BENEDICT XVI: NEWS, PAPAL TEXTS, PHOTOS AND COMMENTARY

Pope Francis and Rome:
Is this true love?
by Angela Ambrogetti
Translated from

April 13, 2012

Being Pope is no easy job, obviously. Not just because it is not a job but a ministry - the Petrine ministry, in fact - but also because a Pope must learn from the past, which in the Church is called Tradition, while delineating the future, which in ecclesial terms means being prophetic.

That is why the first month of the exercise of the Petrine ministry is usually the most analyzed in the history of a Pontificate.

To mark his first 30 days as Pope, Papa Bergoglio has decided to name a group of 'wise men' who will give him a hand in governing the Church and determine how to reform the Roman Curia.

The names do not come from the Curia at all, but from local Churches around the world and Vatican City State [which is, however, considered 'Curial' insofar as it is one of the major offices in the Vatican whose president is traditionally a cardinal.] [She proceeds to name the eight cardinals of Pope Francisc's 'governing council', which some Italian newspapers are already calling the 'Council of the Throne'.]

The names raise some questions demanding answers:

1. The College of Cardinals by definition has the task of assisting the Roman Pontiff "either acting collegially when they are convoked together to deal with questions of major importance, or as individuals, namely in the various offices they occupy, by lending him [the Pope[ a hand in the daily care of the universal Church" (i.e., the cardinals who are Curial heads). Therefore for a smaller group to advise and assist the Pope on the governance of the universal Church seems to be a redundancy.

2. Then there the other task of this Council which is to review Pastor bonus, the Apostolic Constitution by John Paul II from 1986 that has spelled out the role and functions of the various curial offices at the Vatican. To this end, there is not a single canon law expert in the Council.

Most notably missing is Cardinal Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, who had presented to the General Congregations last month an outline for Curial reform.

It would therefore be interesting to find out more about the reasons behind the Pope's choices. [In general, apart from Cardinal Bertello, they seem to be cardinals who have been considered outstanding, though not necessarily 'the most outstanding' in the continents they represent.]

For now we can only conclude that this decision clearly reflects Pope Francis's personal style. Which is decidedly different from his post-Vatican II predecessors. A style that seems pervaded with spontaneity and which consciously 'breaks' with the Roman tradition of the Papacy that was maintained even by the last two non-Italian Popes.

In the first month, for example, starting with Paul VI to Benedict XVI, the new Bishop of Rome made it a point to meet with 'his' priests, the clergy of Rome. Pope Francis has not done that so far. ][In fairness to him, maybe it's because the Bishop of Rome, then Benedict XVI, just held his annual meeting with the Roman clergy in February, the month it traditionally takes place.]

He spoke about priesthood in general at the Chrismal Mass of Maundy Thursday, but he has never spoken about the ecclesial life in the Diocese of Rome. Which is quite strange when one thinks that his first words to the public after he was elected referred to the relationship between a Bishop - in his case, Bishop of Rome - and his people. Words that he repeated when he took possession of the Cathedral of Rome, San Giovanni in Laterano, but only as a greeting, a sentiment that he has yet to flesh out.

Paul VI told the Roman clergy on his first meeting with them: "No historical period has perhaps been historically so alienated and opposed - by temperament or by a well-considered stand - to priesthood and its religious mission, as the present is. At the same time, no other era has shown itself to be so much in need of priests, and therefore we might say - almost as if we see a great hope opening before us - susceptible to pastoral assistance from good and zealous priests".

Twenty-two years later, Benedict XVI would pick up the theme with extreme concreteness in addressing the Roman priests gathered at the Lateran: "Dear priests, the quality of your lives and your pastoral service seem to indicate that in this diocese as in many other dioceses of the world, we have left behind us that crisis of identity which overcame so many priests in recent decades. But still very much present are the causes of the spiritual desert that afflict the men of our time, and consequently undermine the Church which lives in mankind. How can we not fear that it can also be insidious to the life of priests? It is therefore indispensable to always return anew to the root of our priesthood. And this root, we all know, is just one: Our Lord Jesus Christ".

John Paul II first met with the Roman clergy, as well as seminarians and lay pastoral workers, at the Lateran in November 1978. He said: "In the framework of this wonderful encounter of the old with the new, I wish today, as the new Bishop of Rome, to begin my ministry towards the People of God in this city and this diocese, which became, through peter's mission, the first in the great family of the Church, in the family of sister dioceses. The essential content of this ministry is the commandment of charity: that commandment which makes us, men, friends of Christ. 'You are my friends if you do what I command you to do' (Jn 15,14).

When he took possession of the Lateran Basilica months after he became Pope, Papa Montini expressed his affection for his diocese on November 11, 1963: "Everyone seems to understand our spiritual and affectionate interest, if we think of the People of this great, good and dear community, which we consider ours more than anything else: non enim quaero quae vestra sunt, sed vos - I wish for nothing, except for you"(2Cor,12,14). You who are Romans - Romans of yesterday and for always. Romans by origin and by birth. Know that we have great esteem and trust in you. You who come from the ancient streets of Rome, from her old houses, from the traditional institutions of the city, you from Trastevere and other neighborhoods. We know the goodness that is in your soul and your customs. We know that you are fundamentally faithful to your religion and to the Church. We hope that you will always love the Pope. Indeed, we hope that you will heed and obey when we tell you that today, we must revive your religious and moral patrimony, and instill new enthusiasms and new virtues into your lives".

Even John Paul I, who was Pope for only 33 days, met the Roman clergy shortly after his installation as Pope. On Sept 7, 1978, he spoke to them of the discipline of priesthood and what it means to love one's job: "I know. I tis not easy to love one's job and stick to it when things are not going well, when inevitable confrontations come in the course of asking others to do their part. But aren't we working for the Lord?"

Even the Bishop of Rome, like every priest, must love his job, which is certainly not an easy one. [Pope Francis obviously does - and is enjoying it immensely! Even as he has seemed to be re-inventing it to be custom-made to his personal preferences and to his measure.]

Pope Francis has greeted his diocese of Rome just once so far, from the central loggia of the Lateran, with spontaneous words, starting with his characteristic "Brothers and sisters, good evening!"

"I thank you so much for your presence at the Mass today. Thank you so much! I ask you to pray for me - I need it. Do not forget this. Thanks to you all. Let us go forward together, the people and the bishop, all together. Ever onward with the joy of Jesus's resurrection. He is always at our side."

But the people of Rome are still waiting to truly meet him, to feel that Francis loves Rome as Peter did.

And there are also those who still hope that the lights on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace will once again be on at night. From there, the Popes have looked upon the Eternal City, and as John Paul II recalled, blessed the city every night.

P.S. It just occurred to me that, apart from his general wishes for peace around the world, with emphasis on some trouble spots in his Easter Urbi et Orbi message, Pope Francis has so far not directed any specific messages either to the people of Larin America nor to the rest of the Third World (Africa and Asia) where the world's most deprived people live.