The discernment process of who will become the new pope of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics doesn’t happen very often. Thanks to international broadcasting, I found it moving to dip in and out of some of the events surrounding the funeral of Pope Francis and the appointment of the new pope. Even though I would like to see the ordination of women within the Catholic tradition, I value Catholic spirituality very much. As a young person I was deeply affected by the Taize ecumenical community in France, founded during World War II, which includes professed religious from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions. It draws visits from 100,000 young people each year. More mature visitors are also welcomed.
I wonder how you feel about the selection of the new Pope Leo XIV? I think he is a promising choice. As a Catholic colleague said to me: he’s both a North American and a South American, as a citizen of Peru. We sense from his words about pursuing peace that he is a very different sort of American compared to the current government leaders. But I can’t help feeling he’s not as bold and therefore as heart-warming as the previous Pope Francis. A professor of theology at Exeter University described Pope Francis in this way: ‘he really was the incarnation of the ‘spirit’ of Vatican II [from the early 60’s] whose legacy was stifled by previous popes, [who] put the emphasis on the Church as a collection of hopeful and redeemed sinners who witness to the mercy and compassion of God and see the face of Christ in the poor, the marginalized, migrants, those with ‘irregular’ sexuality and gender, those who are of other religions and other non-Roman Catholic Christians’. Pray that Pope Leo will have the courage to continue this inspiring legacy. I for one feel he has a hard act to follow.
At the funeral for the previous pope, Cardinal Battista Re said of Pope Francis, that he ‘incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions. War, he said, results in the death of people and the destruction of homes, hospitals, and schools. War always leaves the world worse than it was before: It is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone. “Build bridges, not walls” was an exhortation he repeated many times.’ While giving thanks for the appointment of the new pope, let us seek to continue the legacy of the previous, inspiring namesake of Saint Francis.
Rev Fran
Toll Gavel United Church where faith, people and justice matter 