By: Michael Perry, OFM
My first contact with Pope Francis was, along with the rest of the world, via the news media, announcing his election, and then, the brief confusion that circulated in his selection of a name: Francis. Was it Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary saint, or perhaps Francis de Sales? When I saw Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, OFM, a Franciscan and previous Archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil, standing next to the newly elected pope, I knew Bergoglio had chosen the name Francis of Assisi. Eleven days later, Pope Francis went to visit prisoners in Rome where he washed their feet, including those of a Muslim woman. In July 2013, he visited migrants, many fleeing from Africa and the Middle East. Living up to his name, Pope Francis made the plight of the poor, landless and homeless a central feature of his service to the Church and world. He even returned with some migrants from Lampedusa, welcomed them to the Vatican and helped them to obtain legal residence in Italy.
On Oct. 4, 2013, I had the incredible experience of meeting and accompanying Pope Francis, following the footsteps of the conversion process of St. Francis. We began at San Damiano, where Francis heard the voice of Christ speaking to him from the 11th century Byzantine-style crucifix: "Francis, go and repair my Church."
The pope asked me if that was the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis. I told him it was a copy, but the message given to St. Francis was the same now given to Pope Francis: "Go, rebuild my Church." When we arrived at the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi, I informed the pope that this was the genuine San Damiano crucifix, and the message was the same: "Go, repair my Church." We both smiled and laughed.
In 2014, Pope Francis decided to visit the Holy Land, which would mark the second time in his life that he had walked in the footsteps of Christ. Given our large Franciscan presence at the holy places, I accompanied the pope to a number of these holy sites. We had lunch together at the large friary of St. Saviour. The pope shared with me a deep sense of pain that he felt for all people in the region, and most especially for the Palestinian and Jewish people. He recognized that this history of conflicts and wars was dehumanizing to all. He added: "no one escapes the deep wounds and trauma of violence."
He said he was reminded of other places in the world where there was violence with similar consequences: useless death and destruction of people, property and even the environment. One of his constant prayers was for peace, for which he was willing to take great risks to promote. This is witnessed by his trip to Iraq to meet the Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani, one of the most prominent leaders of Shia Muslims, and his trip to the war zone in the Central African Republic (Bangui), where he met with the heads of the parties involved in the conflict. For six months following his visit, there was relative peace in that country.
For us Franciscans, and for all male religious Orders, Congregations and Institutes of Consecrated Life, the year 2022 will stand out as a remarkable year. Pope Francis made it possible for all members - lay and ordained friars - to serve in all roles of leadership, including that of Minister General and Servant. This had not been possible since the year 1239, when the last lay brother, Elias of Cortona, was deposed as Minister General. This is an amazing and little-known change that validates the one vocational identity of all who join the Order of Friars Minor. This was the result of many years of hard work by OFMs, Capuchins, and Conventuals, principally, and several other religious institutes that sought to create this sense of a shared dignity of religious vocation.
One of the most outstanding events for us Franciscans came in the form of the new "Canticle of Creatures," the pope's encyclical Laudato Si'. One year ago (April 20, 2024), members of the board of trustees and their spouses, along with Brothers, Mark Reamer, OFM, Jim Gannon, OFM, Michael Perry, OFM, and Br. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv., were welcomed to a private audience with Pope Francis. He encouraged Siena College to pursue its work on sustainability and integral ecology through the Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology. He shook the hands of each and welcomed them, offering his incredible smile, and asked us to pray for him. One way we as friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the entire Order of Friars Minor might honor Pope Francis would be to embrace the central message of the encyclical and of the "Canticle of Creatures," helping one another to allow these to come alive in our lives, in our fraternities, our ministries and our work with our partners in ministry.
On a more personal note, I recall a deeply moving experience with Pope Francis. He traveled to Assisi to sign his encyclical Fratelli Tutti at the tomb of St. Francis in Oct. 3, 2020. Clearly, COVID was still taking its toll in Italy and elsewhere. Following the signing, Pope Francis shook the hands of over 150 Franciscans (Conventuals, Capuchins, OFMs and TORs) at the Basilica of St. Francis. When he came to me, towards the end of the line of friars, he said my name and asked me how the bicycle was doing, a reference to a bike accident that I had in August 2019. He projected his huge smile, enough to englobe the entire world. This experience revealed to me the deep humanity and kindness that defined the man we called Pope Francis.
