A pope called Francis
Monday, April 15, 2013
Nelson Araque
During this first month of Francis’ papacy it is clear, as well as it was for his predecessors, Benedict XVI and the Blessed John Paul II, that the theme of care for creation/care for the poor is a priority of his papal agenda. This is confirmed by this quote from Pope Francis’ address to the representatives of the media on March 16, 2013, when the first Latin American pope explained the reason why the bishop of Rome wished to be called “Francis”:
“Some people wanted to know why the Bishop of Rome wished to be called Francis. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis De Sales, and also Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend! When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me. And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected. And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: ‘Don't forget the poor!’ And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of all the wars, as the votes were still being counted, till the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we? He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man … How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor!”
The thought of St. Francis of Assisi, “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation” in the mind of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio gives us a sense of who a pope called Francis will be.
Pope Francis has expressed in different ways his concern for God’s creation and for the poor. In the Mass for the inauguration of his pontificate, he told us what it means to be protectors of all creation and caretakers of the more vulnerable in society, following the example of his namesake:
“It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about … (God has) invited us to be protectors of God’s creation and to take care of each and every other person … In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!”
Pope Francis has continued to express his concern for God’s creation and the poor when he called upon “our valued allies in the commitment to defending human dignity, in building a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in safeguarding and caring for creation.” He described these allies as those who do not identify themselves as followers of any religious tradition but who are seekers of “truth, goodness, and beauty.”
Then, when speaking to the diplomatic corps attached to the Holy See, Pope Francis, referring to the environment, said “all too often, instead of using it for the good, we exploit it greedily, to one another’s detriment.” Later, during the celebration of Palm Sunday, Pope Francis asked us all to look around to see societal evil – “wars, violence, economic conflict and greed.” All these are the result of our “love of power, corruption, divisions.” All of these are also “crimes against human life and against creation!” he said.
Finally, in his Urbi et Orbi message, Pope Francis asked us to “become agents of mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.” Then he prayed for those more vulnerable to natural disasters and again called on all of us to fulfill our role as committed human beings: “May the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.”
Our pope’s selection of Francis as his name for bishop of Rome and his concomitant concern for God’s creation and the poor encourages me to continue living the St. Francis Pledge: praying, learning, assessing, acting and advocating on behalf of God’s creation and the poor, mostly when the Earth Day celebration is coming and when “Safeguarding Creation” is expected to be a major theme at World Youth Day in Rio.
Pledge now! Go to http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/
Earth Day is celebrated April 22 this year.
Comments from readers