One thing that the election of a new Pope does is turn anyone who is publicly known to be Catholic into the public relations spokesperson for the Church. We get asked how many Cardinals there are, how many times they vote, how do they turn the smoke white or black, when does the new Pope get his divine superpowers from God, and (at least I got asked this) “Why does the pope change his name when he popifies, and why did the old quitter pope keep his pope name when he quit?”
Pope Francis met with media. Pic by Catholic Church (England and Wales)
I’m working really hard to reduce my snark output, so I generally just try to answer as best I can, even when the questions are asked in a “I know this stuff is all fake but you seem to believe it, so tell me some more about its ridiculous oddities” kind of way.
So it was refreshing to read Pope Francis’ words in his “Audience to Representatives of the Communications Media” on March 16th:
I am particularly grateful to those who viewed and presented these events of the Church’s history in a way which was sensitive to the right context in which they need to be read, namely that of faith. Historical events almost always demand a nuanced interpretation which at times can also take into account the dimension of faith. Ecclesial events are certainly no more intricate than political or economic events! But they do have one particular underlying feature: they follow a pattern which does not readily correspond to the “worldly” categories which we are accustomed to use, and so it is not easy to interpret and communicate them to a wider and more varied public. The Church is certainly a human and historical institution with all that that entails, yet her nature is not essentially political but spiritual: the Church is the People of God, the Holy People of God making its way to encounter Jesus Christ. Only from this perspective can a satisfactory account be given of the Church’s life and activity.
Christ is the Church’s Pastor, but his presence in history passes through the freedom of human beings; from their midst one is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Yet Christ remains the centre, not the Sucessor of Peter: Christ, Christ is the centre. Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of the Church. Without him, Peter and the Church would not exist or have reason to exist. As Benedict XVI frequently reminded us, Christ is present in Church and guides her. In everything that has occurred, the principal agent has been, in the final analysis, the Holy Spirit. He prompted the decision of Benedict XVI for the good of the Church; he guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election.
It is important, dear friends, to take into due account this way of looking at things, this hermeneutic, in order to bring into proper focus what really happened in these days.
As a blogger who deigns to communicate ideas to others, the following is particularly humbling and important (especially the last line):
Your work calls for careful preparation, sensitivity and experience, like so many other professions, but it also demands a particular concern for what is true, good and beautiful. This is something which we have in common, since the Church exists to communicate precisely this: Truth, Goodness and Beauty “in person”. It should be apparent that all of us are called not to communicate ourselves, but this existential triad made up of truth, beauty and goodness.
The text gives what will probably be a good summary of this pontificate: gentleness, clarity, a concern for the poor, and a passion to put Christ first. As we move forward into what will likely be trying times for the Church, in the U.S. if not in the rest of the world, let us remember to communicate not ourselves but Him who is Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.
Bonus material: the text includes Pope Francis’ own story of how he chose his Papal name! The rumors can be laid to rest!