As I make my way to Spencer, MA for a retreat, in the middle of the night I was awakened with the news on my I Phone that Pope Francis died. Given the precarious health and medical issues he has had to deal with the past several months, his passing away is not a huge surprise. Francis has had to endure so many procedures and surgeries related to his respiratory vulnerabilities. Having difficulty trying to breath freely must be a horrible experience, one he accepted with humility.
I was in St. Peter’s Square when he was elected to the papacy on March 13, 2013, a moment I will never forget. His first act was to wash the feet of a variety of people, men and women, from various religious faiths during his first Holy Thursday. Francis departed from many religious protocols, in this and other ways, forever changing the face of the ministry of the Pope, the successor to St. Peter.
His papacy has been marked with opening wide the doors of the church to the compassionate mercy of Christ. He did this through his openness to the LGBTQ community, welcoming those struggling with divorce and remarriage and bringing the migrant and immigrant into the heart of the church. Pope Francis ruffled many feathers as he addressed economic injustices caused by affluent countries, climate change and the destructive forces threatening ecological health and vitality in God’s Creation and his desire to bring more lay people, particularly women, into the power structures of the church.
Pope Francis will we remembered as a Pope who brought the church to the margins of the world, an imitation of Christ who spent most of his energy being a voice for the poor and marginalized, inside and outside the church. He was a sharp critic of priests who use their ministry to “lord it over the people,” making their position in parish and ecclesial responsibilities one of arrogant abuse of power. This is Clericalism at it worst and it is very much alive and well in the life of the church. It must be rooted out.
The sexual abuse of the clergy was a major reality that plagued his papacy and it continues to be a destructive force throughout the church. It’s my opinion more could have been done to make bishops more transparent in their approach to rooting out this horrendous abuse of our young and vulnerable. We are fortunate that our bishops have taken a powerful lead in securing the safety of our young, as they have been vigilant in their desire make all our parishes and ministries places that respect and love our most vulnerable.
Many issues remain, which is only to be expected: a more pastoral approach in conveying the church’s teachings on human sexuality, how women can welcomed into the authority structures of the church, particularly in ministry and not just administrative roles, listening to the voices of the laity, reforming the church’s financial structures, and taking a hard look at how priests are formed in the seminary and their continued formation after ordination, something the Generation to Generation campaign is clearly addressing.
The laity deserve to be served by those who want to “wash feet” in countless ways….bending down in humble spirit to become a voice for the voiceless. We priests and bishops are called to lay down our lives for our people, a constant anthem of Pope Francis. He died as he lived, surrendering his hopes and dreams to Christ. It’s time for another to take the mantle of the papacy and give it his own unique vision, a responsibility that is almost impossible to carry out.
The Pope is the Successor to St. Peter, a ministry and role mandated by Christ to maintain unity in the church. He is the “pontiff” which means “bridge-builder.” Let us pray for the repose of the soul of Francis, that he be welcome by Christ with open arms, the Christ he so loved and imitated to the best of his ability.
Let us pray for our Church, here in Chicago and throughout the world, that this time of transition will be filled with peace, hope and vision. We will be in mourning for a period of time and then the time of the Conclave will be announced. This will be an actual conclave, devoid of Hollywood superficialities, in the Spirit with its desire to choose a faithful Successor who will bring the church forward, while being firmly rooted in our apostolic teaching and tradition.
Pope Francis: well done, good and faithful servant.