Every pastor of a Catholic parish brings his own unique set of skills and interests to the position. He will have his own perspective and priorities. The same holds true for the pastor of the global Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome. Pope Francis was a pastor who encouraged Church ministers to “take on the smell of the sheep”. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he would visit the country’s villas miserias, not in a fancy car, but by bus. He would kiss the feet of the people, earning him the nickname the “priest of the slums”. Surely this practice opened his eyes to the eyes of the poorest and most vulnerable. He didn’t change church tradition, but sometimes made it more merciful. He reminded us that being Christian means being counter-cultural. Instead of bullying, we seek understanding and offer compassion, just like our Heavenly Father. As Pope, he was too liberal for the conservatives and too conservative for the liberals. In this sense then, he was like Our Lord Jesus, who came not to subvert the religious law but to give it a heart of compassion and mercy. He spoke of “building bridges rather than walls” and he followed his words with actions. He challenged us to share God’s blessings upon those who felt left out of the church, including gay couples and couples who were not married properly within the church. In his writings, he reminded us that we are called to care for God’s creation for the sake of the poor and for future generations. And he believed sharing the Gospel meant sharing joy, the joy that the disciples felt upon receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Well done, good and faithful servant. – – – Fr. Jim