Issue 38 - The Pilgrim - May 2015 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

Feature
The world’s first parish priest
Mark Nash, a formation adviser at the Centre for Catholic
Formation, analyses Pope Francis’s first two years in office.
The Pilgrim May 2015
The election of Jorge Mario
Bergoglio two years ago, as supreme
pontiff, broke the long line of
European popes. As was widely
reported at the time he was the
first non-European pope for over
1250 years (since Syrian-born Pope
Gregory III in 741), the first from
the Americas, the first Jesuit to hold
the Petrine office and, memorably,
the first to take the name Francis.
What’s in a name?
It was noted at the time of the
Pope’s election, and his adoption of
the name Francis, that no one had
dared to take the name of the
famous saint from Assisi: famous for
his foundation of the religious order
that bares his name, his simple and
humble life, his “rebuilding of the
Church”.
The story goes that, during the
election, Cardinal Claudio Hummes,
when the votes reached two thirds
and there was the usual applause,
gave the newly elected Holy Father
a hug and said: “Don’t forget the
poor!”
Care for and defence of the poor
and marginalised, as well as victims
of injustice has been a principal
theme of Pope Francis’ writings,
homilies and practical action as
Bishop of Rome, a title he identifies
with more than that of supreme
pontiff. The Franciscan motto of
poverty, simplicity and humility in
many ways forms the pattern and
the watermark for this pontificate
but did not start with his election.
While Archbishop of Buenos Aires,
Jorge Mario Bergoglio's gained a
reputation for personal simplicity
choosing to live in a simple
apartment rather than the
archbishop's palace, who gave up his
chauffeured limousine in favour of
the bus, and who cooked his own
meals.
This has served as the model for
his time as pope, living at the Casa
Santa Marta, a hostel for clerics
visiting the Vatican, eschewing the
apostolic place, using ordinary cars
around his diocese as well as on
papal visits. One of his first acts was
to celebrate Mass at the Church of
St Anne (the parish church for
Vatican employees) and greet them
all on the way out, as any parish
priest would do.
Concern for the poor and
marginalised
Fundamental to our understanding
of the Pope is his concern for the
sick and the poor. This concern was
a key part of the Aparecida
Document which the then Cardinal
Bergoglio co-authored after a
meeting of Latin American bishops
in 2007.
This central theme was picked up
in his apostolic exhortation,
Evangelii Gaudium (the Joy of the
Gospel) that has attracted so much
attention and generated such
enthusiasm in the Catholic world
and beyond:
Concern for the environment
It is anticipated that, later this
year, the Holy Father will publish an
encyclical on ecology and the
environment. In this the Holy Father
is following in the footsteps of his
predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict
XVI who ensured that the Paul VI
Hall in the Vatican received
photovoltaic solar panels, spoke out
against climate change and advised
Italian students in 2011 to act as
“guardians of nature.”
The fact that the majority of the
world’s Catholics live in countries
most likely to be affected by
climate change make it a clear
priority for Pope Francis. Indeed,
the theme of climate change and its
disproportionately detrimental
effect on the world’s poor is likely
to feature prominently in his speech
to the United Nations this
September.
Pastoral visits
While we look ahead to the
proposed visit of the Holy Father to
the United States (as well as his
planned trips to France, Poland and
Indonesia among others), it is
instructive to look at those he has
already undertaken since his
election. Pope Francis’ first pastoral
visit outside of his diocese of Rome
was to the tiny island of Lampedusa.
The significance of this visit
cannot be understated; the island –
halfway between Italy and Tunisia –
is a gateway to Europe for Africans
fleeing poverty and conflict.
Hundreds of migrants have died
attempting the crossing, the Holy
Father’s address called for a
reawakening of consciences to the
“global indifference” of their plight.
The Holy Father’s trips to
countries outside of Italy have
likewise provided opportunities to
highlight themes prominent in this
pontificate. The first was the trip to
Brazil to celebrate World Youth Day
in Brazil (July 2013) where, at vigil
on the Copacabana Beach he called
on the 3.5 million pilgrims gathered
to live not as “part-time Christians”
but to lead full and meaningful lives.
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ISSUE 20: APRIL - JUNE, 2015 FEATURES
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