Monitor Mag March 2023-Pope Francis: The first 10 years

Legacy of Love

Since his election – a decade ago – as the 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has spoken nearly every day about the need for people to connect with one another, help those in need, defend the vulnerable and protect the environment. The impact of his papacy’s historic first decade has not yet been fully measured, but it has undeniably been based on the unconditional love for every human person. See IN FOCUS.

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From the Bishop

Many happy returns, Pope Francis

“BeingChurch means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his fatherly love. This means that we are to be God’s leaven in the midst of humanity. It means proclaiming and bringing God’s salvation into our world, which often goes astray and needs to be encouraged, given hope and strengthened on the way. The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium, 114).” –Pope

Francis

On behalf of the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Trenton, I extend our congratulations, very best wishes and promise of prayerful support to our Holy Father Pope Francis on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his election to the Chair of St. Peter. May the Lord Jesus Christ, whose Vicar you are, continue to bless and strengthen you as you shepherd his Church. Ad multos annos, your Holiness!

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Pope Francis greets Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., during a meeting with U.S. bishops from New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the Apostolic

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Pope from ‘ends of the earth’ brings new style to Rome

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Right from the start, upon his election, Pope Francis presented a whole new style of being pontiff.

The way he spoke to the vast crowd after his election March 13, 2013, was familial and down-to-earth, beginning with, “Brothers and sisters, good evening,” and ending with “We’ll see each other soon!” and “Have a good night and sleep well!”

licly go to Confession, he responds to many people who write to him with a letter, note or phone call, he meets regularly with victims of abuse, and he has gone in person to pay a bill, to pick up a new pair of glasses and to visit the elderly and the sick.

The election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, marked the first time a Jesuit was made pope. He ushered in a number of styles characteristic of his order: the Ignatian practice of discernment for making decisions in the presence of God; seeking God’s presence in all things; and a penchant for boiling his talks down to three bullet points.

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

He repeatedly referred to himself as “bishop of Rome,” which eventually ended up being his sole title in the “Annuario Pontificio,” the Vatican yearbook, and would be another sign of his vision for renewal by promoting a more collegial and decentralized Church.

And his invitation to the crowd on the day he was elected – “Let’s begin this journey” with “fraternity, love, trust” and prayer, and “may it be fruitful for evangelization” – was a clear sign of a new style he saw for the entire Church, that of synodality, with all brothers and sisters in the faith walking, praying and evangelizing together.

That first night also gave a glimpse into how Pope Francis would lead the universal Church in the uncharted situation of having a retired pope in the wings. He led everyone in prayer “for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI.”

Many of his most unexpected choices on how he would live as pope were offered as a kind of, “Do as I do, not just as I say,” especially to his brother bishops around the world. He chose to live in a Vatican guesthouse instead of the Apostolic Palace, he has used an annual penance celebration at the Vatican to pub-

He was the first pope to come from the Americas, born of immigrant Italian parents; this second-generation experience lent lived authenticity to his insistence migrants be respected, integrated and appreciated for their hard work and the rich diversity they bring to a host nation.

Most indicative of his unique style was choosing the name “Francis” to honor St. Francis of Assisi, known for his poverty, commitment to peace and love of creation. It was a signal of the style to come: simplicity, humility, working with the poor, desiring a Church that is poor and for the poor, and further deepening his predecessor’s love of creation integrated with a respect for all life.

Under his watch, the papal charities office has increased its outreach, particularly to the homeless who live near the Vatican and in other parts of the world, such as Ukraine, where he has sent his papal almoner to deliver aid directly and convey his prayers.

He also set aside the usual practice of washing the feet of 12 priests during a public celebration of the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Instead, he has celebrated smaller

Pope Francis bows his head in prayer during his election night appearance on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 13, 2013. The crowd joined the Pope in silent prayer after he asked them to pray that God would bless him. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Ten years as pope: Pushing the Church to bring the Gospel to the world

BY CINDY WOODEN  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • For a decade, even when discussing the internal workings of the Vatican, Pope Francis has insisted the Church is not the Church of Christ if it does not reach out, sharing the “joy of the Gospel” and placing the poor at the center of its attention.

Signals that his papacy would be different started the moment he stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica the evening of March 13, 2013: He was not wearing a red, ermine-trimmed cape, and he bowed as he asked the crowd to pray that God would bless him.

His decision not to live in the Apostolic Palace, his invitations to Vatican

trash collectors and gardeners and other employees to join him for his daily morning Mass, his insistence on going to the Italian island of Lampedusa to celebrate

the Catholic community grew as he expressed openness to LGBTQ Catholics and to those living in what the Church considers irregular marriage situations and when he said in an interview in 2013 that the Church cannot talk only about abortion, gay marriage and contraception.

ACTION AND OUTREACH

Mass and pray for migrants who had drowned in the Mediterranean captivated the attention of the media.

But not everyone was pleased with the seeming ease with which he set aside pomp and protocol. And tensions within

One kind of summary of his first 10 years as pope can be found in numbers: He has made 40 trips abroad, visiting 60 countries; in eight consistories he created 95 cardinals under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave and paid tribute to 26 churchmen over the age of 80; and he has presided over the canonizations of 911 new saints, including a group of more

 Signals that his papacy would be different started the moment he stepped out on the balcony.

than 800 martyrs, but also Sts. John Paul II, John XXIII and Paul VI.

In his first major document, the apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel,” he laid out a program for his papacy, looking inside the Church and outside at the world to see what needed to be done to “encourage and guide the whole Church in a new phase of evangelization, one marked by enthusiasm and vitality.”

The document included a discussion of the need to reform Church institutions to highlight their missionary role; to encourage pastoral workers to listen to and stand with the people they were ministering to – his famous line about having “the smell of the sheep”; to deepen an understanding of the Church as “the entire people of God” and not as an

institution or, worse, a club of the elect; to integrate the poor into the Church and society, rather than simply see them as objects of assistance; and to promote peace and dialogue.

‘CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD’

Vatican II.

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

“After Scripture and tradition, the council is the significant foundation, and I would say, characteristic orientation of this papacy,” the cardinal told Catholic News Service. “He has taken the council not from a collection of decrees, but from the lived experience of the council as implemented, as lived, as tested, as developed, you might say, in the Church of Latin America.”

St. John XXIII launched the council with a pastoral focus on what it means to be the Church in the modern world, he said. The papacies of St. John Paul and Pope Benedict, he said, “reverted to a more doctrinal understanding of the council” with “some very good results and with some massive, unfinished business.”

While the work of Pope Francis’ predecessors was important, he said, “I don’t think it picked up the primary agenda (of the council), which was implementing a new understanding of Church in the modern world, a new way of evangelizing because the world is so different from how it was, let’s say, at the end of World War II.”

For Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the agenda of Pope Francis is the original agenda of the Second Vatican Council.

Unlike St. John Paul II and the late Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis did not attend any of the council sessions. And, in fact, because he was ordained to the priesthood Dec. 13, 1969, he is the first pope to be ordained a priest after

As for disagreements with or even controversies about the papacy of Pope Francis, Cardinal Czerny warned against confusing “loud with representative or loud with majority. Loud doesn’t mean any of those things; it means loud.”

But, he said, “the patience of Pope Francis” leads him and encourages others to recognize that the pope’s critics “are not 100% off beam,” or off track; there usually is a grain of truth in what they say or an important value they hold dear that is being overlooked.

Pope Francis embraces a sick child during an audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican Nov. 14, 2014. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Pope Francis waves to the crowd during his general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican on October 13, 2021. CNS/Paul Haring photos

Vatican stamps commemorate Pope’s 10th anniversary

VATICAN CITY (CNS) • The Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office is marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election with a series of four postage stamps.

“We want to celebrate some of the most significant moments of Pope Francis’ pontificate,” the office said in a statement announcing the stamps would

go on sale Feb. 27, just about two weeks before the anniversary of the Pope’s election March 13, 2013.

The 1.20-euro stamp features a photo of Pope Francis praying during the Mass he celebrated to inaugurate his papacy March 19, 2013.

The photo on the 1.25-euro stamp shows Pope Francis kissing the Book

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

of the Gospels and, the office said, was chosen to celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God, a celebration Pope Francis decided in 2019 to add to the Church’s calendar.

The third stamp, carrying a value of 2.40 euros, shows Pope Francis smiling during the Sacrament of Reconciliation and marks his institution of the “24 Hours for the Lord,” a Lenten observance in Rome and at the Vatican focused on making confession widely and easily available.

The final stamp, with a face value of 3.10 euros, features a photo from Pope Francis’ first pastoral trip outside of Rome. He flew to the Italian island of Lampedusa July 8, 2013, to pray for the thousands of migrants who had lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean, to offer words of hope to the asylum seekers who had made the crossing and to encourage everyone to help the newcomers.

The Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office is marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election with a series of four postage stamps. CNS photo/ Courtesy of the Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office

COAT OF ARMS

Pope Francis

Pope Francis’ motto on his coat of arms, “miserando atque eligendo” is taken from a homily by Saint Bede, an English eighth-century Christian writer and doctor of the Church, on the Gospel account of the call of Saint Matthew. It roughly translates to “having mercy, he called him.”

Read more on the Vatican’s website. www.vatican.va/content/ francesco/en/elezione/stemma-papa-francesco.html

MORE ON THE WEB

TRENTONMONITOR.COM

There’s more online to read about the pontificate of Pope Francis as he marks his 10th anniversary.

Pope Francis has ‘jumped Church forward’ in Jewish-Catholic relations

Around the world in 10 years: Pope’s 40 trips reflect his priorities

Pope Francis’ new approach leads to ‘positive steps forward’ in Indigenous-Catholic relations

Pope’s anniversary sees Curia reform complete, financial reform ongoing

QUOTABLE QUOTES from Pope Francis

“Dear young people, my joyful hope is to see you keep running the race before you… The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive at where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.”

(Christus Vivit, 199)

“Alittle bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”

(Angelus, March 17, 2013)

“The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.”

(Laudato Si’, 13)

“What is God’s love? It is not something vague, some generic feeling. God’s love has a name and a face: Jesus Christ, Jesus. Love for God is made manifest in Jesus.”

(Angelus, August 11, 2013)

“Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”

(Fratelli Tutti, 8)

“Whatever you do, don’t be the sorry sight of an abandoned vehicle! Don’t be parked

cars, but dream freely and make good decisions. Take risks, even if it means making mistakes. Don’t go through life anaesthetized or approach the world like tourists. Make a ruckus! Cast out the fears that paralyze you, so that you don’t become young mummies. Live! Give yourselves over to the best of life!”

(Christus Vivit, 143)

“Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.”

(Laudato Si’, 91)

“The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious, and laity – into this ‘art of accompaniment’ which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other. The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates, and encourages growth in the Christian life.”

(Evangelii Gaudium, 169)

“Although she constantly holds up the call to perfection and asks for a fuller response to God, the Church must accompany with attention and care the weakest of her children, who show signs of a wounded and troubled love, by restoring in them hope and confidence… Let us not forget that the Church’s task is often like that of a field hospital.”

(Amoris Laetitia, 291)

Pope penned major documents on reform, evangelization, caring for creation

BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY • In documents issued his first 10 years in office, Pope Francis covered topics as diverse as strengthening one’s faith, evangelization, caring for creation, accompanying families and young people, and respecting indigenous peoples.

He wrote a major document on reforming the Roman Curia, three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. Here is a list of his major texts:

APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION:

“Praedicate Evangelium” (“Preach the Gospel”). The Pope’s long awaited apostolic constitution on the reform of the Roman Curia was released in 2022. It replaced St. John Paul II’s 1988 constitution, “Pastor Bonus,” and reorganized

Pope Francis: Te frst 10years

ians of the Tradition”) was published in 2021 and declared the liturgical books promulgated after the Second Vatican Council to be “the unique expression of the ‘lex orandi’ (law of worship) of the Roman Rite,” restoring the obligation of priests to have their bishops’ permission to celebrate according to the “extraordinary” or pre-Vatican II Mass and ordering bishops not to establish any new groups or parishes in their dioceses devoted to the old liturgy.

“Vos Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”). The document, published in 2019, revised and clarified norms and procedures for holding bishops and religious superiors accountable when accused of abuse or of covering up for priests or other churchworkers accused of sexually abusing minors or vulnerable adults. It requires all priests and religious to report suspected abuse or cover-ups and encourages any layperson to report through a now-mandated reporting “system” or office that must be

the Roman Curia to highlight its role in promoting the Church as a community of missionary disciples, sharing the Gospel and caring for all those in need.

APOSTOLIC LETTERS:

“Desiderio Desideravi” (“I have earnestly desired”). In this 2022 letter, the Pope insisted that Catholics need to better understand the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council and its goal of promoting the “full, conscious, active and fruitful celebration” of the Mass. He reflected on the power and beauty of the Mass, emphasized the need to limit celebrations of the liturgy according to the rite in use before the Second Vatican Council and called for greater awareness of the sacrifice of Christ and his real presence in the Eucharist.

“Traditionis Custodes” (“Guard-

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set up in each diocese.

ENCYCLICALS:

“Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”) was Pope Francis’ first encyclical, published in 2013. It was built largely on the work of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, completing a trilogy of encyclicals on the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. The encyclical on faith encouraged Catholics to embrace their faith more fully.

“Laudato si’, On Care for Our Common Home” was published in 2015. He said his encyclical on the environment was a means of entering into dialogue with all people about humanity’s responsibility toward “the common home that God has entrusted to us.”

“Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship” was published in 2020. It highlighted what the Pope said were urgent social, political and religious issues and the need to address them together based on the truth that all people are brothers and sisters, leading to greater solidarity and concern for the poor and the Earth.

POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATIONS:

“Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of

the Gospel”). The document on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world was published in 2013 with the aim of encouraging ongoing the missionary renewal of all members of the Church. Calling for a new chapter in evangelization, the Pope also provided a clear guide to joy of the beatitudes, the grace of discernment and the signs of holiness that express a person’s love for God and neighbor.

“Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”). The Pope’s 2016 post-synodal exhortation on marriage, love and family life brought together the results of the two Synods of Bishops on the family, looking at the challenges experienced by families and affirming the importance of accompaniment when providing pastoral care, particularly to people seeking to regularize their marriages.

“Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”). The 2018 apostolic exhor-

tation on the call to holiness challenged Christians to take the dignity of all human life seriously, viewing it in light of Christ’s incarnation. The Pope offered a road map for simple ways that everyday people can be holy.

“Christus Vivit” (“Christ is Alive”), published in 2019, was the Pope’s response to the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment. In the text, the Pope told young people they are loved and valued and needed by the Church and he pleaded with older members of the Church not to stifle the enthusiasm of the young, but to offer gentle guidance when needed.

“Querida Amazonia” (“The Beloved Amazon”) was a 2020 post-synodal exhortation in response to the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon. It called for an end to exploitation of the Indigenous peoples and the natural resources of the Amazon and for greater efforts to organize regular pastoral care of Catholics in the region, including by recognizing the role women play in Catholic communities, respecting popular forms of piety and working to inculturate the faith in Amazonian cultures.

© Catholic News Service / U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops.

MARIE STESNER

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then moved to Bayville in 1976.

Mrs. Stesner was a graduate of Ocean County College and she worked as a registered nurse in Community Medical Center, Toms River, and Tall-

Woods Care Center, Bayville, for 40 years.

In addition to Deacon Stesner, to whom she had been married for 55 years, Mrs. Stesner is survived by two daughters, Tracey Stesner and Cheryl (James) McNally, and a son, Patrick, Jr. (Danyelle), and

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four grandchildren.

FRANCIS’ PAPAL STYLE

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often draws on literary themes and rhetorical devices.

DOORS I SIDING I WINDOWS

I SIDING I

OBITUARY INFORMATION  Additional obituaries will be posted to TrentonMonitor.com as information becomes available.

FAMILY

THE DIOCESE OF TRENTON is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to its own policies and guidelines in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors.

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Masses – closed to the public –in prisons, refugee centers and rehabilitation centers, washing the feet of Catholics and non-Catholics, men and women, in order to show Christ’s love for everyone, especially the most marginalized.

His memorable metaphors and allegories have a religious message: priests need to be “shepherds living with the ‘smell of sheep’”; Confession is not “sitting down in a torture chamber”; and Catholics must resist “a throwaway culture” that readily disposes of people’s lives and dignity.

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If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know of someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan

ABUSE HOTLINE: 1-888-296-2965 or via e-mail at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.

The Diocese of Trenton reports any allegations of sexual abuse to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Anyone with an allegation is also encouraged to provide that information to local law enforcement authorities.

for over a century

His idea of “outreach” has included reaching outside the Vatican bubble. He called in “outsiders” as the majority of the members of his International Council of Cardinals and of the Vatican safeguarding commission. He gets a new personal secretary every few years and gives dozens of interviews to big and small media outlets.

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His desire to “speak from the heart” means many offthe-cuff comments, homespun anecdotes, sharp rebukes or critiques and an occasional statement that requires clarification or an apology.

A native-Spanish speaker who grew up with Italian-speaking relatives in Argentina, the Pope merges a number of styles and, as a former high school teacher,

Pope Francis also has offered a new approach to evangelization that he had mapped out in his brief address during the pre-conclave meetings of the cardinals. Cardinal Bergoglio’s words struck a chord with his listeners and formed the basis of his blueprint as pope.

The outline of his talk said that when the Church is self-referential with a kind of theological narcissism, it gets sick and is unable to carry out its mission to go out and evangelize; in effect, such a Church keeps Jesus within and does not let him out.

Jesus is knocking so that “we will let him come out,” the then-Cardinal Bergoglio had said, and the next pope needs to help the Church go out to the “peripheries” and become “the fruitful mother who gains life from the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.”