After a long delay the new pope stepped onto the balcony. Moments later his first words echoed across St Peter’s Square. “Brothers and Sisters, good evening.” He then said to the world, “You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one… but here we are… I thank you for your welcome.” Traditionally the new pope prays a blessing over the people gathered in the Square and for the people of the world. Just before Bergoglio did this he said, “And now I would like to give the blessing, but first – first I ask a favour of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop. Let us make, in silence, this prayer: your prayer over me.”

In these initial moments of encounter, between the new pontiff and the world, something changed. He did not use a script; he spoke in a manner and tone that was different. From the day after he was elected Pope Francis has endeavoured to set the papacy and Catholic Church on a new trajectory. He travelled with the cardinals in a bus (not in a VIP vehicle accompanied by a blue light brigade), went to pay his own hotel bill and decided not to wear and use some of the other trappings associated with the papacy – like the gold pectoral cross or red mozzetta (cape) that symbolises authority.

Reflecting on the second anniversary of the Pope’s election, Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town (and President of the Southern African Catholic Bishop’s Conference – SACBC) said, “Pope Francis continues to call us, in a simple, straightforward and practical way, to return to the essence of the Gospel – love of God and neighbour. His emphasis on mercy, forgiveness, and compassion for the poor keeps alive what Christ taught by word and example… As a Bishops’ Conference, in our dioceses and parishes, we must respond to this challenge to return to the radical nature of the Gospel.’’

In July 2013, a few months after his election, Francis journeyed to the small Italian island of Lampedusa, which struggles with the influx of thousands of illegal immigrants from Africa, with a radical message. He called for a “reawakening of consciences” to counter the “indifference” shown to migrants. He asked the world to be compassionate to their plight. The island has become a gateway to Europe for many Africans fleeing conflict and poverty. Immigration is a hot-button topic with political ramifications all over the world, but the pontiff was determined to visit and assure the migrants of his solidarity with them. He urged political leaders to act.

One of the reasons the cardinals could have elected Bergoglio was because of his interjection in the pre-conclave meetings. He, apparently, said that the Catholic Church suffers from “self-referentiality” and a “theological narcissism” and needed reform. In the past two years Francis’ attempts to change things have captured the public’s imagination and given many hope that the Catholic Church will emerge from years of what seemed like an internal battle, scandal, and stagnation. In an unprecedented move, Francis gathered eight (later he added another) cardinals around him from all over the globe as consultants so he could embark collaboratively on the task of a much-needed reform of the Church. He spoke out strongly about issues, like the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, going further than previous popes, by not only apologising to victims but admitting that the Church had at times been complicit by not speaking out and taking action.

Marius Oosthuizen, lecturer in strategy, leadership, and ethics at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, commenting on the Pope’s leadership style, said, “He has responded to the call to restore the prophetic authority of the Church in our age. Through humility and resolve he is demonstrating that the demand for structural justice is not to be directed at the institutions of this world alone but crucially required of the Church herself. His transformational leadership seeks to wash the feet of his own community at a time when authenticity among leaders has been far too rare.”

In September 2013 the Pope agreed to an interview for a number of Jesuit Journals around the world. In the interview, conducted by Antonio Spadaro SJ, Francis spoke candidly about himself saying he was a “sinner” and could be “naïve”. He surprised the world by offering a very different understanding and vision of the Church. He called the Church a “field hospital” in which people can have their wounds healed. He said the Church had “locked itself up” in “small-minded rules.” Some people with more conservative approaches were alarmed when, in the same interview, he said, “We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that. But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time.”

In November 2013 Pope Francis published his first Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. In this document he focused on evangelisation but begun by speaking of the importance of reforming the Church from within – a reform, he said, that “cannot be deferred”. He told the clergy of the Church how they should behave and dedicated a large portion of the document to preaching. He warned clergy that if they did not take this seriously they risked being “ false prophets, frauds and shallow imposters”.

The Pope also criticised “trickle-down” economic theories; this frustrated a number of capitalists and some economists took umbrage at his comments. Pope Francis has emphasised repeatedly that the Church needs to be of the poor and for the poor. Commenting on this spokesperson for the SACBC, Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria, says, “Francis is a priest who has encountered Jesus on the streets of the poor, and he wants the Church and the world to go visiting them with him.”  

Francis inherited an indifferent administration. He moved swiftly to deal with the financial woes of the Vatican (including serious allegations of fraud and money laundering against the Vatican bank) by appointing outspoken Australian, Cardinal George Pell, as full time head of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy. In his Christmas address to the central administration of the Church the Pope warned officials not to think they are “lords of the manor”. He spoke about the “sickness of mental and spiritual hardening” and warned officials against the “ailment of rivalry and vainglory” as well as the “sickness of chatter, grumbling and gossip.” From what he said, it’s clear that Francis suffered no illusions about the dysfunctional papal bureaucracy at the root of many problems in the Church.

In October 2013 the Pontiff called a Synod on the Family scheduled for 2015, which the Vatican announced would be preceded by an Extraordinary Synod of the Family in October 2014. In a press conference aboard a flight from Rio to Rome the Pope said that he wanted to explore a “somewhat deeper pastoral care of marriage”, including the question of the eligibility of divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion. Pope Francis has, over and over, stressed the importance of mercy. The Pope’s calling of the Synod and his comments on what he hoped to do at the Synod soon revealed factions in the hierarchy. In the midst of the Synod it became clear that not all those in authority in the Church agreed – in fact some, like Cardinal Raymond Burke, criticised the process and the Pope himself. Conservative Catholic media, often fuelled by some opposing hierarchs, have channeled much energy into growing opposition against Francis.

Yet, despite the opposition from some quarters, Pope Francis still has favourable ratings. In a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre for Religion and Public Life in the US, it was overwhelmingly clear that people like the Pope. Eighty-five percent of Catholics and 60% of non-Catholics viewed the Pope favourably. These ratings were from across generations. Bishop Jose Luis Ponce de Leon (who is also Argentinian) of Manzini, Swaziland, said that he noticed how Pope Francis always smiles. “When becoming bishop of Rome he started to smile all the time. The Argentinian bishops told him they never knew he had teeth! The priests in Buenos Aires used to tell him he ruined the Confirmation photos with that face. He now seems to irradiate a particular joy that touches people.”

Fr. Grant Emmanuel, associate secretary general of the SACBC, believes that Pope Francis’ ratings are high because of “the manner in which Francis has led the Church and highlighted the positive contribution that the Catholic Church can make on all levels. He leads from the centre, yet reaches out to those on the peripheries with so much compassion and humility. As the chief shepherd he is an inspiration to many of us who are called to ministry. His invitation for the Shepherd to smell like the sheep guides my ministry”.

Congolese Bishop, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, who leads the diocese of Bokungu-Ikela, said that the reality he lives in is now being better understood in Rome. “Before it was difficult… for me, this is a big, big change. We find now that what we are living is listened to in the Vatican,” Bishop Besungu remarked. He said that the changes in the Vatican seem “like a change not only in attitude but a new anthropology for the way of living our faith”. Bishop Ponce de Leon said that he was struck by the way Pope Francis listened when the bishops of Southern Africa went to Rome. “Francis did not sit and ask us questions,” he said. “He allowed us to ask him questions and was ready to share his view and experience on absolutely anything.” Ponce de Leon also said, “I still enjoy the fact that when I meet him I would normally extend my hand but he goes for a hug. It is that personal touch that it is manifested with different people in different ways. The Pope seems ‘free’ in a difficult environment. Yet he has stayed the same and now allowed the environment to change him.”

Sr Hermenegild Makoro, the secretary general of the SACBC, described the Pontiff as “a man of compassion”. Makoro was appointed by Francis to be a member of the Pontifical Commission that deals with issues related to sex abuse in the Church. She met the Pope when she attended the first meeting of this Commission. Speaking of her encounter with Francis she said, “I have been struck by the way he reaches out to people from all walks of life. His compassion is felt, he is not only asking us to be compassionate but this is what he does as he communicates with people. He makes you feel very important in his presence.” She recalls a bishop saying, “You feel like a celebrity in the presence of Pope Francis!”

Although the word “reform” is often used when mentioning Pope Francis – and there are high expectations of change and that he will re-orientate Catholicism – it may be a lot trickier than we (or Francis!) think. Transforming Vatican power dynamics is key to any change. The biggest test for Pope Francis will be his ability to lead bishops to share his vision of a Church that is open to all, engaging with the world (not condemning it), compassionate and merciful. Archbishop Brislin acknowledges that Pope Francis “poses the difficult questions which many people are asking, confident that together we can find clarity and truth”.

The October 2015 Synod on the Family might be the “make or break” moment of his papacy. Many people anticipate and hope that there will be good news for divorced and remarried Catholics, for example. Will Francis be able to create the “open and welcoming Church” by leading others to embrace the new set of priorities he has outlined and which are firmly rooted in the Gospels?

Vatican analyst, Fr. Thomas Reese SJ, offers us a sober reminder reflecting on the second anniversary of Pope Francis’ election: “But the church is not the pope. Unless bishops, priests, and laity follow his example and embrace his priorities, there will not be permanent change in the church. The temptations to clericalism and self-centeredness are too strong. We have to stop admiring the pope and start imitating him.”

That will be his biggest challenge: inspiring others to do the same. DM

Photo: Pope Francis attends his weekly general audience at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican December 11, 2013. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito