Marking 10 Years of Pope Francis' Pontificate

Christ is risen! …May this Easter be for each of you, dear brothers and sisters, and in particular for the sick and the poor, the elderly and those experiencing moments of trial and weariness, a passage from affliction to consolation. We are not alone: Jesus, the Living One, is with us, forever. Let the Church and the world rejoice, for today our hopes no longer come up against the wall of death, for the Lord has built us a bridge to life. Yes, brothers and sisters, at Easter the destiny of the world was changed, and on this day, which also coincides with the most probable date of Christ’s resurrection, we can rejoice to celebrate, by pure grace, the most important and beautiful day of history.

-Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi, Easter 2023 reetings of Peace in this Easter Season!

Last month, I had the privilege and blessing to participate in a conference marking the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ pontificate. I heard many compelling presentations on the pastoral wisdom and inspiring leadership of our Holy Father. In honor of these past 10 years of his pontificate, I would like to share some excerpts from a talk given at the conference by KERRY ALYS ROBINSON, Executive Partner of Leadership Roundtable (whose mission “seeks to elevate and implement best practices in management and leadership to establish a culture of co-responsible, servant leadership for a healthy, thriving Church in the U.S.” [https://leadershiproundtable. org/]). I am grateful to Kerry both for her powerful and eloquent presentation, and for her permission to print the text that follows.

What does the papacy of Pope Francis mean to a people who yearn for the Church to fulfill its potential and to be effective at its mission? What does the papacy of Pope Francis mean to a people who yearn to be proud to belong to the Church? It is in that spirit that I offer these reflections….

For Pope Francis, leadership is entirely about serving others, and doing so with humility and mercy. “The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service and love,” offers Pope Francis. “To change the world we must be good to those who cannot repay us.” And in his surprise TED talk he entreated his worldwide audience to “Please, allow me to say it loud and clear: the more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly…. Through humility and concrete love power becomes a service, a force for good.”

Pope Francis’ style of leadership is breathtaking. Think about the political divisions and concomitant vitriol we experience in this country. Once years ago Pope Francis said, “Politics is the highest form of love.” That seems incongruous - unless you see how Pope Francis leads….

Francis emulates what he advocates. This consistency contributes to the sense of authenticity, sincerity, and integrity so many of us recognize in him.

He exudes empathy. He spends his time in refugee camps, in hospitals, in prisons, in countries torn apart by war. In ten years he has made 40 international trips, many to war torn, violent, dangerous countries. He reminds us constantly of “the moral urgency of peace.” He celebrates his birthday focusing on others – celebrating with homeless women and men, or sick children. He routinely calls the cell phones of people who have suffered to offer encouragement and prayer. He speaks truth to power and reminds us of who we are called to be at our best: sisters and brothers in a human family of more than eight billion.

Pope Francis enjoins us to go to the peripheries, and sets the example. Consider the cardinals he has appointed from the peripheries, including the first cardinals ever from El Salvador, Laos, Mali, Sweden, Luxembourg and Morocco….

A modern-day prophet, Pope Francis reads the signs of the times and awakens us to meaningful change in our behavior—within the Church and within the world. Complex global challenges like forced migration, extreme poverty, human trafficking, war, and climate change do not intimidate him; they only break his heart and command responsive action. He insists on ecumenical and interfaith dialogue for the sake of the world and of God. At eighty-six he is a master communicator, the first truly “tweetable pope,” whose injunctions in 140 characters or less, in multiple languages, are consistently uplifting and ennobling.

Powerful images of Pope Francis pull at the heart and stir the imagination. Iconic images of him washing and kissing the feet of inmates, of women, of Muslims; exuberant selfies with teenagers; joyful interactions with newly married couples and children; and his loving, tactile embrace of a fifty-three-year-old man afflicted with neurofibromatosis. And in 2019 Pope Francis received South Sudan's political leaders at the Vatican, and got down on his knees to kiss their feet, imploring them not to return to civil war.

He admonishes … “sourpusses” and insists that the joy of the Gospel be promulgated by our very lives. He asked every Catholic parish in Europe to welcome a refugee family and set the example by sponsoring two families in Vatican apartments. He goes to confession. He buses his own tray. He bowed his head and asked for our blessing before giving his inaugural blessing as pope. He declines the apostolic palace in favor of a simple room at Santa Marta, preferring to live in community for the health of his psyche and his soul. He is a pope of the people. A pope of surprises. A pope of joy. And a pope of tenderness….

Pope Francis asks one thing of everyone he meets, every time: “Pray for me.”

Prayer changes the one praying. When we commit to praying for someone, we become complicit in their well being, their peace, their flourishing, and their alignment with God’s desire. We cannot be passive observers of Pope Francis.

When Pope Francis asks us to pray for him. When he entreats us to encounter and accompany one anoth er. When he invites us to relate to one another synod ally. When he asks us to make a mess or cause a stir. When he asks us to listen to the Holy Spirit and to each other. When he enjoins us to engage in ecumeni cal and interfaith dialogues and friendships. When he invites us to discern, to be oth er-centered, to be merciful, to be mis sionary disciples. When he issues these invitations, he is urging us to be active participants in our faith, he is asking us to be co-responsible in the important Gospel priorities to which his papacy is dedicated.

We have been entrusted with such a priceless gift by virtue of our baptism and belonging to this wildly diverse, often messy, imperfect, gracefilled, beautiful com munity of the people of God, under an ever enlarging tent.

Todd Graff Director of Lay Formation & RCIA tgraff@dowr.org

Let's all be responsible for being the Church God so desires us to be.

In closing, let’s not just celebrate and be grateful for and pray for Pope Francis. Let’s accept his invitation to active participation and co-responsibility. Let’s be the Church we yearn to see. A more relevant Church to young adults, a more joyful Church, a Church of integrity, ethics, trust, justice and openness. A safe environment for the most vulnerable. A Church that values and invites the immense competencies of women. A Church worthy of profound generosity. A Church at the forefront of justice, peace and charity.

Let us be healers. Let us be bearers of the good news, witnesses to new life: Help to give faithful, articulate, prophetic voice to the importance of baptismal rights and responsibilities. Be part of the global transformation of consciousness that celebrates, invites, affirms and encourages the genuine collaboration of laity, religious and clergy in the service of the Church’s mission.

A Church the world needs because the world needs solace, healing, peace, hope, mercy, generosity, and the light and love of Christ.

To conclude, I would encourage all of us to be united in praying for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, each day as he shepherds our Universal Church. I wish you the joy and peace of our Risen Lord in these Easter days. Christ is risen! Christ is truly risen! Alleluia!

Brothers, sisters, may we rediscover the enjoyment of the journey, quicken the heartbeat of hope and experience a foretaste of the beauty of heaven! Today, let us summon the energy to advance in goodness towards Goodness itself, which never disappoints. If, as one of the ancient