From September 23 – 28 all eyes will be on the Western world and the anticipated visit from Pope Francis. Other popes have been to the United States before him. It seems, though, that this pope has planned a particularly strong message to deliver no Pope has a planned deliver, not only through words but also through the places he plans to visit. While at the same time, Pope Francis will carry his message of his Encyclical—Laudato Si—and his beloved Catholic Church.
Saint Pope John Paul II taught that “healthy capitalism is structured in such a way as to draw more and more people to participate in its benefits.” He criticized idolatry of money in a way not unlike Pope Leo XIII’s statement that the demands of necessity and propriety have been met only when everything else that one owns belongs to the poor.
Pope Francis feels strongly about this same concern and speaks often about the distribution of wealth to the poor. We can expect many discussions attempting to influence the very self-seeking citizens of the United States regarding these same concerns.
His plans include meeting with President Obama, then he plans to address the US Congress and talk with the United Nations and say a Mass in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families. Other events on his agenda include visiting Catholic Charities and the Social Outreach Ministry in Washington. He will say the Evening Prayer in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral before addressing the UN. He will participate in an interfaith service at the US World Trade Center. He also plans a visit to a Catholic elementary school in Harlem. At the World meeting of Families in Philadelphia, he will address a gathering of the Catholic families who meet every three years—the original motivation for his trip. He also plans to visit the largest prison in Philadelphia–The Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility. Truly an agenda that signifies who this Pope is.
There is no question after studying his itinerary what his central message is for the leaders in the United States. He wants the backbone of the Catholic Church to look less focused on structure and more on the Gospel of Jesus and His messages in the Bible.
I’m surprised about the caution and criticisms with many people when it comes to this Pope. They have called him names such as a Socialist, or a Marxist. He isn’t a Democrat, a Republican, or even an outspoken radical. It’s so offensive to read these descriptions about him. To me, he seems to be someone who is determined to get out the message of Jesus in the Gospels and St. Francis, his namesake. I don’t know why that is scary or political. I suppose Jesus was a little political in His day with these same messages.
Respect of human life is also the core of his some of his focus. We are talking about human life from conception to adulthood as well as the sufferings going on in so many war tattered countries.
There are so many issues facing the Catholic Church. I’ve read that he appears to be frustrated about the same old, same old attitude of the hierarchy in the Church. He continues to deal with these frustrations as graciously as he can. But, he is looking to win more people back to the Church and this may result in some important changes.
While visiting the Ecuador, Pope Francis referenced the upcoming Synod—a highly anticipated meeting of Bishops scheduled in Rome in October. They will likely discuss several areas of the Church’s teachings related to concerns about divorced Catholics, homosexuality, marriage, and, his favorite topic, respect for human life and its impact across the globe as well as importance of families.
While in Ecuador he preached, “The family is the nearest hospital, the first school of the young, the best home for the elderly. The family constitutes the best social capital that can’t be replaced by other institutions.” Going a little off his topic he said, “When my mother was asked which of her five children was her favorite and she replied ‘They are all like five fingers of a hand. If pinched, each one hurts the same.’”
My own mother was asked by each of us many times, which one of your nine children is your favorite? Her answer was “the one who needs me the most at that moment.” This highlights what Pope Francis would like to see changed in the world and even in the Church. He wants to make the Church’s focus the needy and the hurt, the lonely, and the poor, the beaten and oppressed.
At the same time, he continues to be the voice across the world emphasizing the Catholic Church’s role in this modern world. He holds strong to many of the teachings of his predecessors. He worries about the global environment.
Ignatius Press summarizes Laudato Si, explaining, “Pope Francis calls for an ‘integral ecology’ based on what Saint Pope John Paul II called an ‘ecological conversion’–a moral transformation linking the proper response to God for the gift of his creation to concern for justice, especially for the poor. He challenges people to understand ecology in terms of the right ordering of the fundamental relationships of the human person with God, other people and the rest of creation. He examines such ecological concerns like pollution, waste and what he calls ‘the throwaway culture.” Climate he insists is for the common good and should be protected.”
As we are only a few weeks from this important visit, I think we need to be extremely proud that we have a Pope who looks at more than just the traditional issues facing the Church, but someone who truly wants to make sure we examine issues impacting everyone in the world. On March 13, 2013 Pope Francis became the 266th Pope of Rome. I think that is pretty impressive since it was only two and a half years ago. I am looking forward to what the next two and a half years will bring under his leadership. I expect that ultimately, we will all work at being more giving to others. “But this I say. He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Catherine Mendenhall-Baugh (Cathy) completed her education at the University of Nebraska majoring in Special Education and minoring in English Literature and now works in the insurance industry. A mother and a grandmother, Cathy grew up in a large Catholic family and as spent the last 30 years as a caregiver for her husband, Jack. A writer for Tuscany Press, she is also working on several longer writing projects.
