A sign of the times
As mentioned in these columns, in choosing not just a Vatican outsider but a Pope with long pastoral experience in the form of the 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the cardinals at the conclave in the Sistine Chapel, have given the 1.2 billion strong Roman Catholic church a ray of new hope. And his words and deeds on his first day as Pope have only strengthened that hope.
Bergoglio’e elevation to the papacy was a surprise to those who had shortlisted three other front-runners, though he was the runner-up in the 2005 election that saw Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger become Pope Benedict XVI. In that election, Bergoglio was the choice of moderates among the German, US and Latin American cardinals.
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In the conclave that began Tuesday and ended with a decision of 77 votes in the fifth voting within the Sistine Chapel, Bergoglio’s choice is described as a surprise by columnists who imagined the prelates would choose somebody younger. But already in the jubilation of the new Pope’s election, what stands out is the Jesuit’s choice of the papal name Francis after St Francis of Assisi, a man who eschewed wealth and chose a life of poverty. The symbolism is reflective of Pope Francis’ own choices ~ living in a simple Buenos Aires apartment, riding the tube and bus to his offices, eschewing the luxurious dwellings of high office in Argentina, slipping into the back pews of churches to pray quietly like any other Catholic, and cooking his own meals. Known for his missionary work, with experience of working in the slums of Buenos Aires, caring for the poor gives the new Pope a down to earth charisma that many would say is needed now more than ever.
For lay Christians who oftentimes have to deal with priests who put dogma above true Christian compassion and understanding in dealing with the laity, Bergoglio’s stance on social outreach, and his sharp criticism of priests that “clericalized the Church” and “condemned” many holds much hope that this stance will permeate down to parishes in the oriental church.
The selection of a Pope from the Americas is being hailed as a huge but long overdue step for the papacy, that managed to stay within Europe and the first world for centuries. But other factors also bring hope in this new election. Bergoglio’s biographers have described him as a balancing force, with the ways of a monk, his simplicity and humility expected to be huge advantages in steering the church though its current challenges. In choosing a Latin Amercan Pope, albeit with Italian origins ~ the focus, according to analysts, is expected to move to universal issues of poverty and the challenge of new evangelical sects, and away from the issues of growing secularism, materialism and the scandals that dominate in the western world.
That Bergoglio is a strong believer in Roman Catholic traditions and is conservative on issues that the Vatican would like to be was also something that commentators say influenced his fellow cardinals in the run up to the vote. Bergoglio’s experiences is rebuilding the Argentinian church after its own troubled past, his late entry into the priesthood at 32 et al are all contributory factors to his choice.
The Italian theologian Massinio Faggioli said of Bergoglio :”He seems to be a good compromise. He’s a mix of different things.” Faggioli thinks the new Pope’s more nuanced personality ~ even on traditional hardline church stances ~ and because he is not representative of any one side, or comes from within the Vatican hierarchy, or like Benedict XVI “with the glorious past as a theologian” will help his views find more acceptance even with those who disagree.
A co-author of his biography said Bergoglio was “absolutely capable of understanding the necessary renovation without any leaps into the unknown” and would thus be a balancing force. That he hails from the order of the Society of Jesus, “known for its major role in education and the intellectual prowess of its members”, cannot be less significant. But what is expected to be far more cathartic is the new Pope’s stated belief in the church’s role in facilitating faith and not just regulating it ~ a position that can only bring hope to its followers.
