March 15, 2013
For just the second time in the lifetime of our students, we have a new Pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now His Holiness, Pope Francis.
Our new Pope was an under the radar candidate, something of a surprise, even though reports suggest he was the runner-up in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.
My first impression is that he is, well, kinda Xaverian. His personal example of simplicity, humility and compassion resonates well with the core values of the Xaverian Brothers, values that permeate our school culture. Add to that he took the name Francis (for Assisi, not Xavier) and that he is, like all Jesuits, serious about education. He has degrees in chemistry, philosophy, and theology, and has taught all of these, and literature and psychology as well.
Within hours of his introduction to the world, we had learned of Pope Francis's modest lifestyle as bishop. Pictures emerged of him taking the bus to work. He lived in an apartment, not a palace, and could cook his own meals. Alas, Holy Father, I think those days are over for you. Still, even yesterday, new pictures emerged of the Pope on a mini-bus with the cardinals (he was the one in white), and paying the bill with his own money at the hostel he had been living in while in Rome.
One article I read stated that when he became a bishop in 1992, then Bishop Bergoglio chose as his motto miserando atque eligendo, "lowly and yet chosen." Reports are full of references to his special solidarity with the poor and marginalized. One photo showed him washing and kissing the feet of an AIDS patient. He has a long history of work with the slum dwellers of Buenos Aires. I had the opportunity to travel to Argentina in 2006. Beautiful as that city is, immense slums line the highway from the airport into the city. Our Pope's compassionate engagement with real poverty and the profoundly marginalized will, I believe, inspire many to lives of service.
And now one of his titles is Servant of the Servants of God. It was telling that in his first public moments, he declined the tradition of standing on a platform, above the surrounding cardinals and priests. The Holy Father asked for two things: that the people would pray together, with him; and that they would pray for him. Though it was hard to pick up on silence from the TV broadcast, several journalists remarked on how quiet the huge crowd became.
The conclave is now over. Here in Olney, far away from Rome, it would be easy for our students, for all of us, to go about our business, largely oblivious to the workings of the papacy. My hope for our Church and the community of this Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School is that we will all be moved and changed by Pope Francis's example of simplicity, humility, compassion, and love of learning.
God bless you, Holy Father.