Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Thank God that's over

By Alex Perrottet - posted Friday, 15 March 2013


Phew, thank God that's over. That's what 114 cardinals are thinking right now. One man is certainly not thinking that, and will most likely not be sleeping tonight.

Despite the pontificating of the reporters who descend on Rome and pretend they have reliable inside sources, let it be known that the cardinals do not lobby, or run for office - there is no "race for the Vatican." If they could, they would race in the opposite direction, which is kind of what Pope Benedict did when he resigned, and you can't blame him.

If reports are true about the voting in the previous conclave, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the next most popular after Joseph Ratzinger, and he cried out, "please, not me" before his supporters moved across to endorse the man who became Benedict XVI.

Advertisement

Once again, the most obvious and simple choice for the cardinals was chosen, and not the media pin-ups. It didn't take them long either. They knew the man the Holy Spirit wanted.

And what have we seen so far? A man who chose one of the most humble of saints for his name – Francis, reportedly after Francis of Assisi. A man who first paid tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI by asking the hollering devotees to pray for him.

The next thing he did was to ask for prayers for himself, and bowed low and lengthy towards the people.

The latest news is this from New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan about what happened when the cardinals left St Peter's last night: "So we take the buses over and cardinals kind of wait outside to greet the new Holy Father as he comes back to Doma Santa Marta…and as the last bus pulls up, guess who gets off the bus? Pope Francis. So I guess he told the driver, 'That's OK. I'll just go with the guys on the bus.'"

That's nothing new for him. We heard he is a man who takes public transport to work instead of a chauffeur-driven limo, cooks his own meals in an apartment rather than the Bishop's palace and wasn't afraid to stand up to President Kirchner to tell her some home truths. He said of her Government:

"It seems they have opted for making inequalities even greater…human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities."

Advertisement

And against rampant capitalism that seeks wealth creation to the detriment of others he said:

"The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers."

Here are some other reasons the cardinals have chosen well:

He has been a champion of the poor in Argentina – a passionate man for social justice, in a country that has dealt with massive social and economic issues in recent times. He rightly thought it unbecoming of the highest cleric in the country to enjoy the wealth of his position while so many others were suffering. In 2001 he visited a group of AIDS victims and washed and kissed their feet. In 2008 he did the same to a group of recovering drug addicts.

Even regarding the poor in the Church, he does not discriminate. He condemned the refusal to baptise a child born out of wedlock as "hypocritical clericalism" and said:

"Jesus did not preach his own politics: he accompanied others. The conversions he inspired took place precisely because of his willingness to accompany, which makes us all brothers and children and not members of an NGO or proselytes of some multinational company."

He has served on five different Congregations in the Church – Catholics who have been drawn to the beauty of the liturgy under Benedict's focus on sacramental life will be glad to hear that he has worked on the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In particular he has lamented the loss of respect for the sacraments and said clearly that Catholics in public life who support euthanasia and abortion should not participate in the Eucharist (Holy Communion) as they are at odds with the essential teachings of the Church, and caving in to the "Culture of Death".

He has served on the Pontifical Council for the Family and his outspoken statements on same-sex marriage are based on the disrespect and neglect of children that it entails and the breaking down of the family as the lynchpin of society.

He has written extensively and his 2007 book El verdadero poder es el servicioTrue Power is Service, says a lot about his ideas on his own new-found power and how people who hold office and responsibility need to seek to serve the people they represent. Last month he said:

"The cardinalate is a service, it is not an award to be bragged about. Vanity, showing off, is an attitude that reduces spirituality to a worldly thing."

There's good newsfor the non-Catholic world as well. In the age of technology and transparency it seems he is keen to turn the Church inside-out. Benedict's seeking to re-Christianise Europe and the world with the 'New Evangelization' that John Paul II heralded may get some fresh new ideas with this Pope:

"We need to avoid the spiritual sickness of a Church that is wrapped up in its own world: when a Church becomes like this, it grows sick... And if I had to choose between a wounded Church that goes out onto the streets and a sick withdrawn Church, I would definitely choose the first one."

And finally he has some clear ideas about how to deal with the sex abuse crisis that rightly gets so much attention in the media. He is a man who is in love with his Church but not afraid to call a spade a spade. Just as Benedict defrocked and spoke harshly to clerics found guilty of those crimes, Francis looks set to continue the same way – which will protect the young and vulnerable children of today and the future, and also protect the body of the Church that those priests have also done so much harm to:

"It is an invitation to look at the Church, holy and sinful as it is, to look at certain shortcomings and sins, without losing sight of the holiness of so many men and women who work in the Church today."

The look on the new Pope's face told a story about the million things rushing through his mind. As he looked out on St Peter's he knew he could never walk across those cobblestones on his own again. His personal choices pretty much began and finished with the choosing of his name and shield.

Almost everything else is chosen for him, most importantly the pile of papers and reports that sit on his desk, many of them entailing work no one would really like to do, and which he cannot delegate.

The life of a Pope is an ironic slavery, and for that reason he is named the servant of the servants of God.

There are many firsts for this Pope – the first Latin American, the first to use Francis, the first Jesuit. The first non-European in 1200 years.

But the real test is this – will it be a first for the chattering classes – those who call themselves the 'experts', to finally bury the hatchet and stand alongside the rest of the world and marvel at another humble man filling such important shoes, and wish him well.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

11 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Alex Perrottet is an Australian journalist currently working in New Zealand.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Alex Perrottet

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Alex Perrottet
Article Tools
Comment 11 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy