FRANCIS

Andrea Tornielli

FRANCISPope of a New World

Translated byWilliam J. Melcher

CATHOLIC TRUTH SOCIETYLONDON

IGNATIUS PRESS SAN FRANCISCO

Original Italian editionJorge Mario Bergoglio. Francesco Insieme

© 2013 by Edizioni Piemme Spa, Milan, Italy

Cover photoPope Francis Waves to the Crowd from the Balcony of St.Peter’s Basilica

Wednesday, March 13, 2013©APPhoto / DmitryLovetsky

Cover design by John Herreid

© 2013 by Ignatius Press, San FranciscoAll rights reserved

Published in the UK and Republic of Ireland 2013by the Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, London

ISBN:978-1-86082-872-0www.CTSbooks.org

Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CRO 4YY

To my mother, Eleonora

Contents

Foreword by Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J. ix

Introduction 1

1. Habemus Papam Franciscum 7

2. If a Pope Resigns because of Old Age 19

3. Padre Bergoglio’s Conclave 43

4. Risotto in the Bergoglio House 69

5. The Confession on September 21 80

6. A Priest under the Dictatorship 91

7. A Cardinal on the Subway 105

8. The Villas Miserias and “TheImperialism of Money” 122

9. Francis, the Reasons for a Name 135

10. What the Pope Will Be 153

11. A Life “Transfixed” by God’s Look ofLove 170

Foreword

by Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J.

In my adult years as a priest, the Chair of Peter hasbeen filled four times. The election of John Paul Ievoked the usual joy of having a new Holy Fatherand the hope that the Church might find stability ata time of theological and liturgical turmoil. How-ever, I did not feel particular engagement with thenew pope. The shock thirty days later when he diedactually made a deeper impression on me than hadhis election.

The election of his successor got my attention,and I remember well that a radio was broadcastingin the background as I studied, waiting for theannouncement of a new pope. When the news-caster said that Karol Wojtyła of Kraków, Poland,was now Pope John Paul II, I raced down the threeflights of stairs, perhaps touching a few of them as Iran, carrying a box of chocolates to pass out on the

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street as I gleefully announced to every passerby, “Thenew pope is Polish!” Excitement that a Pole hadbeen chosen swelled my heart with ethnic pride andjoy, making Polish jokes and slurs in the past fadeinto insignificance. However, the twenty-seven-yearreign far exceeded ethnic hopes, as his vigor cap-tured everyone’s attention and a whole new approachto philosophy and theology fired an enthusiasm forthe truth of the Catholic faith. From his first year aspope, vocations began to increase and a generationof clergy, religious, and laity would be known asthe John Paul II generation. Dissidents on the theo-logical right and left huddled among themselves asCatholicism swelled to a new force in the modernworld under John Paul’s leadership.

In 2005, I watched the advance of Pope Bene-dict XVI to Saint Peter’s balcony with a deeper joy,since it meant that another extraordinary teacherwould continue to guide the Church, leaving theo-logical and liturgical confusion farther behind. Hefocused on Jesus Christ as he quietly, humbly ledthe Church forward, retaining the love and alle-giance of the John Paul generation.

Pope Benedict’s retirement came as a jolt but notas a total surprise. His age had advanced, and hisstrength had waned. This book presents many keyinsights into Pope Benedict’s retirement, and everyCatholic will appreciate the mature assessment of a

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decision that raised much speculation and less wis-dom from various pundits inside and outside theChurch.

In 2013, the election of Pope Francis evoked anotherkind of pride—a fellow Jesuit, the first one in his-tory, had been elected pope. Certainly Jesuits hadspoken of him, since he was not only an archbishopin an important archdiocese, Buenos Aires, Argen-tina, but also a cardinal. The Constitutions of theSociety of Jesus prohibit Jesuits from seeking to bebishops, but the pope can override that rule and choosea Jesuit to belong to the college of bishops, as hap-pened to Father Jorge Bergoglio, S.J. Vague rumorscirculated that he was a papabile after John Paul IIdied, but most Jesuits I knew dismissed them withthe generally accepted assumption that a Jesuit wouldnever be pope. I remembered him from 2005, but Ithought he might be past the age being sought for anew pope in 2013, since so many people were speak-ing about the importance of a young pope for themodern world. However, neither his age nor his beinga Jesuit hindered him, and Jorge Bergoglio, S.J., walkedout on the balcony of Saint Peter’s as Pope Francis.

As I watched this drama develop, my pride wasnot exuberant, as when the Pole Karol Wojtyłaemerged, but quiet. I stood in the EWTN studiowith Franciscan friars, cameramen, fellow hostswaiting to comment, and visitors who formed an

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audience. Their congratulations to me as a Jesuitcould not change my silence; text messages beganpouring into my phone, but it was not a time toaccept congratulations, especially since I had donenothing but follow the gift of my Jesuit vocation asPope Francis had done even longer than I.

A peaceful joy deepened as this new pope’s per-sonality unfolded before the crowd in Saint Peter’sSquare, the whole world, and us in the studio. Hissimple “Good evening”, his light comments aboutbeing the Bishop of Rome, and especially his bowtoward us, that we all might pray for him and blesshim before he blessed us for the first time as pope,were a triumph of quiet joy. This moment was fol-lowed by many small moments of making ordinaryactions quite uncommon—riding a bus with the car-dinals, praying alone at Saint Mary Major, stoppingto pay his bill in person at a Rome hotel for priests,calling the man who delivered his papers in BuenosAires to cancel the subscription, meeting with theJesuit Father General Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., to accepthis offer of Jesuit support to the new pope, and thePope’s extension of his apostolic blessing to all Jesu-its and those who work with them. These momentsstream forth from him, making his office yet moreamazing.

Where does all this come from in Pope Francis?What led to the election of a Latin American Jesuit

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as pope? What is the background against which hisfirst papal acts find their context? Certainly his fam-ily is essential, and in this book we get a first glimpseof the people who raised him and their attitudestoward his Jesuit vocation. We learn how the Lordcalled him from his first career choice to a Jesuitvocation that could incorporate those same talentsin ministry rather than career. We will understandthe development of his Jesuit life in a period of tur-moil and change in the Church and during extraor-dinarily difficult political circumstances, as theArgentinian government swung to the violent rightand a secular left that opposed Church teaching. Whatwere the constants in Padre Jorge Bergoglio’s min-istry and service as a Jesuit and as an archbishop inviolent, horrible times? These questions are addressedin this book. In addition, there is invaluable back-ground on Pope Benedict’s resignation and the pro-cess of electing Pope Francis. May this knowledgeof Pope Francis’ past and background enlighten everyreader, not so much as to make the new pope pre-dictable within the confines of the categories stem-ming from his personal history, but to provide acontext for the new surprises he seems capable ofoffering to the Church and to the modern world asa whole.

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Introduction

“I ask you to pray for me . . .”

On Wednesday, March 13, 2013, after having wit-nessed the black smoke in the late morning andeaten my usual meal of vegetables and grilled calamariwith my colleagues at Roberto’s restaurant along thePassetto di Borgo, I left the Vatican to return tothe editorial offices of La Stampa on the via Bar-berini. Ever since newspapers became multimediawebsites as well, print journalists have also had todo live television broadcasts and audio-video ser-vice. “If there is white smoke this evening,” theboss had told me, “we must immediately do a livestreaming broadcast and commentary on the announce-ment . . .” The cardinals had been shut up in theVatican for about a day, without any possibility ofcommunicating with the outside; the forecasts ofthe newspapers and of the various purple-robed prel-ates spoke about a “difficult” and “uncertain”

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conclave, which would certainly be longer than theone in 2005 that had elected Joseph Ratzinger. Forlack of a strong candidate like the Prefect of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith eightyears ago, one capable of galvanizing a consensus,the selection of the 266th Bishop of Rome wouldtherefore be longer and more laborious.

And yet that very day a dear friend and colleagueof mine, Gerard O’Connell, had forewarned me: “Inmy opinion, there could be a pope this evening . . .”That morning I had left the house with a little bookin my bag: El Jesuita, the book-length interview withthe Cardinal of Buenos Aires written by Sergio Rubinand Francesca Ambrogetti. Of all the papabili in theconclave, Cardinal Bergoglio was the one I knewbest. I had interviewed him only once, in February2012, for Vatican Insider, a thematic website of LaStampa, but for several years I had had the oppor-tunity to meet him during his rare trips to Rome. Ihad spoken several times with him about the life ofthe Church. I had become acquainted with and evenhosted in my house in Rome Padre Pepe, one of hispriests who proclaim the Gospel in the villas miser-ias, the shanty-towns of Buenos Aires.

What always struck me about Bergoglio was hisprofound faith vision, his humility, his words, whichwere able to reach people’s hearts and help themreceive the embrace of God’s mercy. On occasion I

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have submitted to him articles or reflections pub-lished on my blog, but I have also asked him forprayers. At the end of every encounter, his unfail-ing request was: “Pray for me, I ask you to pray forme . . .”

Since I live, when in Rome, next door to mylifelong friends Gianni Valente and Stefania Falasca,I have also been able to witness the ties of friend-ship between their family and Padre Bergoglio. I,too, have been able to listen to his stories, his expe-riences as a pastor, his encounters with the faithfulwho have loved him so much, because in him theyrecognize one of themselves: someone who came toserve and not to lord it over them. A man who cameto share, not merely to exercise a sacred authority.Someone who came to attract with his merciful smile,not to “regulate the faith”. A man who came tofacilitate their encounter with Jesus. Nearness, mercy,gentleness, patience: these are the words of FatherBergoglio—a pastor who has related that his great-est sorrow as a bishop was to learn that “some priestsdo not baptize the children of unwed mothers becausethey were not conceived within the sanctity ofmarriage.”

I had seen him extremely calm in the days lead-ing up to the conclave. “At night I sleep like a baby”,he had confided to Gianni and Stefania. He had toldus that he had already prepared his homily for Holy

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Thursday, which he would read upon returning toBuenos Aires; he had spoken to us about his returnflight, already booked for March 23, and about anappointment with the Jewish community that he didnot want to miss. “I must return to my Spouse”, hekept saying, referring to his diocese with a smile onhis face—this bishop who truly considered theChurch of Buenos Aires as a wife, loving and serv-ing her in everything and in everyone, starting withthe poorest. These were not the kind of remarksthat are made almost superstitiously by someone whois trying to exorcise an impending responsibility.These were stories about the life of a simple man.

Yet never before, it seemed to me in the days lead-ing up to the start of the conclave, had I noticed inCardinal Bergoglio such serenity and abandonmentto the will of God, whatever the plan he was pre-paring might be.

Maybe that was also why, on the afternoon ofMarch 13, as soon as I arrived at the office, I beganto write precisely about him, while listening severaltimes with headphones to a musical selection that Ifind particularly relaxing, the famous Canon in DMajor by Pachelbel, performed by the London Sym-phony Orchestra. It so happened once that I heard itperformed on the harp while I was with Padre Ber-goglio and other friends. Then, at 4:05 p.m., after agull had repeatedly perched on the copper chimney

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coping on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, lo andbehold, the very first puffs of white smoke. Theyhad elected a pope. Together with my colleague PaoloMastrolilli, I had to conduct a live streaming videosession for the website of La Stampa. We waited forthe announcement while telling web-surfers what wasabout to happen. When Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauranhad pronounced the prophetic words, “HabemusPapam” and began to pronounce the initial syllable“Geo . . .” of Georgium, I shouted: “Bergoglio!” Ibegan to tell something about him, about his life, hisstory, his way of being a bishop, his simplicity andhumility, his critique of the “spiritual worldliness”of the Church.

“How did you manage to keep from crying dur-ing the live broadcast? We were all crying . . .”, mywife asked me from Milan, via Skype, when I wasfinally able to listen to her.

The simplicity of Pope Francis, his profound ges-ture of bowing his head to receive the blessinginvoked on him by his people, his spontaneousgreeting—“Buona sera”, “Good evening”—and thefact that he continued to be himself and nothingmore, even as Bishop of Rome and Pontiff, madean impression on the hearts of millions of believers.

He did not want the red mozzetta �cape� linedwith ermine or the red shoes. He did not want tochange his poor iron cross or his very modest ring.

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The day afterward, he went to pray before the imageof Maria Salus populi romani �Mary, Welfare of theRoman people� at the Basilica of Saint Mary Majorwithout being accompanied by the pomp of a ret-inue or by an impressive security detail, which toooften runs the risk of making the Bishop of Rome,a pastor, appear in the eyes of the faithful like thepresident of a superpower. Father Bergoglio, PopeFrancis, the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin Ameri-can, the first to take for himself the name of thegreat Saint of Assisi, with his little yet grand ges-tures and his words, at the dawn of his pontificate,is already making people understand what it meanstoday to profess Jesus Christ.

“Let us never yield to pessimism,” he said whilemeeting the cardinals in the Sala Clementina, “letus never yield to that bitterness which the devil offersus every day; let us not yield to pessimism or dis-couragement: let us be quite certain that the HolySpirit bestows upon the Church, with his powerfulbreath, the courage to persevere and also to seeknew methods of evangelization, so as to bring theGospel to the uttermost ends of the earth.” And onthe evening of March 13, the world had a clear tes-timony to it.

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1

Habemus Papam Franciscum

Saint Peter’s Square is an enormous expanse of openumbrellas. Thousands of people, braving the coldand the rain, had been waiting for hours for thecopper chimney of the Sistine Chapel to give theexpected response. On the first evening, at 4:30 p.m.,the long, impressive procession of 115 purple-garbed prelates, the electors of the conclave that hadbeen called to appoint the successor of Benedict XVI,filed from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine. Afterthe oath �of secrecy� and the meditation presentedby Cardinal Prosper Grech, the cardinals voted forthe first time. Even though a result of black smokewas taken for granted, many, many people had gath-ered with their noses held high, waiting to knowthe outcome. The abundant billows of raven-coloredsmoke confirmed that the electors had decided tostart immediately with the ballots. And, as was to

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be expected, none of them had won the seventy-seven votes necessary, equivalent to two-thirds.

On Wednesday, March 13, after an initial whit-ish puff, the smoke at midday had been grayish-black, too, following the two ballots of the morning,that is, the second and third votes of the conclave.In this case, too, a rather predictable outcome. Inthe last hundred years, only Eugenio Pacelli hadbeen elected on the third ballot, in March 1939.�At that time, war was imminent, and the cardinalshastily chose Pope Ratti’s faithful Secretary of State.�Outside, the crowds, both of the media and of thefaithful and the curious, were wondering what wasgoing on beneath the roof of the Sistine Chapel,in front of that dramatic, stupendous fresco of theLast Judgment by Michelangelo. Or what was hap-pening among the cardinals during lunch in theDomus Sanctae Marthae, where they were staying.As of that afternoon, an election began to becomemore likely, despite the predictions of a long, dif-ficult conclave. For Joseph Ratzinger, in April 2005,it had happened that way. He had been elected onthe fourth ballot.

That afternoon, however, the first vote, too, hadbeen inconclusive. There had been no sign of whitesmoke between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. And so this meantthat the cardinals had continued with another vote,the fourth of the day, the fifth of the conclave. The

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smoke, either white or black, was expected around7:00 p.m. A few minutes before then, a seagull hadperched on top of the chimney, and he had beenseen to remain there, immobile, for more than halfan hour, appearing also on the four big screens posi-tioned on the square in front of the Vatican Basilica.

“That is not a good sign,” said one priest, “becausethe bird that symbolizes the Spirit is the dove, cer-tainly not the seagull. It means they have not yetdecided.” And yet there was something that peoplewere paying attention to. A growing expectation forwhich there was no external or human reason.

At 7:05 p.m., white smoke that was at first almosttransparent and then increasingly dense and immac-ulate began to issue from the chimney, a visible signalerting the crowd, which started to applaud. Thepope was elected, even though the world still didnot know his name and his face. At last, at that verymoment, it stopped raining. The wait seemed end-less. Then, finally, the great curtains of the centralloggia �balcony� of Saint Peter’s opened, and the Car-dinal Proto-Deacon Jean-Louis Tauran appearedbefore the crowd to announce the name of the newlyelected pope: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum,habemus Papam, Eminentissimum ac Reverendissi-mum Dominum Georgium Marium, Sanctae Roma-nae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio, qui sibi nomenimposuit Franciscum.”

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“Georgium Marium” would have been enoughto understand that the man elected was the Cardi-nal of Buenos Aires, a Jesuit archbishop born in thatcity seventy-six years before, of a family of emi-grants from the Piedmont.

The name was unknown, and, at first, the peopleremained somewhat disconcerted. � Just as on anotherevening, that of October 16, 1978, when CardinalPericle Felici announced to the faithful that the newpope was Karol Wojtyła.� Padre Bergoglio, then.Everyone was expecting a young pontiff, and insteadthe cardinals had turned around and chosen one whowas already old. Many were making predictions aboutthe “Italian pope”, and instead the new Bishop ofRome arrived from the Southern Hemisphere of theworld, from a far-off land. After retracing in theopposite direction the voyage that his family had madein 1929 when they embarked at the port of Genoa.

Anyone who knows Bergoglio, his stature, hisepiscopate, immediately perceived the import of theevent. This was made evident also by his choice ofname: Francis. Upon hearing that name, the crowdburst into resounding applause. A Jesuit pope whotook the name of the Poverello of Assisi, founder ofthe Franciscans. A sign of change, of a turning point.The call to be radically evangelical, a poor Churchthat journeys, builds, and professes Christ crucified,“the one Savior of all mankind and of all men”.

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A few more minutes passed, and lo and behold,the new pope appeared. It was only 8:10 p.m. Forthe first time in history, before the newly electedpope went out onto the balcony, a snippet of videoby the Vatican Television Center showed Francisclothed in white vestments while waiting at the win-dow. The pontiff was not wearing the red mozzettalined with ermine that had been prepared, nordid he have the stole over his shoulders. Later wewould learn that he did not want to use that regalgarment trimmed with fur. The pectoral cross wasnot changed; it was the one that Jorge MarioBergoglio always carried with him. It is made ofplain metal, not gold. It is not set with any pre-cious stones.

The new pope emerged, surrounded by mastersof ceremony and several cardinals; he wanted to haveat his side the Vicar of Rome, Agostino Vallini. Nosooner had he come out than he made a sign ofgreeting by raising his right hand, and then heremained immobile, looking toward the square. With-out saying a thing, while the crowd applauded andshouted “Viva il papa!” Then finally he spoke andsaid: “Brothers and sisters, good evening . . .” A sim-ple greeting, which recalled the last words of Bene-dict XVI, pronounced a moment before going backinto the papal palace of Castel Gandolfo to remain“hidden from the world”.

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Francis continued: “You know that it was the dutyof the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop. It seemsthat my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends ofthe earth to get one . . . but here we are . . . I thankyou for your welcome. The diocesan community ofRome now has its Bishop. Thank you! And first ofall, I would like to offer a prayer for our BishopEmeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us pray together forhim, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Ladymay keep him.”

He did not describe himself as pope, but recalledat first that he is Bishop of Rome, as, incidentally,John Paul II had done in his first appearance afterhis election. The pope is pope because he is Bishopof Rome, and not vice versa, as some individualswho exalt the splendor of the papal court some-times seem to forget. Pope Bergoglio underscoredthis special, particular bond with the Church of theEternal City. He was a bishop who spoke to themembers of his diocese before addressing the world.

Then, right afterward, Francis invited the peopleto pray for his predecessor, and together with thefaithful he recited the Our Father, the Hail Mary,and the Glory be. He had the people pray, he hadthem recite the most frequently used prayers in theChristian faith.

“And now,” he began to speak again after finish-ing the three prayers, “we take up this journey: Bishop

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and People. This journey of the Church of Rome,which presides in charity over all the Churches. Ajourney of fraternity, of love, of trust among us. Letus always pray for one another. Let us pray for thewhole world, that there may be a great spirit of fra-ternity. It is my hope for you that this journey ofthe Church, which we start today, and in which myCardinal Vicar, here present, will assist me, will befruitful for the evangelization of this most beautifulcity.”

It was the moment for the blessing, the first apos-tolic blessing; the new pope had just asked the peo-ple to be blessed. He asked the people to pray forGod’s blessing on their new bishop. An entirely newand unheard-of request, which sees the laity as play-ing a leading role, the people of God with their prayerfor their new pastor.

“And now I would like to give the blessing, butfirst I ask a favor of you: before the Bishop blesseshis people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that hewill bless me: the prayer of the people asking theblessing for their Bishop. Let us make, in silence,this prayer: your prayer over me.”

Francis bowed his head, then spoke again and said:“Now I will give the Blessing to you and to thewhole world, to all men and women of good will.”He put on the papal stole over his white habit andbestowed the blessing in Latin, granting the plenary

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indulgence “Urbi et Orbi” �to the City and to theWorld�. Then, after saluting with a hand gesture, heasked for the microphone again and concluded:“Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me. Anduntil we meet again. We will see each other soon.Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, thatshe may watch over all of Rome. Good night andsleep well!”

Having left the apostolic palace to return to SantaMarta, the Pope found himself in front of the bigblack car with the license plate “SCV 1” �VaticanCity State #1�. But Francis did not take it. “I’ll geton the bus with the cardinals . . .” He would do thesame the following morning to return to the SistineChapel to concelebrate Mass with the purple-robedprelates.

They say that at dinner there was a festive, relaxedatmosphere. The Church finally had a new pope.The hundred fourteen temporary “prisoners” of theconclave had chosen a “prisoner” for life, the onewho was to remain in the Vatican. Francis, greetinghis confreres after dinner, looked at them and said,“May God forgive you for what you have done.”

That same evening, the new pope telephoned thebishop emeritus, Benedict XVI. It is not the onlytelephone call he made. Francis also called someRoman friends at their home. And he immediatelysent a message to the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo

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Di Segni: “On this day of my election as Bishop ofRome and Pastor of the Universal Church, I sendyou my cordial greetings, informing you that thesolemn inauguration of my pontificate will take placeon Tuesday, March 19. Trusting in the protection ofthe Most High, I strongly hope to be able to con-tribute to the progress of the relations that haveexisted between Jews and Catholics since VaticanCouncil II in a spirit of renewed collaboration andin service of a world that may always be more inharmony with the Creator’s will.”

Francis began the first day of his pontificate asusual, rising very early to pray for a long time beforethe tabernacle. Then, as he had announced the pre-vious evening, he intended to pray to Our Lady tokeep and protect the Diocese of Rome. A little beforeeight, he appeared in the Basilica of Saint Mary Majorfor a private visit. In the large chapel in the leftnave of the oldest church dedicated to Our Lady ispreserved the image of Salus Populi Romani. The newpope entered, holding in one hand a bunch of flow-ers, and stopped to pray before the Marian icon.Then he went to the altar, beneath which is pre-served a relic of the manger of the Nativity. Thento a chapel that is also called Sistine, to the altarwhere Saint Ignatius of Loyola celebrated his FirstMass one Christmas Eve: it is a place fraught withsymbolism for the Jesuits. Francis then prayed at the

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tomb of Saint Pius V, the pope of the Battle ofLepanto and of the Mass of the old rite—the Domin-ican pontiff, the one who inaugurated the traditionof white as the color for papal vestments because hewanted to keep his Dominican religious habit.

After praying, Francis met the staff, the cardinalspresent, and the Dominican confessors. “Mercy,mercy, mercy . . .” This was his invitation to themas he greeted them one by one. “You are confes-sors, and therefore be merciful to souls. They needit”, he added.

The new pope arrived in a car belonging to theVatican police, not with the papal limousine. Andhe had an escort that was reduced to the minimum.The evening of his election, he had tried to speakwith the director of the Domus Sacerdotalis Pau-lus VI, the house for clergy at via della Scrofa 70 inRome, where he usually resided during his visits tothe capital and where he had stayed for the two weeksbefore the conclave. On the days of the General Con-gregations, he always went on foot, both to and from.

The Pope notified the director that he would comeby to pick up his luggage and his personal effectsand to pay the bill. And so it was. Francis arrived inthe former palace just a few steps from the PiazzaNavona accompanied by the Prefect of the PapalHousehold, Archbishop Georg Gänswein, and, look-ing at their dismayed expressions, which seemed to

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be trying to tell him, “Your Holiness, you are jok-ing, you are really not going to pay?”, he explainedto them: “Precisely because I am the pope I mustset an example.”

Then he decided to go up to the room person-ally to collect his things, and he packed his suitcasehimself. As he was accustomed to doing, inciden-tally, on every trip. Because Jorge Mario Bergogliowas always a bishop without a secretary. The popewho refuses the big sedan and the retinue, who pre-fers to ride with his “brother cardinals”, who doesnot let anyone put ermine-trimmed garments on him,who does not think that he has risen to such a heightas to prevent him from packing his bags himself andfrom demanding to pay the bill at the clergy house,like any other guest. So many little major signs.Today’s world requires the Church to witness to theGospel more by her life than by her words. And itshould be normal for a Christian to behave withsobriety, with simplicity. Some displays of the ChurchTriumphant perhaps had significance in the past. Cer-tainly today they appear out of date and not in keep-ing with modern sensibilities. And in some cases,they even run the risk of giving a contrary witness.Instead of bringing people closer, they drive themaway. Pope Francis, by being himself through andthrough, attracts. As proved by the extraordinary reac-tion of so many, many people in the world who are

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struck and fascinated by his extraordinary ordinari-ness and by his simplicity.

“Surely this pope will create an unprecedentedproblem for Vatican security”, commented the JesuitFather Federico Lombardi, director of the VaticanPress Office. He immediately added, however, “Butthose responsible for security are at the service ofthe Holy Father and know that they must adapt tohis pastoral style.”

The pope is not the one who has to adapt tocertain exaggerated displays that in the name of secu-rity ran the risk of keeping Benedict XVI in a cageduring the final years of his pontificate. The entou-rage are the ones who have to adapt to the style ofthe pontiff. A pontiff who is Bishop of Rome andwho intends to establish a special relationship withhis city and diocese.

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