My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As we prepare for the Papal Visit to the United States, and in particular to New York, during the next several months, it might be well to focus on the Pope whom we will welcome. As can easily be seen from surveys and articles, and most recently in the Wall Street Journal of Saturday, April 4th, we see the Holy Father portrayed as “wildly popular.” One survey even compared the annual popularity of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis and it seems that Pope Francis has garnered a most favorable status, even greater than St. John Paul II. Popularity, however, is not what makes a papacy, but it certainly helps.

A recent unauthorized biography of Pope Francis gives some insight into his character and the quite different approach that he has taken to the papacy. His first several speeches clearly indicated his priorities. Remember, the Holy Father said, “I want a poor Church for the poor.” His message on mercy clearly indicates his priority that is appealing. But what is behind the love for the poor of Pope Francis? Certainly, his experience in Argentina where he became Padre Jorge in the barrios of Buenos Aires and for his constant attention to the immigrants who were in that city, because the barrios were populated more by immigrants from Paraguay and Bolivia than Argentineans themselves. He reached out in his personal way to those who were the poorest and most marginalized in his home diocese.

Pope Francis frequently uses the terms peripheries and center which can be misunderstood as they are terms used in Marxist analysis of sociological structures. Recently, I gave a talk to a group of priests on retreat on the subject of the concept of Pope Francis on the peripheries. In my preparation for the talk, it became clear to me that for Pope Francis the center is Christ, the periphery is us, the Church. As he said, unless we view things from the peripheries, looking to the center, we never will understand things correctly.

Pope Francis does not shy away from giving interviews to the religious and secular press. He is best known for the news conferences he has given when returning from a Papal trip. Although the sound bites play well, they are in need of careful scrutiny and attention not given by the reporters. One example is the famous sound bite, “Who am I to judge,” which has been used to characterize his opinion toward homosexuals. The fact of the matter is Pope Francis did say that. However, it was in relationship to a particular case of a Vatican diplomat who had a homosexual affair with a man in the country to which he was assigned. He repented of his faults and was reassigned by the Holy Father to a position in the Vatican Curia. When asked about this case, it was then that the Holy Father said, “Who am I to judge.”

Perhaps more importantly is the announcement of the year of which indicates the desire of Pope Francis to make the Church truly a mother to those who come to her. In his Apostolic Letter, “The Joy of the Gospel,” the Holy Father uses the image of a mother to explain how a homily must be a dialogue between a mother and her children. And so it is with this mercy, which needs to be shown to the children of the Church by the Church, which is truly our mother. The Year of Mercy, which will begin on Dec. 8, 2015 after the Synod on the Family to be held in Rome in October, will give us time to digest some of the resolutions that the upcoming Synod will make. We have sent to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops the results of our own on-line individual survey taken here in Brooklyn and Queens. It certainly is clear that the faithful of our diocese understand the concept of forgiveness and mercy and would like to see this employed more extensively in our pastoral approach to the divorced and remarried, and to those who have same-sex attraction, as well as to the many other situations in which we find ourselves. It remains to be seen, however, how we can implement a practical approach to making the mercy of God available to all who seek His mercy.

Pope Francis has put out into the deep of his pontificate. His attraction to many Catholics and non-Catholics alike has to do with his love of people. The only way love can be returned is to love in response. People of all ages and political backgrounds and religious affiliations seem to find in him truly a universal father and one who represents to them a true image of Christ on earth. Let us continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, that the human popularity he enjoys can be a true instrument in the New Evangelization.

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