By Anne Lastman

The Pope of the 21^st century looks out over his billion and half flock and surely must wonder at how different these days are.  

As he ponders over his flock, he must at times wonder how he can lead a flock which does not appear to want to be led.  And he turns and goes back and gently prods a few more strays back into the fold and gently prods a few more while others in the meantime escape.

How can he tell which is his flock from the flock of other shepherds because today’s catholic flock no longer show signs of being Catholic?  Today they no longer show the obvious signs of being Catholic and believe as they believed in the past.  A past when Catholics believed that Mass was sacred and the Blessed Eucharist is the precious body and blood of Our Saviour Jesus Christ and that the Sacraments are a divine initiative leading towards heaven. 

And so, into this milieu God sends a Pope who speaks a language and dialect of the day.  A Pope who does not speak or resort to deep theology or phenomenology but a language spoken by those in the trenches.

A Pope who goes out and sits and hugs and speaks to the sinners he meets on his walks and he really loves them.  He loves the homosexuals not because they are homosexuals or because they are special but because he believes they walk a difficult road and they are God’s children and also ennobled with dignity.  He reaches and touches the wounded and hopes that through him the God of Mercy is visible.

This Pope goes out into the vineyard to “hire” those that no one else will hire (Mt 20:9). He goes out looking for souls to bring back into the Church.  against all criticism and ill will His Holiness Pope Francis looks for those who have lost sight of the way of the Church, the way of Jesus the Saviour and have even gone after other shepherds because their own shepherds had neglected them.

And the Pope of these times walks through the mire and is smeared by those who believe he has taught error and harmed and wounded and confused the faithful by his perceived lax embrace of all sinners, by what they perceive as his change of past beliefs but instead he is saying “do not be afraid it is I” 

These same accusers have been loyal Catholics and faithful to “Peter” of the past but now have fear of this “Peter” and they believe he will undo their very beliefs.   Those same beliefs that they have fought for so hard to protect and safeguard. 

This “Peter” seems intent on levelling all things.  This new “Peter” (Francis) appears to them almost common.  He is not deep and theological and distant but available and a “Peter” of the people.  He has a heart for the poor.  He can read the sufferings of the marginalised. That is the homosexual, the twice married, the refugees, the elderly, the street dwellers, the frightened, and the obvious sinner.  

The new “Peter” has said and written that “the Name of God is Mercy” and he travels the globe speaking that name.  He is not concerned with formalities he is concerned with souls.  His barque is the “barque of Peter” and he sails this barque gathering those who have been left or have fallen behind.

This “Peter” speaks and the media listen and the people listen and even those who do not profess Catholicism listen.  And yet those within his own friendship circle do not like the fact that “Peter” speaks and the media listen and quote him, and the young hang on his every word and even other listeners listen as “Peter” continues to, like Jesus, seek out the lost and lonely and wounded and he invites them to climb onto his barque.  

He invites Pastors to minister to all, to be so immersed with their flock that they even begin to smell like them, that is, to be so close that they begin to smell like their flocks. He has told his pastors that the church is a “field hospital” and not something unreachable. 

“Peter” tells the Pastors to be close to those who hurt and to go out to the marketplace and hire more labourers especially those who nobody wants to “hire.” (Mt 20:9)

And yet “Peter” continues to speak and his own people are ashamed of him, criticise him, condemn him for his humaneness.  The modern “infallible catholic” even cites Canon law to justify their public disobedience.

 “Peter’s” comments on the state of marriage and that 50% of catholic marriages maybe are null and he is mocked and they haven’t understood. They haven’t understood how close and insightful “Peter” has been on this issue.  They haven’t understood that modern young couples at times marry “in Church” because it’s what is expected of them or perhaps even because the surroundings lend themselves well for the photography with little thought to the sacramental nature of marriage. 

“Peter” has spoken and said to his pastors to be careful in marriage preparations because the sacraments are not understood and the Sacrament of marriage is not well understood by those wishing to receive the sacrament.  

 And even when he speaks out against error as he did at WYD to his fellow Bishops in Krakow it does not appear to calm the sentiments of the infallibles.  He spoke,  “In Europe, America, Latin America, Africa and some Asian countries we are seeing some real ideological colonisations,” he repeated. “And one of these, I’m going to say it outright, is gender”: “Today, children, children! are told at school that they can choose their sex. Why are they taught this? Because the books are supplied by the people and institutions that give you the money. These are the ideological colonisations backed also by countries that wield a great deal of influence. And this is terrible.” Speaking with Benedict XVI, he said, “ he who is well and lucid, he told me: ‘Holiness, this is the age of sin against the Creator!’ He is intelligent! God created man and woman; God made the world like this, like this, like this… and we are doing the exact opposite.”  

In this we hear “Peter”  under the influence of the Holy Spirit speak against sin and does not in any way compromise belief and yet the infallibles choose to feed the negative momentum against him.

And in the Church of St Francis in Krakow he prayed a prayer for peace and protection from violence and from terrorism and entrusted all of humanity to the Holy Mother with the words “we ask for the gift of peace and the elimination from our midst of the sore of terrorism.”  And these words from one who is supposed to never speak out about terrorism.  He prays for the elimation of the “sore” or societal wound wound which is  terrorism .  And in recent times “Peter” brings into his heart  the nations affected by the pandemic Covid 19.  He regularly tells he prays for the those suffering this virus, their families, those who have died, and the wonderful workers in the field who are always in danger of this invisible  enemy of humans.   

The Holy Father Pope Francis speaks to the young, the unemployed, the sick, the elderly, the marginalised, those who go off the rails and is in full friendship with them.   He does not call them pariahs but “Social Poets” He chooses to be close to these “Social Poets” and encourages them by telling them that they are important and have a special and important role to play in society and on July 10^th, 2015 he uttered these powerful words: (Zenit News)

     “The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites,” he said. “It is fundamentally in the hands of peoples and in their ability to organize. It is in   their hands, which can guide with humility and conviction this process of change. I am with you. Let    us together say from the heart: no family without lodging, no rural worker without land, no laborer without rights, no people without sovereignty, no individual without dignity, no child without childhood, no young person without a future, no elderly person without a venerable old age. Keep up your struggle and, please, take great care of Mother Earth. I pray for you and with you.”

     Indeed, the name he chose when elected, Francis, heralded what was to come. A change to bring the Church into the life of those who have not known the Church or walked away from the Church or are even unknown by the church.  He is bringing the Lord’s house into the “now” so that those living in the “now” might fall in love with Jesus and His household.  Might fall in love again with the Lord. 

“Peter” HH Pope Francis, a man for this season in time. For a time of great difficulty for those in and off the barque of Peter.  A man who quietly suffers for his people. A shepherd who leaves the safe ones behind and goes after those lost to bring them back, under the shelter of the wings of the church and into safety.  

 Much can be written and has been written about His Holiness Pope Francis but mostly what is so important is that he is a Shepherd in the style of the True shepherd, Jesus.