Requiescat in pace

On the passing of Pope Francis

I received an email from the Brazilian newspaper Correio Brasiense, which I’m told is the leading journal in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. Here is the email and my response:

Dear Fr Fessio

Hi. VERY SAD day. I am working in a very special article. I know you must be so busy. We will produce an intense material for tomorrow. Please could you answer few questions?

1- What will be the legacy of pope Francis and what hallmarks he will leave in Church?

He will be remembered as a pastoral pope who wanted to bring Christ to the ‘peripheries’ and saw the Church as a ‘field hospital’ where we take care of the wounded. He will also be remembered for his emphasis of the Jesuit charisms of discernment and accompaniment. Finally, he will be remembered as papa ambiguus, who made statements formally and (especially) informally that were capable of both orthodox and heterodox interpretations.

He will also be a testament to the Church’s guidance and protection by the Holy Spirit. Though Pope Francis sometimes skated close to the edge of orthodoxy, both in faith and in morals, he never went over the edge.

2- How do you think his memory must be honored?

De mortuis nil nisi bonum. (Of the dead, say only what is good.) We pray for the repose of his soul. He died on Easter Monday, in the joy of the Resurrection. History will be the judge of the consequences of his decisions.

3- How do you imagine will be the succession in Church and who are favourites candidates?

The next pope will be the 8^th of my lifetime. As in economics, the greater the supply, the less the value. It’s been a blessing to have lived during the reigns of so many good (and some great) popes. The Church needs a pope; Jesus established a permanent papacy. But while we pray for holy popes who will be responsive to the will of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, our personal commitment to our Lord does not depend on any particular individual pope. Popes are human as are we and they will all have their strengths and weaknesses. But Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever!

As for the next pope, I don’t know most of those deemed papabili; but I do know Cardinal Robert Sarah. It would be a great blessing to have a learned, warm, cheerful, faithful, black, African pope. (Sarah; rhymes with ‘hurrah’.)

Best

Rodrigo Craveiro

Journalist

Correio Braziliense

Brasília - Brazil