April 21 marked the first anniversary of the passing of Pope Francis. This anniversary has reminded us of the many ways in which Pope Francis blessed the Church and reminded us all of what really matters in life, which is our call to holiness. Volumes abound in regard to his many ecclesiastical writings, audiences, homilies and letters which reveal his deep spiritual insight. Pope Francis was a deeply intellectual man with a strong grasp of philosophy, theology and literature. His writings delved insightfully into the mystery of God and His nature, always revealing God’s merciful call for us to enter into a personal relationship with Him. Pope Francis was also a down-to-earth man who related well to every person’s heart. He was a true diplomat, not a politician, in the best sense of Church leadership. He appreciated a sense of humor and frequently used it in speaking with others and with the press. Pope Francis had a great devotion to our Blessed Mother and a special relationship with her.
In his special message on the anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, Pope Leo expressed: “His teaching was lived as a missionary disciple, as he liked to say. He remained a disciple of the Lord, faithful to his Baptism, and to his consecration in the episcopal ministry, to the very end. He was also a missionary, proclaiming the Gospel of mercy to ‘everyone, everyone, everyone,’ as he often said. The good that came from his witness as a caring Shepherd touched the hearts of so many people, even to the ends of the earth, thanks also to his apostolic pilgrimages and especially to that final ‘journey’ of his illness and his death.”
One of Pope Francis’ favorite references was to the “saints next-door.” This expression was used frequently during the COVID crisis when he would refer to the many people who devoted themselves to assisting others at this difficult time, both in their professional lives as doctors and nurses as well as those who were neighbors and acquaintances. He emphasized that we live with many saints next-door and often do not recognize it. Pope Francis had a great affinity for the saints and canonized many of them during his pontificate, including recent popes. He did not hesitate to refer to certain people as saints, as another one of his favorite expressions. At this time of remembering him, there is no question that we can refer to him as a saint, and there is no question that he has all of the qualifications to ultimately to be considered for formal canonization as a saint of the Church.
In a recent book by an Italian journalist who got to know Pope Francis fairly well, the journalist referred to the pope’s frequent reference to others as saints. Pope Francis explained that he would use this term to refer to people capable of commonly handling discussions, tensions and complex situations, in order to create unity. The journalist expressed that on one occasion when they were speaking about Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, created a cardinal by Pope Francis, the pope expressed, “he’s a saint.” We have experienced from the beginning of Pope Leo’s pontificate so many qualities which mark him as one who deals with discussions, tensions and complex situations, in always seeking unity, especially most recently, in praying for peace in the Middle East and within our world.
We were blessed with the pontificate of Pope Francis in so many ways as we are currently blessed with the pontificate of Pope Leo in a similar manner. Both of these men, while different in personality and style, are cut from the same fabric of holiness, expressed in concrete love for every single person made in the image and likeness of God. Pope Leo has consistently emphasized the same priorities that Pope Francis did in his pontificate, but he does so in different ways. Pope Leo frequently refers to the teaching of Pope Francis, especially in regard to the need for peace, the abuse of power, the need for listening to others in synodality and then going to the periphery to meet the person of Christ. While Pope Francis and Pope Leo have different personalities and different styles, their message is the same. While they lived in different places of residence in the Vatican and dressed in different vestments, they express that God chooses human beings to carry out missions within the Church and that we can only do that by being the person we are. Judgments on externals are so deceiving as God did not make us as robots and clones, but as individuals.
Despite the many similar qualities of Pope Francis and Pope Leo, the office of the papacy is more than the human person who holds it. While the pope is the pastor and earthly shepherd of the Universal Church, it is Christ who is the ultimate Shepherd of the Church. The pope carries out a role of service in the name of Christ by handing on His teaching and following His example. Christ is always guiding the Church, and He uses the different personalities of popes and all the members of Church as He does so. It is the role of the pope to represent Christ and to point to Christ, but not to be Christ. He is at the service of Christ, who alone is the one Shepherd.
The role of the pope as shepherd of the Church reminds us all of our role within the Church. As baptized members, we all share in building up Christ’s Body in various ways. We are all called to the same vocation of holiness. While all of our roles may be different, they are all equal as far as God is concerned. No one possesses a greater dignity than another, and each one of us is meant to bring that dignity to the holiness of the Church. We are all called ultimately to be saints, and living as a saint begins in this life. It is a function of the pope to enable each member of the Church to carry out the role proper to him or her and to become a saint.
Pope Francis knew that when he selected Cardinal Prevost as a member of the College of Cardinals he could become pope by virtue of his new state in the Church. At the time when Cardinal Prevost was elected, it was unthinkable that an American citizen would ever be elected as pope for varied reasons going back for many years within the life of the Church. However, with a wide College of Cardinals that Pope Francis chose from all around the world, they knew the new Cardinal Prevost, not as an American citizen but in the various roles he carried out, especially by being a pastor in Peru. It was their mentality which very likely enabled an American citizen to become the pope. Indeed, Pope Francis was a factor, not by picking the individual, but by picking all the individuals he chose as cardinals for the life of the Church.
“He’s a saint!” These words of Pope Francis in regard to Cardinal Prevost certainly apply to Pope Francis as to our new Holy Father. May Pope Francis, from his role in heaven now, help us all to realize what our role is within the Church, especially as Pope Leo guides us in this regard. Our role is ultimately to be a saint. This begins here and now.
