Editorial

An Unforgettable First Visit

Posted

On his glorious first-ever visit to the United States, Pope Francis electrified millions of Americans with his warm and humble style, his powerful message of mercy, inclusion and love, and his reminder, literally, that all are called by God to follow the Golden Rule.

“Do unto others,” he gently instructed, in a historic speech to a joint session of Congress, “as you would have them do unto you.”

In the pope’s day and a half in New York, this most blasé of big cities shed its sophisticated cool while Catholics and non-Catholics alike followed his every move in a spirit of joyous fellowship not often seen in our hectic, intense environment.

The reception we gave him—at his liturgies in St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Madison Square Garden and along his motorcade route in Central Park—was nothing short of jubilant.

As Francis himself put it, smiling broadly while speaking to reporters on his return flight to Rome, his welcome in New York was “exuberant.”

We’re happy and proud that the pope took with him the affection and enthusiasm that we showed for him while he was here. We also heard the word “love” spoken unabashedly by many people in recent days, and we hope he felt that too.

What Pope Francis left for us, after his visit, is a renewed Church for the practicing Catholics among us, a renewal of interest in the Church for many who have fallen away and, for many non-Catholic or non-religious people, a new understanding of the Church as one that is welcoming and merciful instead of rigid and judgmental.

In his homilies and speeches here and in Philadelphia and Washington, and during his encounters with schoolchildren, homeless persons and prisoners, the pope also left us some challenging teachings to reflect upon as we move forward with strengthened faith.

For instance, in the midst of a worldwide migrant and refugee crisis and a seething immigration debate in this country, the pope spoke again and again about the need to welcome immigrants and migrants, accepting them as children of God rather than excluding them as problems—even reminding his listeners that he is a child of immigrant parents who left their native Italy for Argentina, where he was born.

Protecting the earth’s resources and addressing climate change, another source of global and domestic tension, was a recurring theme in the pope’s speeches, including his address to world leaders at the United Nations.

Mindful that he was in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, he talked about the need to lift the material lives of the poor, and urged leaders to dedicate their efforts toward justice for all and improving the common good. Pope Francis did not just talk the talk in this regard, he walked the walk, choosing a small Fiat sedan to get around rather than a specially fitted limousine, for example, and choosing to lunch with homeless people in Washington instead of capitol dignitaries.

In Philadelphia, he visited a prison, and in Manhattan, he met struggling immigrants at Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem.

The pope’s message to U.S. bishops in St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington was a call for a more compassionate approach to ministry because “harsh and divisive language does not befit the tongue of a pastor, it has no place in his heart.”

At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, he called on priests and religious to live their vocation “in joy,” and drew a huge round of applause when he thanked the women religious of the archdiocese—and by extension all women religious in the country—for their service, courage and commitment.

He tackled many more issues, of course, including the aftermath of the clergy sexual-abuse scandal, the challenges facing families and the need to support them and the need to protect religious liberty.

It was the homily he gave at his Mass in Madison Square Garden, though, that touched us as New Yorkers in a special way.

“Living in a big city is not always easy,” he told us, as his listeners would surely agree. Yet, he said, a city has richness in its diversity; but it also fosters an anonymity that can conceal the struggles of the poor, the homeless and the isolated elderly.

Knowing that “Jesus still walks our streets,” however, can fill us with hope and help us to see through the big-city smog to encounter the presence of God, he said.

We expect that Pope Francis enjoyed the cheers of the crowd that he got after that Mass. It certainly looked that way.

And while all of us were privileged to join him in prayer during his visit, whether attending an event in person or watching it on TV, we’re also privileged to fulfill the special request he made at the end of each of his events.

“Please,” he said, many times, “don’t forget to pray for me.”