Implementing Pope Francis Vision

Implementing Pope Francis’ Vision Outreach to the Poor, Soldiers of Peace, Stewards of Creation

Presented to Visitation Parish Community Kansas City

March 26, 2014

By Bishop Richard Pates Bishop of Des Moines Chairman, Committee on International Justice & Peace United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

1 Thank you for the kind invitation to join you to share reflections on God’s great gift to our times: Pope Francis.

I would wager I have had the privilege of knowing your Pastor, Father Pat Rush, longer than any of you. Our friendship dates back to the later 1960’s when both of us were seminarians at the North American College. Those days were turbulent with seismic shifts in the Church, culture and communication. Thank God, we resisted the call to join the Hippie movement. Pat, challenged early on by a receding hairline that, despite the magnetic attraction of the hippie way of life, simply did not have the hair for it. As we are very aware, Father Pat has gone on to provide balanced, healthy and progressive leadership to the Kansas City Church and now at Visitation. His presence is a true blessing.

I have also become acquainted with Peg Ekerdt who was involved in my coming to Visitation. She is obviously dedicated, attentive to detail and concerned about the best outcome. Thank you, Peg, for the spirit you bring to this community and the light you provide for us disciples of Christ.

2 On March 13th, the Church and the world paused and in moments of reflection savored the gift of Pope Francis. Virtually unknown outside Argentina and Latin America a year ago, he has come onto the world stage and has captured hearts across the globe uplifting spirit and generating hope.

When it became clear that he was to be elected Successor of Peter by his brother cardinals, his friend, Cardinal Hummes, leaned into him and confided, “Jorge, do not forget the poor.” Touched by this advice, Cardinal Bergoglio relates that it came upon him that a papal name conveying this sentiment of attention to the poor is Francis of Assisi. Thus was born Pope Francis.

This evening I have entitled my talk:

Implementing Pope Francis’ Vision – Outreach to the Poor, Soldiers of Peace, Stewards of Creation

Outreach to the Poor

One characteristic that Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis share is they are remarkably free. With this freedom they are able to witness to truth and reality.

Francis of Assisi was born of a privileged class. His father was a successful clothing merchant and in his early years Francis willingly participated in the life of leisure and pleasure. Over time, through an ongoing progressive change, he was weaned of this lifestyle and was gradually immersed in a simple radical way of living – described as that of poverty whereby he chose to forego personal ownership.

Francis’ decision incurred the wrath of his father. Nonetheless, Francis was locked into a new way of life. The conversion of his heart had tied him to Jesus. He was absorbed with God’s vision in which he experienced and embraced mercy and love.

3 The classical evangelical dictum is attributed to him “preach always and when necessary use words.” As a result, “the whole world found refuge, the poor, the sick, and the fallen being the objects of his solicitude in a more special manner.” (Catholic Encyclopedia, St. Francis of Assisi).

Aided by a winsome, charismatic personality people of all societal strata identified with Francis and were inspired to transform their lives and join him as disciples of Jesus. This transformation was embraced over the centuries by countless generations. Communities dedicated to the spirit he generated became a permanent fixture in God’s household of the Church. Francis introduced the radical simplicity of the Gospel, self-induced poverty, and care for the poor.

The description of Francis’ funeral is very moving. Only the center of his body was covered with a simple cloth. In this expression of openness, thousands on the funeral route witnessed the saint’s commitment and total dependence on his creator. Striking was the stigmata – the five wounds embedded in his flesh revealing the total identity that he had achieved with Jesus.

Now comes Pope Francis. People everywhere are struck by his humility – an expression of interior poverty. His papal dress is simple. His living situation is normal. The public took notice that he paid his hotel bill after his papal election. He rides in an ordinary car. He is accessible by phone and mail. He speaks in a language easily understood.

That is why his commitment to the poor is so convincing. On Good Thursday he went to a jail for underage criminals and lovingly washed their feet no matter man or woman, believer or atheist. He showed God’s love in portraying Jesus’ gesture of a servant.

Early on in his papacy he went to the Isle of Lampedusa, South of Italy, where he paid tribute to the thousands of refugees who died either by neglect or lack of respect for their human dignity. In so doing, he called attention to the millions who are reluctantly on the move or are displaced because of inadequate living conditions, war or oppression.

4 Further examples of the Pope witnessing to human dignity were his visit to a favela in Rio de Janeiro and then his inviting three homeless men and one homeless dog for his birthday breakfast in Rome.

Our hearts are also moved as the Pope publicly embraces the elderly, the disfigured and those severely challenged physically. His favorite word when relating to these brothers and sisters is that of tenderness. Our hearts must express through our eyes love and acceptance for each of these individuals – if we are truly to be Christ for them. With Jesus, we must not be afraid to reach out and touch their flesh so that they can experience the warmth and connection of a fellow human.

The Pope encourages us to go to the periphery of our communities to encounter those living on the edge. This is where Jesus concentrated much of his ministry and where the recipients of his message genuinely appreciated the call to repentance and change. It is where the Body of Christ, the Church, should be.

The underlying message that Pope Francis wants most to convey is the dignity and value of each of these persons. He trumpets the call for us to come to know individuals who are poor, who are on the fringes and for us to come to know them as friends whom we address by name. This outreach overcomes the categorizing of people and opens the door to understand and sympathize with their situation.

From day one, the Holy Father professed that he wanted to see a Church that is poor and for the poor. This vision emanates from the attitude of Jesus who in the words of the letter to Philippians “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) Out of Jesus’ poverty was born the wealth by which we are immeasurably enriched.

5 And thus it is true for us, too, who are called to works of justice and charity and seek to end or alleviate material or abject poverty. We are called to a spiritual poverty in our identity as disciples of Jesus. In our leadership as witnessed by countless examples in Scripture our service will be most authentic when it is humble and even remorseful rather than prideful.

The Pope in his Apostolic Exhortation “Joy of the Gospel” raises the question: how would the Church be a more powerful witness as a Church that is poor and for the poor? He contends that this would come about by an increase in servant leadership among the wealthy and powerful of our society. Indeed, he is penetrating the corridors of “so-called” power with his message. Anecdotally, I have experienced how Pope Francis has stirred reaction. I spoke individually with three U.S. Congressmen recently and when the subject of Pope Francis was introduced each spontaneously said, “I like Pope Francis.” On another occasion, a wealthy influential businessman told me the Pope had gotten under his craw especially regarding lifestyle and what is truly meaningful and of lasting significance.

As a companion to this secular component the Pope raises the question: what difference would there be in an increase in desirable spiritual poverty in various ways we exercise leadership in the Church? And what might it mean if our ministries and our civic efforts demonstrate the leadership that highlights the bonds of kinship and moral responsibility rather than pridefullness or quickness to divide, label or blame others?

The insight that Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis have captured is the unity of person and mission. They learned such by their profound personal integration with Jesus. Jesus lives in them and his mission becomes their mission. Thus, they speak with authenticity and walk in humility. They embrace the truth that it is in pouring ourselves out in becoming poor that we facilitate the opening of the doors of true wealth to others.

Humanizing and personalizing interaction with the poor captures the vision of Jesus and provides the foundation to advocate for social justice. For our political and social systems oftentimes shut out so many from the possibility of a dignified way of life. Bolstered by a lifestyle that

6 engenders credibility, the Holy Father is intent on breaking down barriers to enable social justice to be accepted.

The Pope in his teaching, to date, has highlighted an area which urgently needs to be addressed: the right and absolute need for meaningful work. On the feast of St. Joseph, the Holy Father stressed how essential his carpentry skill was to Mary and Jesus in providing for them and establishing family security and culture. How many families suffer today from the lack of productive work? In the framework of society we need to give first priority to the provision of work. Work is integrally tied to a dignified life, both for the young adult and the family throughout its lifespan.

In his Apostolic Exhortation, the Pope confronts the reality of a system of economics which relegates people to the chains of poverty. His strong views prompted Rush Limbaugh to designate him as a Marxist. Not so, the Pope is once again insisting on the perennial social teaching of the Church that the economy exists for man. Man does not exist for the economy. In the Apostolic Exhortation; Joy of the Gospel, the Pope states: “We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.” (55)

Both Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis are not burdened by a dependence on material things. Nor are they chained to an ideology or pattern of thought that inhibits relationship with the poor, suffering or outcast. Characteristic of who they are is that they have been converted, transformed, opened to a reality that allows them to see as God sees and unleashes the greatest freedom of all – the freedom to love and the ability to witness to this love through the humble pouring out of themselves for the sake of others.

SOLDIERS OF PEACE

St. Francis of Assisi envisioned peace as the balance of nature throughout creation. In the different levels of relationships he saw the individual person as the key to tranquility, to a peaceful coexistence.

7 His prayer has motivated the hearts of all of us.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Pope Francis too is a man committed to peace. As a world leader he challenges us to peace and leave behind the impulse to hatred, vengeance and the futility of war.

On September 7, 2013, in a vigil for peace dedicated to rescind the U.S. threat of bombing in Syria, the Holy Father raised the question: “And at this point I ask myself: Is it possible to walk the path of peace? Can we get out of this spiral of sorrow and death? Can we learn once again to walk and live in the ways of peace?”

The Holy Father had heroically intervened in the widening specter of extended conflict in Syria by the threat of U.S. bombing strikes. He wrote to President Putin to enlist world leaders gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia attempting to thwart this possibility.

8 He then called for prayer and fasting by people of peace and of good will. It was centered in a Saturday evening prayer vigil in St. Peter’s Square which was replicated across the world.

Through the intervention of leading world powers, Syria agreed to dismantle its stockpile of chemical weapons and dispose of them under international supervision. Peace discussions have been undertaken in trying to resolve the Syrian crisis but they have stalemated. In the midst of this scenario Pope Francis insists that dialogue, dialogue, dialogue is the only pathway to the resolution of hardened differences resulting in armed conflict.

On September 7th at the vigil the Pope continued his plea:

“This evening, I ask the Lord that we Christians, and our brothers and sisters of other religions and every man and woman of good will cry out forcefully: violence and war are never the way to peace! Let everyone be moved to look into the depths of his or her own conscience and listen to that word which says: Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart insensitive towards others. Conquer your deadly reasoning, and open yourself to dialogue and reasoning.”

The Pope has also strongly supported the efforts to obtain peace in the Holy Land, the standoff between Israel and Palestine.

In a New Year’s address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, he said:

“. . . the resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians is a positive sign, and I express my hope that both parties will resolve, with the support of the international community, to take courageous decisions aimed at finding a just and lasting solution to a conflict which urgently needs to end.”

The Pope’s endorsement is in specific reference to the tireless efforts of Secretary of State John Kerry to broker a peace between these two peoples.

9 For as long as many of us can remember, the Middle East has been defined by a bitter Israeli- Palestinian conflict that seemingly defies resolution. And for about as long, many people appear to simply accept the conflict as inevitable and irresolvable even if they have vague feelings about who’s right and wrong.

Indeed, a Pew Research Center study a few years ago found that a solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict is a top priority for just 23 percent of the public.

Christians must reject this no-can-do attitude for several reasons.

First, this is about real people and real suffering. For over 65 years, Palestinians have been without a country, abiding second-class citizenship and humiliating powerlessness. For their part, the Israelis have lived in continual fear, surrounded by militants who threaten the very existence of their state. In this conflict, there are no winners, and Christians have suffered with both sides.

Second, the conflict has had disastrous effects on the whole region. The lack of resolution has embittered millions of people, especially many Muslims who because of the conflict deeply resent Israel and its ally, the United States. The continued conflict endangers all surrounding countries, making the region a tinderbox for provocations that have already provoked wars and threaten further conflict.

Third, our brother and sister Christians in the Holy Land are directly involved, caught between bitter factions. Mostly for this reason, Christians are disappearing from a region that is their home and that, like Jews and Moslems, they consider holy.

Last Easter, Pope Frances asked an audience how many of them pray for Christians who are persecuted and asked them to be "genuinely concerned about their plight, just as one would be for a family member in distress." When one of them is suffering, he asked, "Am I indifferent or is it like someone in the family is suffering?"

10 For Christians, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a matter of taking sides but of feeling and showing compassion for both sides and working and praying for peace. Ironically, after decades of peace efforts, there is no shortage of suggested solutions. U.S. Catholic bishops and leaders of many faiths have for a long time promoted a two-state solution, for instance. What is lacking is political will and that depends to a great extent on the interest of the public.

The conflict will continue to defy resolution only if we let it. Other seemingly intractable conflicts - such as those in Northern Ireland, apartheid in South Africa, and the raw feelings that followed World War II, have been resolved. Given the right amount of patience and fortitude, why should we presume that the Mideast conflict is irresolvable?

Last year, Secretary of State John Kerry, with the full support of President Barack Obama, launched an effort to reach a framework agreement as a basis for resolution. Secretary Kerry expects to formally propose the agreement soon, and with that in mind, he recently met with Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders, asking for their support. That support can take the form of prayer and fasting, staples of the Lenten season and traditions in all three faiths, and of speaking out, letting the public and our elected officials know that we stand with those who seek peace.

Religions have often been accused of provoking wars and disputes among people. We can’t let that accusation stick.

“Let us not become weary in doing good,” says the writer of the Letter to the Galatians in the Christian Bible, “for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

That is where you and I come in, because we can be very influential in moving the Kerry initiative forward. Enormous time and energy have been expended by the Secretary and his associates. Our participation through religious practices especially prayer and fasting and our advocacy and support can be very effective as we fulfill our role in the global community.

A year or so ago, in focusing on another country in the middle-east, a proposal was introduced at a meeting of the International Justice and Peace Committee of the United States Conference of

11 Bishops. Its origin was a committee member who was interested in establishing dialogue between religious leaders in the United States and Iran.

The committee gave the green light to pursue this possibility. The basic thinking was that, in dialogue, religious leaders from both countries might come to a mutual agreement on essential human values – truth, justice and peace.

A native Iranian, a doctoral student at the University of Maryland, was the interlocutor between the leading religious figures in Qom, Iran the religious center of the Shia Moslem tradition and our committee.

Through correspondence and planning a visit to Qom was eventually agreed upon. On March 11th of this year the American representatives consisting of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C., Bishop Dennis Madden, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore and Chair of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue, Dr. John Steinbruner, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland and Dr. Stephen Colecchi, Director of the USCCB Committee and I departed for Iran to return on March 17th. When we landed in Tehran we were joined by Ebrahim Mohseni a native Iranian who had arranged the gathering and its objectives.

Before departing to Iran, many with whom I conversed asked, aren’t you nervous or apprehensive about the trip and worried about your safety? Largely, these concerns arose because of a caricature that is widespread in the United States regarding Iran. The country owing in some measure to its own relatively closed posture in the world arena and also because of its portrayal in the American media and our government narrative was largely unknown and generated a foreboding of hostility.

This picture was radically changed when we arrived in Tehran. We were graciously greeted by welcoming officials – led to a comfortable lounge while our luggage was collected and immigration formalities processed.

12 In the next few days our knowledge of Iran was expanded to recognize a country that is among the more prosperous in the Middle East – with a solid and apparently growing economy. The infrastructure appeared sound with good roads, 24 hour electricity and choking traffic during rush hours deemed as a measure of success in our western world. The people on the street were friendly especially the young people who were exuberant in their greetings. Iran places strong emphasis on education. 90% of the population is literate with the majority of these being women.

The primary purpose of the trip was to engage in dialogue with our religious counterparts which took place in the city of Qom. This city is the religious center of the country and the location where the principal theologians and teachers of the Shia Moslem tradition reside.

We were warmly welcomed by the Ayatollahs who are the religious leaders of this tradition and we had the opportunity for extensive exchange shared in great candor. The Shia tradition is highly sophisticated and embraces both a personal spiritual character as well as a developed theological, intellectual, academic side.

A principal question that focused our exchange was the development and possible utilization of nuclear weapons. Shia Moslem teaching is oftentimes conveyed by an instrument called a Fatwa. A fatwa can either be oral or written and its influence is determined by the status of the Ayatollah who proclaims it.

The Grand Ayatollah Khomeini reportedly has a fatwa, a teaching regarding the utilization of nuclear weapons. The fatwa in terms of a structure is that of a syllogism – a logical framework which asserts two propositions which lead to a conclusion. The entire fatwa carries the weight of teaching or truth. This teaching becomes the basis for individual behavior or corporate action/policy.

The particular fatwa under consideration was conveyed in terms somewhat close to the following:

13  The Quran teaches that every human person through creation is infused with a spirit of the divine. This makes that person precious with a dignity worthy of respect and preservation.

 In order to determine whether the utilization of nuclear weapons is moral for weapons of war, a reference to a related teaching of a revered Ayatollah is cited. The question for this purpose is: in times of war or conflict is it moral/justified for one party living upstream from the other party in conflict to poison the water of the river as a military tactic to create death to the enemy downstream? The answer is NO since the poison will seriously affect non-combatants killing the innocent as well as the military.

 In a similar vein, because of its force and indiscriminate destruction of innocents, the utilization of nuclear arms is prohibited and regarded as immoral.

How do we in the west react? The stockpiling of nuclear arms has been justified over the years for purposes of deterrence. But our teaching is also evolving to now land on the same conclusion as the Shia Islam. Gaudium et Spes of Vatican II, the U.S. Bishops’ Peace Pastoral and the growing consensus generated by papal teaching and moral theologians reach the same conclusion – the utilization of nuclear arms is immoral. Therefore, the greatest security that can be achieved throughout the world is the dismantling of all nuclear weapons.

Surely, no one wants the Iranians to develop and possess nuclear arms. But if there is a global consensus of the immoral nature of nuclear arms isn’t a propitious time, a great opportunity, to forge ahead with the commitment to eradicate nuclear bombs from all countries currently possessing them? Wouldn’t that be most responsive to the deeply held belief which we articulate in the truth that every person is made in the image and likeness of God? Perhaps, such might also help us move toward the realization of the overall futility of war.

The words of Pope Francis on September 7th point positively to the human investment in peace . . . certainly not to be achieved in the stockpiling of arms.

14 “May the noise of weapons cease! War always marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for humanity. Let the words of Pope Paul VI resound again: No more one against the other, no more, never! . . . war never again, never again war! Peace expresses itself only in peace, a peace which is not separate from the demands of justice but which is fostered by personal sacrifice, clemency, mercy and love. Forgiveness, dialogue, reconciliation – these are the words of peace . . .”

My friends, Francis of Assisi and Francis, Bishop of Rome, have sounded a clarion call – “Be Soldiers of Peace.”

Stewards of Creation

St. Francis of Assisi is the foremost champion of the preservation of creation.

He was able to establish and articulate through personified relationship with all of creation deep meaning and attachment. His poetic expressions have touched the ages . . .

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who is the day through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour, Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, And fair and stormy, all weather's moods, by which You cherish all that You have made.

15 Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water, So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth who sustains and governs us, producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

Preparing the pathway for Pope Francis in advocating the preservation of creation was the consistent and insistent teaching of Pope Benedict. In the message for World Peace on January 1, 2010, Pope Benedict wrote: “The environment must be seen as God’s gift to all people, and the use of it entails a shared responsibility for all humanity, especially the poor and future generations. I also observed that whenever nature, and human beings in particular, are seen merely as products of chance or an evolutionary determinism, our overall sense of responsibility wanes. On the other hand, seeing creation as God’s gift to humanity helps us to understand our vocation and worth as human beings.” (2)

Pope Francis carries this understanding further in his identification of two negative cultures. He states:

“Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a “throw-away” culture which is now spreading.” (Apostolic Exhortation: Joy of the Gospel, #52.

16 This culture appears also in our relationship with nature. We have entered times when we clog the arteries of our rivers, streams, lakes and oceans with junk contaminating the very staff of life. We bury the beauty of creation in refuse. We poison wildlife, fish and all classes of living beings. And, unfortunately, as the Holy Father has observed the culture has infected our relationship with the crown of creation as we witness the refugee bodies float onto the shores of Lampedusa and as we turn a deaf ear to the rampant suffering of poor and distressed brothers and sisters everywhere.

The second culture which Pope Francis identifies is that of indifference which seemingly permits us to tolerate pollution of the air as a result of our insatiable appetite for endless convenience achieved by carbon emitting fuels. Again, this spirit of indifference filters into our attitudes which foster disinterest and indifference to the suffering, pain and plight of millions in the human family.

Pope Francis makes the obvious connections between the ecology of nature and creation’s crown – human nature. It is when people are treated with the dignity to which they are entitled, with a sensitivity to their personal and human needs and rights, that we develop a conscientious spirit leading to the preservation of the totality of God’s creation. All is gift. Our logical response is one of gratitude and vigilance in order that all creation receive respect, protection and enjoyment.

Closing Vignettes

For the last three years I have been privileged to visit some 20 countries in Asia, Africa and South America on behalf of the Committee of International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It has been enlightening and encouraging to see firsthand peoples’ cultures and experience the irrepressible human spirit which refuses to be quashed. There are a few simple vignettes that come to mind.

 There was a visit to a remote village in East Timor where a Catholic Relief Services project and a local church concentrated on addressing physical abuse especially among women and children. We were told that it was a long-standing practice for men to beat their wives and

17 their children, oftentimes severely. The justification? It was to teach a lesson – to help the victim learn.

CRS and the local diocese initiated a program that was educational in nature. It would train and then send local emissaries to homes in the parishes for further discussion and reinforcement in an effort to change behavior.

I asked in a gathering considering the subject: if anyone in a group of 100 or so could testify to change? After an awkward silence, a weather beaten farmer stood and said that it was his former custom after working in the field to beat his wife if his meal was not ready when he returned from the field. Now, realizing the evil of his actions, he comes home and instead of beating her, joins her in preparing the meal. There is much more peace, love and mutuality at home he testified. Such change, introduced with great effort has not only transformed a household but households for generations – as children are introduced to this civility.

 In a January visit to Egypt the assistant from the bishops’ conference and I were taken to a remote village. There we were introduced to a school exploding with young, vibrant children whose deep brown eyes greeted you with intensity and excitement. These young people were packed as tightly as possible on their benches and were taught by a variety of teachers from western volunteers to Muslim women totally draped in black with only a slit to expose their eyes. But all were friendly and engaging, readily exchanging hugs.

The school had been built by young Egyptians learning the various trades. Unfortunately, it serves only a small percent of the population eligible for education in the surrounding region.

Nailed to a pillar of the school was a notice. It was printed on deteriorating yellow paper fraying on the edges. It announced this project as a joint venture of USAID and Catholic Relief Service. There is no better use of American resources and assistance. This sharing lifts the human spirit and nurtures peace.

18 On that same trip, we visited a remote village in Egypt where a Catholic Relief Services project was developing programs with the local parish linking both Muslim and Christians especially the youth. When we arrived we were serenaded by a band and three dancing horses. The spirit was contagious. Bringing faith traditions to cooperate in joint projects goes beyond the programmatic and breeds lasting relationships based on the good residing in the human soul. It begins an era of cooperation and healthy co-existence.

 In the various visits to different countries I have been deeply impressed by leadership that puts faith into action. In Cote d’Ivoire, I complimented the leader from the country of Benin of the U.N. contingent deployed to assist that nation emerge from civil war. He espoused justice coupled with mercy and a call to draw forth the very best in the human spirit. I complimented the leader on his great values and principles. Without hesitation, he replied to my observation, “You know, Bishop, I am Catholic, and I am called here to create a culture that reflects the love that Jesus Christ engendered in all of us.”

The American Ambassadors in Peru, Cambodia, and South Sudan all self-professed Catholics and career officers, also serve in a manner that seeks to strengthen the common good – doing all that they can to breed respect for human rights, overcome poverty, challenge corruption and establish rule by law and not military strength. They represent the very best that is America as we work together with fellow nations to build a peaceful world.

 Most recently in Iran, it was a revelation to have the curtain pulled back and see in religious counterparts of another tradition a coming together on the same page of the two faiths. We could read the soul of each other and see the spark of a loving God who calls for peace and the upholding of the dignity of each of his children.

 There was a different moment in my visits, however, that was particularly haunting. I was boarding a bus carrying a group of international clergy that was visiting the Holy Land.

19 We were in Gaza. It was the twilight of dusk. About 10 feet from the bus a young man of about 16 approached me and with his soulful dark eyes and firm handshake said dramatically, but simply, “Goodbye.”

The young man’s message was clear. I was boarding a bus and leaving a situation that I describe as intolerable. He had no options but to remain in a place that the Greek Orthodox bishop of Gaza, Alexis, describes as an open prison.

In conscience, I cannot abandon that young man. Chances are I will not see him again but I must make known the story of Gaza and its million, 600 thousand prisoners.

People often ask me – but as you visit places like Iraq, Egypt, Iran, Palestine, South Sudan and Myanmar aren’t you nervous and fearful of your security?

The universal experience I have had is that the people in these countries are friendly and welcoming. Inevitably, as almost in a practiced refrain, they say, “We love the American people but we hate the American government.”

I do not believe we are a schizophrenic people. We are the government and we must take hold so that our government truly represents us Americans around the world.

Pope Francis has taken on the mantle of Francis of Assisi and has inspired the agenda that will be at the heart of change:

With the citizens of the world We are called to have Outreach to the Poor, to be Soldiers of Peace and Stewards of Creation