Old City, Warsaw
The Pope Speaks, and Sometimes in Silence
On his recent trip through the Philippines there came a moment when Pope Francis found himself speechless. Standing before an audience that had suffered grievously in last year’s tropical storm, words simply failed him. These people had lost family members, homes and possessions. Now, months later, they had scarcely more than their lives and the clothes on their backs. In the face of such abject poverty there were no words to express the pope’s own grief. So he stood in silence, trying to absorb the enormity of it all. And finally the only thing he could offer was the assurance that Jesus still loved them. Any other words might have cheapened the moment.
Warsaw, Poland
We’ve come to expect a lot from popes and other religious leaders, but what we’ve wanted from them has varied from time to time. I recall as a high school student picking up an issue of The Pope Speaks, the official archive of papal pronouncements. In keeping with the gravitas of the subject matter, the print was dense and there were no pictures. It had all the appeal of The Congressional Record, and a quick scan of the contents reinforced that impression. No wonder this journal could sit on the library’s magazine rack for months on end, in mint condition. This was the official record of the Church, and it was best read with awe and reverence, preferably under the direction of a theologian in good standing. Suffice it to say that for your average high school student these tomes held zero interest. That may have been unfortunate, but that’s the way it was.
We’re not that far removed from the day when monarchs and leaders of all sorts were cut from a different bolt of cloth. Queen Victoria, to cite but one, was notoriously shy and reluctant in the extreme to appear before her people. In one episode she stubbornly resisted her aides and family, who had urged her to attend the unveiling of a memorial plaque. She dug in her heels for weeks on end, but finally caved in. So on the appointed day she was trotted out of the palace and then unveiled the memorial with a speech that stretched on and on for exactly one sentence. Then she trotted back to the palace and pronounced herself exhausted but satisfied that she had exceeded the limits of duty. Obviously it’s a long and bumpy road from her to Queen Elizabeth’s concept of duty.
Old City, Warsaw
We see the same evolution in the papacy during the same 150 years. This is not the place to recount the history of the popes, but it’s enough to point out that for decades after the fall of the Papal States in 1870 popes simply did not leave Rome. For better, and mostly for worse, popes made themselves prisoners in the Vatican. To some they seemed aloof, while to others they had a mystical transcendence that set them apart from the rest of us mere mortals. So, with the votes counted, these newly-elected popes left off their old selves, and each in turn put on the person of the Oracle on the Tiber.
Fast forward to more recent times and you’ll find bishops of Rome more than willing to step out of their comfort zone, often to the consternation of their handlers in the curia. And each has brought talents that have distinguished them individually. Pope John Paul II travelled widely and spoke to countless groups, as did Benedict and now Francis. But to my mind each has put his own stamp on his tenure in the office. Pope John Paul II, in the popular imagiation at least, walked on the world stage and helped to shape international affairs. Pope Benedict, by contrast, brought a keen intellect and seemed much more at ease in academic circles. Francis stretches the envelop even further with his love of the pastoral situation. In Buenos Aires he was at home in the pulpit and in the confessional, and in those venues he continues to shine.
Old city, Warsaw
That, I think, is one of the many gifts that God seems to have given Pope Francis. When he speaks it is not to dismiss what previous popes have had to say. Rather, he believes with all his heart that the teaching of Jesus and the Christian tradition are meant to provide solace and support and meaning to people. So why not translate it into the language of those who suffer? Why not translate it into word and deed?
Francis, like his predecessors, believes that the message of Christ is too good to be hidden under a basket. It’s life-giving and it ought not be stored away in solemn tomes accessible only to the best-educated among us. Far from being irrelevant, such tomes are incomplete until they flow out into the streets where they can inspire and nourish.
Old city, Warsaw
Pope Francis has been fond of quoting his namesake, who urged people to “preach always. If necessary, use words.” And this weekend in the Philippines, he did exactly that — he preached through his momentary silence. That, it seems to me, is what the gospel asks of all Christians. And if we can begin to do that, the Gospel will exist not just as words on a page. Even better, the gospel will begin to come alive both in our words and in our deeds, and even in our moments of silence.
Notes
+I am grateful to all of you who sent messages and offered prayers for my mom during the past week. Happily, the solution to her problems was something as simple as a pacemaker. After the procedure and two days in the hospital she returned home, with a lot more energy than she had before. She is recovering and grateful for your remembrance, as am I.
Malbork Castle, Poland
+In the course of reading this blog readers are familiar with the fact that I am a chaplain in the Order of Malta, as well as in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Those are the most significant of the medieval military orders which have survived to this day, but others flourished in the middle ages and have left stunning monuments to their existence. Among the most impressive is Malbork Castle, built by the Teutonic Knights in Poland in the 13th century. It remains one of the most amazing fortresses you will ever see, and it is well worth the visit if you ever have the chance. I once had the opportunity to visit there with a pilgrimage group, and from the many pictures of Malbork Castle I’ve created a small gallery of photos.
A Monk's Chronicle 