SFU expert Dr. Hilmar Pabel speaks to the importance of the newly elected Pope Francis
By Leah Bjornson
Photo courtesy of Catholic Church / Flickr
The world was taken aback earlier this month when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was considered far from being a frontrunner in the papal race, greeted the Roman spectators at the Vatican as their new Pope. Despite being a “dark horse,” this humble cardinal from Argentina has already caused both Catholics and nonCatholics alike to speculate that his election might mark a shift in the Church’s future.
The need to elect a new Pope arose last month, when Benedict XVI resigned, citing a “lack of strength of mind and body.” Benedict’s marked the first papal resignation since Gregory the XII in 1415.
The initial shock felt by the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics at this news quickly gave way to speculation as to who Benedict’s successor might be: could it be Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan? Or Marc Ouellet, a Canadian and the Vatican’s top staff director?
This speculation proved fruitless when, preceded by a cloud of fumata bianca rising out of the Vatican chimney, Bergoglio’s election was announced.
“If one can speak of love at first sight with popes, this is one for whom you might have that feeling,” commented Hilmar M. Pabel, a professor and chair in SFU’s department of history. “The way in which he began his papacy is amazingly humble. He’s immediately created tremendous sympathy for himself, not intentionally, but his character seems so attractive.”
Bergoglio’s humility is reflected in his papal name, Francis. Some initially wondered if he had named himself after St. Francis of Assisi, a Jesuit missionary.
Though this name would have been somewhat fitting, as the Roman cardinals had gone to the ends of the world to find Bergoglio, the 226th pontiff has clarified that the connection he made was with poverty. St. Francis of Assisi, born to a well-to-do merchant family, gave up his wealth to follow Lady Poverty after hearing Jesus speak to him in a broken down chapel.
This is the first time a pope has chosen the name “Francis,” and he therefore won’t be called “Francis I” until another pontiff chooses to become “Francis II.” Pope Francis spoke about the election recently, and revealed that the decision to take the name was inspired by his friend, Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes.
“When things became a bit dangerous, he comforted me, and when the vote for me reached the two-thirds majority, a moment in which the cardinals started applauding because they had chosen a pope, he hugged me, he kissed me and he said ‘don’t forget the poor,’ ” said Pope Francis, according to Christian Post.
Pope Francis’s accession to the Holy See has caused many to hope for the future of the Church, but many challenges still remain to be faced. There is the enduring problem of clerical sexual abuse, the nontransparency of the Roman curia, and the issue the role of women in the church. Questions have also been raised about the new pope’s complicity in abuses committed by the military junta in Argentina between 1976 and 1983, but the Vatican was quick to quash these rumours.
“It does look to some people as a hint of scandal, but it may be more of a fabrication than anything else,” commented Pabel. “But this happens to everyone. I’m sure you can dig up things on Andrew Petter. You don’t elevate priests to bishops if there are questionable things about their past.”
The importance of Pope Francis’s election should not be lost on Canadians, regardless of religious views.
“The fact that the pope stood up for the poor in his first press conference might make Canadians think about their involvement in the world, and reflect on their commitments to the developing world,” said Pabel. “It’s important for students, whether religious or not, to see that religion, faith, and spirituality remain powerful forces in the world, privately or publicly. The election of a pope, especially this pope, highlights that.”
“Religion is not dead. God is not dead. And Pope Francis wants this to be a power for good.”
