Is Petrus Romanus Upon Us?: Pope Francis and Popular Piety

Yesterday, in between the normal posts of depressing teenage song lyrics and the attention-seeking selfies of scantily clad young women, my Facebook news feed exploded with cries of “Habemus Papam” and “omg new pope.” I was notified of this historic moment when my roommate rushed into our room and shoved a live feed of diverse faces, gyrating bodies, and Canadian flags into my face. Clearly it was a moment of great joy. But we still didn’t know who the pope actually was. It could’ve been anyone from Peter Turkson, to Bill Donahue, to Petrus Romanus himself. And isn’t that the question? Is this guy to be the Francis Fukuyama of Vatican City? Can he usher in the end of history? And when we did find out who had been elected more than a few drone-obsessed gun lovers spat some Red Man into their spittoons and nodded their tin foil-adorned heads. A Jesuit had finally been elected pope; the new world order was upon us and the levels of brain-controlling fluoride in the water would reach all-time highs.

Clearly, I’m having a little fun, but there is a legitimate question to be asked here: what can the world expect from the new pontiff? The Catholic Church is beset by issues on all sides. Due to its opposition to abortion and gay marriage, some call it a relic of the (very dear to me) medieval period. Others shake their heads at the Magisterium’s slow reaction to the problem of clerical sexual abuse. Still some others (Richard Dawkins and presumably Emperor Palpatine and his droid army) simply want to watch the gates of Hell prevail against it so as to do away with the limitations it imposes on scientific advancement.

As a student at a Jesuit college, I can’t help but be pleased by the election of Pope Francis. Although I have my differences with the academic establishment (I mean one mass in the big chapel on Sunday guys? What is this, the French Revolution?), I’m inclined to trust a member of the Society of Jesus in taking on the papal office. But as Plato tells us, Socrates (might have) once said that the unexamined life is not worth living and we cannot simply assume that a new pope is a good pope. So what has the former Cardinal Bergoglio actually accomplished in his career? Well, some accuse him (and the Argentinian Church in general) of being silent during the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla. At the same time, many praise his commitment to the poor and his willingness to work among the people. He seems to be a man willing to get his hands dirty; a real mensch in the trench.

As with any new public official, people have complaints. He, much like Lucy Ricardo, has some explaining to do. But he’s a fresh face for a heavily criticized Church. He’s even taken a name with no papal precedent. Whether it refers to St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis of Assisi, or St. Francois de Sales it calls to mind the need for spiritual renewal in a divided world. Keeping this in mind, I personally like to believe he chose the name to echo God’s command to the founder of the Franciscans to “rebuild my Church.”

So, is this 76 year-old Argentine the feared Petrus Romanus of legend, or just another Jesuit strongman pulling the strings? Well, I can’t say for sure. But I can say that as a member of the Catholic Church I stand with him. Because even if we disagree on issues, even if it’s fall where he lives and spring where I do, we are both members of a catholic (read universal) institution. Our differences cannot be allowed to divide us because as the Bible tells us “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” That and, the guy looks just like Pope Pius XII (seriously it’s like looking at twins. Maybe it’s because their clothes are the same…)