A meeting with Pope Francis

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

“… And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven …”
Mt. 16:18–19
 

Two weeks ago, I shared some thoughts from Rome as I was participating in the (annual) “New Bishops’ Orientation Program.” I tried to describe the humbling and uplifting experience of being with 150 “new” bishops from so many parts of the world and, in particular, the powerful feeling of being united with the whole Church, the one Body of Christ, as we celebrated the Eucharist. That experience was most strongly felt when I had the privilege of concelebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Francis on Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Mass for the Beatification of Pope John Paul I.

Another “highlight” of the experience was on the last day of the program, Thursday, Sept. 8, providentially, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church.

The program for the final day began with Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. Peter and then a meeting with the successor of Peter, Pope Francis. I had visited Rome previously, in 1989 and 2008, and I remember being impressed by the size and beauty of St. Peter’s. In 2008, I served as Vocation Director for the Diocese of Brooklyn, representing the bishop at the ordination to the diaconate at St. Peter’s of two seminarians studying at the North American College.

I still remember very clearly the Ordination Mass, celebrated at the “Altar of the Chair,” which is the altar directly behind the main altar with a chapel that seems to be able to accommodate three or four hundred people. At that Mass, celebrated by an American cardinal or archbishop, I remember the Gospel John 21:15–19, when Jesus, appearing to His apostles on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius, takes Peter aside and asks him three times, “Do you love me?” The last line of that passage, after Jesus entrusts Peter with the care of His flock and predicts, “by what kind of death he would glorify God,” says, “And when he had said this, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ ” I still remember, in the homily, how the ordaining bishop reflected on all that had happened between Jesus and Peter, from the first time Jesus said “follow me,” when Peter and Andrew left their boats, business and family, and how Peter had matured in his faith, both in his failings and his deepening, maturing personal relationship with Jesus. The homilist encouraged the young men being ordained to look back on their years of seminary formation with gratitude and to continue to deepen their personal relationship with Jesus in prayer and service as they looked forward to priesthood.

In 2008, I never would have imagined that I would be back at that “Altar of the Chair” 14 years later, concelebrating with 150 fellow bishops just before we would meet with the Holy Father. In my column two weeks ago, I had said that I would offer the intention of that Mass for the intentions of the people of the Diocese of Paterson, and that made the celebration of that Mass even more meaningful. After Mass, we went in procession down a stairway that led us beneath the main altar, which is located above the place that was identified by custom and tradition as the place of the tomb of St. Peter. There is an amazing story, in the course of the past century, of the discovery of a great deal of archeological evidence that seems to indicate that the custom and tradition are very accurate. We only had a brief moment in prayer over the sight of Peter’s tomb. Still, it was an opportunity to pray for all our beloved deceased and to ask for the continued intercession of St. Peter and the communion of saints.

We were then led from the Basilica to the Vatican Offices, past several Swiss Guards, into a beautifully decorated meeting room, the Clementine Hall, with a number of paintings of Biblical scenes and other moments of Church history. One piece that stood out to me was a depiction of the sailors tossing the prophet Jonah over the side of the boat (just before the whale would swallow him). We did not have to wait very long before a side door opened, and Pope Francis walked in. He walked a little slowly but did pretty well, with the help of a cane. While I knew we would meet the Holy Father, I had neglected to ask what that would mean — a handshake, “meet and greet,” or something more substantial. We would have that opportunity to greet him individually, shake his hand, and receive the gift of a Rosary, but that would come after a 90-minute meeting!

I learned later that, in the past, on occasions such as this, the Holy Father would read a formal address to those in attendance. It seems, at least with our group, Pope Francis preferred to offer a simple greeting, letting us know that he would not give a formal address but that he would like to hear from us and would be open to any questions we may have. Most of the questions and answers were in either Italian or Spanish — I was OK with the Spanish, which also helped me to, at least, have an idea of what was being discussed in Italian. There were two questions and answers that I found most memorable. First, a bishop from Mexico asked for Pope Francis’ prayers and advice concerning outreach to young people in general, but also in the terrible situation in his diocese in which so many young people are being killed by drug cartels and gang violence. As Pope Francis answered this question, I felt I was in “pastor/shepherd school.” The Holy Father emphasized the word “accompaniment.” He spoke about the ways in which the “shepherds” must walk closely to and strive to protect those entrusted to their care. He spoke very practically of the ways in which a bishop, working closely with his priests and other leaders, can choose to focus on reaching out to young people, spending time with them, getting to know them, and listening to them. He also spoke about ways we need to engage government and other community leaders, offering to assist in trying to confront the evils that we see in so many societies and communities.

The second question that stood out for me was asked by an American bishop, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He asked Pope Francis, in Spanish, “Holy Father, how are you doing? How are you feeling?” He expressed concern regarding reports about his poor health and said we are concerned for him. This was one of many times when Pope Francis smiled and shared some humor, saying his knee “gives him some problems” and makes it difficult for him to walk. Yet, he also said, “I’m doing fine,” and “I am grateful to God for my health and the gift of each day.”

I am aware that amongst many faithful Catholics, there are some “differing opinions” when it comes to Pope Francis, and there are some who are not happy with or struggle to understand his decisions. Having the opportunity to meet with Pope Francis, even a brief meeting with informal questions and answers, I was reminded again that the Holy Father is the successor of St. Peter. He is and should be a sign and instrument of unity for the whole Church. We believe that the Holy Spirit guides the cardinals (in the midst of their humanity) as they choose a new Pope. Let us continue to pray and be grateful for our Holy Father, Pope Francis. As I concluded this period of consultation with other bishops under the direction of the Holy Father, I thought of a saying I long ago heard in the seminary from Saint Ambrose: “Ubi Petrus ibi ecclesia” — “Where Peter is, there is the Church.” We walk together as the Body of Christ and always with the one who is the Supreme Pastor by the Lord’s instruction.