As might be expected, the commentaries and analysis concerning Pope Francis himself and his pontificate have been being churned out fast and furious in recent days, almost before the wax seal on his coffin has had a chance to dry.
I used to think that experts were rare, but in our contemporary age, it seems that anyone with an iphone on a social media platform can be an expert about anyone and anything!
It’s also human nature to try and draw everything around to your own point of view. For some, Pope Francis is the most and the best of everything you could ever want in a Pope; for others, he is the worst imaginable. People pick and choose what suits themselves, distorting the full and complex picture of the person and Pope that Francis was, and even denying he said this or that particular thing because it doesn’t fit with their particular caricature of him.
On an occasion like this, I have no intention of referring to, never mind dwelling on, the ecclesiastical politics or ideological manipulation of Pope Francis. The old adage in Latin still holds good, though, even for a Pope: “de mortuis, nihil nisi bonum”, which we can paraphrase as “speak no ill of the dead.”
Let me, then, offer you a few personal reflections on the gift of Christ which Pope Francis has been to the Church and to the world, and on the gifts that came through him.
The first thing which comes spontaneously is to say that Pope Francis was quite simply a friend of Jesus. As a Jesuit, he was formally known as a companion of Jesus, but there’s no doubt that he went well beyond that formality and entered into the depths of Jesus’ friendship. And because he was so close to Jesus, Pope Francis brought Jesus closer to anyone who would receive him. From his “Buona sera” on the balcony of St. Peter’s after his election, to his “Buona Pasqua a tutti” on the same balcony the day before he died, he transmitted the message that Jesus is close, is at hand, is with you and wants to be with you. It reflects in some ways the easy greeting of Jesus to the apostles huddled together in fear in the upper room after Easter: “Peace be with you.” It provides an opening which says: it’s ok to come close, to be together. Once we have established that, then we can see how to move forward, how to deal with things, how to work out what’s what, what needs changed, what can remain. The grace of the conversion of hearts to Christ can work so much more effectively when the initial encounter has this warmth and easy closeness, devoid of judgment and filled with reassurance, even if there is work to be done.
Pope Francis was also very close to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She was his great Mother and Protector, and he was Her ever devoted and loving son. He never separated Her from either Jesus or Saint Joseph, with whom he also had a deep relationship. Pope Francis did not hesitate to make himself a member of the Holy Family, with great simplicity and profound love. His visits to Saint Mary Major, to the icon of the Salus Populi Romani, Our Lady as the health or salvation of the People of Rome, were in the dozens, before and after each journey abroad and on numerous other occasions. I remember that when he visited Mexico, he asked to spend 20 or 30 minutes alone with the miraculous image of Mary imprinted on the cloak of Saint Juan Diego. He said that he wanted to look into his Mother’s eyes in that image and contemplate them in silence and solitude. His decision to be buried in Saint Mary Major’s also speaks volumes about the One he wants to be with him and near him when the day of resurrection comes.
The second thing which drew me and so many to Pope Francis was something he spoke about at the Angelus on the first Sunday after his election, which was smack in the middle of Lent 2013. He spoke of the mercy of Christ. If I recall correctly, his words were something like: God never tires of showing us mercy; it is we who tire of asking for it. His own motto was “miserando atque eligendo”, “having mercy and choosing [him]”, a phrase coined by Bede the Venerable in describing the attitude of Jesus towards the tax collector Matthew when he called him to discipleship. Pope Francis felt that these words applied to him, too, when at the age of 17 he went to confession in his local church on the feast of St. Matthew. That was a moment which changed him and set him on the path to priesthood. With the extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy in 2016, the Pope sought to open hearts to receive the tidal wave of divine mercy in the Church and in the world, appointing missionaries of mercy and, as he always did, showing practical ways of being merciful himself towards the sinner, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned and other marginalised groups. For Francis, mercy was never cheap. It was never about saying that sin didn’t matter or didn’t count. Rather, it was always related to the pierced heart of the Crucified Lord, to remind us that Christ’s blood is the price of all true mercy, not our tears. Like his closeness to people, Francis’ emphasis on mercy and compassion permeated his entire pontificate.
The third thing which I will most remember about Pope Francis was his joy. It is true that he had an infectious smile, but the smile on his face had its roots deep in the joy of his experience of the love of Jesus. Notwithstanding the tremendous weight of his office and of the constant problems and affliction he had to face, his joy was always evident. He demonstrated an inner freedom from self-concern and from the negativity of others. His first major document was entitled “The Joy of the Gospel”, and several other important texts he wrote also had the word joy in the title. Faith in the Risen Christ brings a joy that this world cannot take from you. Returning again to the upper room after Easter, the response of the Apostles once Jesus greeted them with peace was that they were filled with joy. It is the joy of salvation the joy which comes to us when we realise that, even though we have sinned against Him, Jesus still wants to come and be with us to forgive us and to re-establish us in His love.
A fourth quality of Pope Francis which impressed me greatly was his fearlessness, or put more positively, his boldness or fortitude or courage. He could not be intimidated or discouraged. The presence of the Holy Spirit of fortitude in many of his initiatives, especially in his pastoral visits, was not only admirable but also inspiring. Francis would not be cowed or bowed because, as the psalm says, the Lord was his strength, his refuge, his rock, his fortress and his mighty help.
A fifth and final thing I want to mention today was the prayerfulness of Pope Francis. I’m not referring only to the considerable time which he gave to personal prayer as well as liturgical prayer: it was the way in which the grace of prayer undergirded his ministry. He always praised theologians who did theology on their knees. Well, Pope Francis did the papacy on his knees. You see it especially in his writings about spiritual matters. And here I will say that I have never read anything like, or meditated so much on and drawn such spiritual benefit from, a papal encyclical as his last encyclical entitled, “Dilext nos”, meaning, “He loved us”, on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on our own hearts. Many people have a hand in helping a Pope write his encyclicals, but the underlying thrust of this one, and many of its most moving parts, were undoubtedly from Francis’ hand. It revealed where he felt most at home, the atmosphere which most gave him life and inspiration: the heart of Jesus. In some senses, perhaps we could say that Pope Francis bared his own heart in this beautiful document.
And that’s probably as good as any a place to conclude. So much more can and will be said by people far more learned and insightful and critically aware than I. And all of us here today will have our own perceptions and memories of Pope Francis. Well, let that be so. But from where I stand, the closeness to Jesus and Mary, the mercifulness, the joy, the fortitude and the prayerfulness of this man whom Jesus gave us as our Pope was rooted in Jesus’ own heart. That is where he now rests in peace. And from that Heart’s deepest recesses may there come for him, and for all of us, one fine day, the summons to rise in glory. Thank you, Lord, for Pope Francis! Thank you, Pope Francis! Remember us, pray for us, now and always! And let me end with the words with which you first greeted the world on the evening yo were elected Pope: Buona sera unto eternity!