Pope Francis wants a “poor Church for the poor” and he is the first to shed the papacy’s rich trimmings to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics through a clear, moral path. Ariadne Massa reports.
Pope Francis wore simple black shoes for his first Mass as pontiff, casting aside his predecessor’s penchant for red loafers and dramatically shifting the tone of the papacy in his first 24 hours.
He is great in his simplicity, great in his humility
By choosing the name Francis, after St Francis of Assisi, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires yesterday told the media he wanted “a poor Church for the poor”; and he is the first to lead by example along the path to humility.
Gone are the ermine-trimmed mozzetta Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI so favoured, so too the gold pectoral cross and the Mercedes with the papal number plate SCV1. Instead, on his first day as head of the Roman Catholic Church, the 76-year-old Pope travelled in his standard-issue, black saloon.
Pope Francis also surprised everyone around him when he turned up at the hotel where he had been staying during the conclave to collect his luggage and settle the bill; concerned about setting a good example to priests and bishops.
“These are all small gestures we’ve noticed in the first 48 hours but they are very telling,” Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna said, reflecting on the Pope’s indications of his preference for austerity.
“It’s so refreshing. I would call him a pleasant surprise and we’re discovering what a great man he is – great in his simplicity, great in his humility. These two aspects of his character make him a very likeable person.”
Mgr Scicluna described Pope Francis as a very determined and courageous individual; virtues any Pope would need.
His first major task, he felt, was being Pope and being true to himself, something that had clearly manifested itself in the first few days since the plume of white smoke curled from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday.
News of his election came as a thunderbolt. His name was not among the favourites, even though it later emerged he had been Pope Benedict’s runner-up in 2005 – but as soon as the applause in St Peter’s Square died down, his past started being dug up.
Critics of Cardinal Bergoglio allege he failed to protect priests who challenged the dictatorship earlier in his career, during the 1976-1983 ‘dirty war’, and that he said too little about the complicity of the Church during military rule.
The Pope has denied these allegations and Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi told reporters on Friday that the accusations “must be clearly and firmly denied”.
Asked if he felt this baggage would tarnish his papacy, Mgr Scicluna said the Holy See’s vociferous denial, coupled with what a surviving priest has said were a sure sign that Cardinal Bergoglio was never an accomplice.
“This is another story of being wise after the fact. We all have to realise that when the Church faces a hostile government it’s a lose-lose situation,” Mgr Scicluna said.
“I think the world should give Cardinal Bergoglio a chance... I don’t know whether this has anything to do with the antagonism between Great Britain and Argentina over the Falklands. I would be very interested to see who is behind the smear campaign.”
However, Martin Scicluna, founder of the Today Public Policy Institute, feels Pope Francis comes with baggage and these things tend to stick.
Having said that, Mr Scicluna was touched by the man’s “wonderful example of humility”, even though he felt that at 76 and with just one lung the Pope would probably not last much longer than his predecessor.
“The real issue I think is how he will deal with the incredibly difficult in-tray he finds before him. Not just the sex abuse scandals but the Vatican bank and most of all, the Curia, which is clearly riven by competition, lack of unity, and infighting,” he said.
In this respect bringing in an outsider who had nothing to do with what was going on in the Curia was a great step forward, but Mr Scicluna feared that by being a “theological conservative” Pope Francis did not have what it took to draw in the thousands of lost sheep in Europe.
Gozo Bishop Mario Grech is undeterred by Pope Francis’s past – “he is a human being after all” – and believes his choice is providential for the Church.
“He fits in with the great need for society to receive the good news. The name he chose is a programme. I imagine he will give an injection of the Franciscan spirituality to the Church and for me that’s the road to evangelisation,” he said.
Mgr Grech feels that if Pope Francis helps the Church get its priorities right, this would be a good first step, followed by an enthusiasm to communicate hope and combat pessimism.
“What touched me is that by his simple gestures he’s showing actions speak louder than words.”
The Pope’s modesty is also what struck a chord with Emeritus President Eddie Fenech Adami, who has met five Popes throughout his life.
“I don’t know much about Pope Francis but from what I’ve seen and read since his election, he struck me as a very humble person who comes across as one who can communicate well,” he said.
“Knowing his background, I think he will prove to be an exemplary Pope, he’ll be closer to the people,” he added.
Dr Fenech Adami believes Pope Francis, “a man of humility”, will change the papacy positively by being closer to the poor and the downtrodden.
In an audience with journalists Pope Francis yesterday said that when his name reached two-thirds of the vote in the conclave, a fellow cardinal embraced him and said: “Don’t forget the poor”.
That’s when he thought of Francis of Assisi, the man of poverty and peace, and that was how the name came to him.
These exemplary traits of humility and poverty are what amazed Sr Doreen Cuschieri, provincial of the Sisters of St Dorothy’s congregation in Malta and England.
“I’m also very enthusiastic because he’s a Jesuit. Dorotheans have the same spirit and I know the Jesuits are very serious men; I like their spirituality,” she said.
Sr Doreen felt the most difficult task the Pope faced was addressing the issue of paedophile priests. She would also welcome the introduction of women priests, but admitted this would not happen in her lifetime as “it’ll be too much of a change I guess”.
Touching on the Pope’s break with traditional symbolism – the choice of black shoes and his decision to greet the cardinals standing instead of on his throne – Sr Doreen said: “I don’t think we expect such things from a Pope, who is usually put on a throne to come down to the people. This is what people want nowadays. I see him as bishop for us not a bishop for the Vatican.”
It remains to be seen whether the new precedent-setting Pope – the first Francis, Latin American and Jesuit – will also be the first pontiff in recent history to regularly wear black shoes. If he does, it may be a sign that the Catholic Church is in for some interesting changes.
Mgr Scicluna said: “I’m very hopeful and eager to see what decisions he will be taking. I think we’re in for some extraordinary surprises.”