YOUR PASTOR’S TWO CENTS Habemus Papam: FRANCIS March 20, 2013

On Wednesday, March 13, a parishioner called me in the morning and told me that white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney… I could not believe it that the cardinals chose a Pope so fast. I had to run to turn the television on and, sure enough, those powerful words “Habemus Papam” – We have a Pope – echoed from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now , was revealed to the world as the successor to the Chair of St. Peter.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 17, 1936 and was ordained as a Jesuit priest on December 13, 1969. On May 20, 1992 he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and was ordained a bishop on June 27, 1992. On June 3, 1997, he was appointed coadjutor bishop and on February 28 of the following year he became the bishop of Buenos Aires. On February 21, 2001, he was elevated to cardinal and appointed cardinal-priest of the church of San Robert Bellarmine. He is the first Pope of the Americas and the first Jesuit Pope.

Oh Mass-Media…! If you followed the media before and after election you would not believe what they would present as “news.”

Before election many media outlets were stating how divided the cardinals were… Oh, really!? If the cardinals were so divided, how come they elected the Pope only after five ballots?

After election, there were articles such as “New Pope Elected: Snooki, Mario Lopez, and Other Stars React to Pope Francis…” Who cares what Snooki or other “stars” say about the new Pontiff? Do they really know him personally!? Newsmax, shamelessly, had even a poll: behind the image of Pope Francis they asked, “Do you approve?” Reuters had a very strange article connecting even the death of Hugo Chavez with the election of the new Pope. They quoted the acting president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro: "We know that our commander ascended to the heights and is face-to-face with Christ. Something influenced the choice of a South American pope, someone new arrived at Christ's side and said to him: 'Well, it seems to us South America’s time has come.'" Can you believe this!?

Even John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter wrote that since most cardinals were appointed by John Paul II or Benedict XVI, the “church almost certainly won’t reverse its bans on abortion, gay marriage or women priests.” And this guy is a Catholic reporter!!?? Did anyone expect the Pope to change the moral teachings of the Church?!? It is simply unbelievable!

To say it nicely, the media in general is negative and not-supportive of the . In fact, most of the media trashes the Church left and right. When there is a church related scandal they wait until the weekend (greater circulation) to publish the article.

We should be reminded by Jesus who said: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. (John 15:18-20)

In church matters, my suggestion to all of you, my dear parishioners, is to take the information directly from the source such as the Vatican website (www.vatican.va - there is an English version) or other Catholic sources such as Zenit – The World Seen from Rome: www.zenit.org.

Pope Francis’ Mission Pope Francis himself said he picked up his name not because of St. Francis Xavior (a co- founder of the Jesuits) but after St. Francis of Assisi because of his love for the poor.

Most of you know that I started my religious studies as a Conventual Franciscan. In fact, I was ordained at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park as a Franciscan. There is a beautiful story of St. Francis of Assisi. Before he started the Franciscan Order, he used to pray in lonely and abandoned churches. One day he was praying in an abandoned and dilapidated church of San Damiano, near Assisi. There were no liturgical furniture, no windows except a wooden, painted cross… As he was praying Francis heard a voice coming from the cross: “Francis, go and repair my church!”

He heard it three times and he truly believed that God wanted him to fix this abandoned church. Soon enough he managed to purchase bricks and materials and he literally repaired the church. However, one day he heard that voice again: “Francis, go and repair my church!” Then he realized that God intended him to spiritually not physically repair the Church.

There is no question that our Pope has a lot of “Church repairing” to do. But he cannot do it by himself. All other bishops, we as priests and all God’s people have some “repairing” to do as well. I have all the confidence that his style and simplicity, his concerns for the people and the poor will repair the church spiritually.

I Desire Mercy Not Sacrifice… Mt. 9:13 It was so humbling to see our Pope asking the people to bless him before he gave his apostolic blessing to the world. He is a man of the people and it simply shows. What I like about the new Pope is his humility and his down-to-earth approach to everything.

After his election he did not sit on the papal throne. He remained standing as his cardinal brothers came to greet him and offer obedience. He did not wore the red mozzetta nor a stole; his pectoral cross was the same simple cross which he has worn as a bishop. He did not wear any special shoes but the same black shoes he had before. When he took the name of Francis he did not even want to be called Francis I. He did not want to be the “first” but simply Pope Francis. After the election he paid his own hotel bill and returned on the same minibus with all cardinals.

It is also interesting that our Pope chose to keep his motto when he became a bishop. The motto is “Miserando atque eligendo” meaning “Having had mercy, he called him.” This phrase is taken from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable regarding the calling of St. Matthew by Jesus. Seeing such humility from our Pontiff is powerful and moving. It shows us that pomp may have its role but humbleness has more merits. Pope Francis chose the simplest ring out of several models offered him. It is fashioned in gold- plated silver and it was once a gift to Pope Paul VI - who presided over the second half of Vatican II Council.

Recently he chose a papal shield: it is very simple almost modern, depicting IHS the Jesuit monogram of Jesus Christ at the center of a fiery sun, a star (representing Mary, the “morning Star”), and a nard (Middle Eastern aromatic plant) which stands for St. Joseph.

As a Jesuit he did not hesitate to take the name of a Franciscan. St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most known saints in the world. Non-Catholics and even non-believers may have a little statue of St. Francis in their gardens. Giving his personality and serenity soon we may find out that our Pope will be accepted not into the people’s gardens but into the hearts of believers and non-believers alike.

Approachability vs. safety I personally like the openness of the Holy Father and how he travels with simple car, greeting and shaking hands with parishioners after the Mass – like a simple parish priest. He is the Pope of the people and it is encouraging to see such a personal Pope. This is good for the people who love and care for the Pope. But the world, unfortunately, is also filled with people whose hearts are set on violence and death… We should remember that the previous had their own brush with evil.

In 2008 Pope Benedict was assaulted by a man who jumped on the Pope’s car. Just three years ago, in 2010, he was again assaulted and pulled to the ground by a lady with mental problems. The Pope was fine but one of the cardinals broke his hip.

On May 13, 1981, Mehmet Ali Agca (a Turkish gunman) shot John Paul II as he entered Peter’s Square. He hit the Pope in the abdomen and perforated his colon and small intestine multiple times. John Paul II had many other assassination attempts and plots and not all of them were made public. In 1982, in Fatima, Portugal, a man tried to stab him with a bayonet. In 1995, during the World Youth Day in Phillipines, a suicide bomber dressed like a priest was planning to get close to the Pope and detonate the bomb. Thank God this plan did not work and everyone involved were arrested.

While the Pope should keep his heart open to everyone, he should follow the protocol of his Swiss Guards safety and procedures. There is plenty of evil people out-there and we need our Pope for many years. We do not need a Pope-martyr but an active Pope who will continue to lead others to life-giving waters of faith and love. We need to pray for his safety and security.

Pontifex – Bridge between us and God In conclusion, probably few of you know that Pontiff comes from a Latin word “pontifex” meaning “high priest.” At its root, this word has “pont;” pons/pontis in Latin means “bridge.” May Pope Francis be a bridge between the Church and the world. May he be a bridge between Christians and non-Christians. May he be the welcoming bridge between all the religions of the world. May he be a bridge between us and Christ Jesus. The Lord “saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose” Francis. May the Lord continue to bless him. Together with Pope Francis, let’s go now and repair God’s Church! There is a lot of work to do!

In 2001 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio showed As Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, compassion on AIDS patients by washing and kissing refused his chauffeured limousine, their feet. choosing to ride the bus or subway to work. Notice the reaction of the woman in the brown shirt.