The white smoke, 12 years ago, caught many surprise. The name of Bergoglio was shot, among the eligibles, nelee previous elections. Those who had brought Cardinal Ratzinger to the papal throne. In the square he expected the announcement of another name, many gave for almost certainly an Italian. And instead the world is surprised by this pope caught “almost by the end of the world” who chose to be called “Francesco”. And today, while he is still hospitalized and in many parts of the world we remember the anniversary by praying for his health, we also wonder what the fundamental pillars of his pontificate are.
“Beyond the favorite slogans from the media and the significant gestures of Pope Francis, the founding pillars of his pontificate are the published documents: they remain, and cannot be easily forgotten, because they are part of the magisterium, and arise from a collegial work”, explains the theologian Don Maurizio Gronchi, Theologian, professor of Christology at the Pontifical Urbanian University, consultant of the Dicastery for the doctrine of the faith and the general secretariat of the Synod of the bishops.
«Pope Francis has chosen to promulgate different apostolic exhortations, especially the fruit of the synodes, and some encyclicals. The list is long and varied: the joy of the Gospel, integral ecology, love in the family, holiness, young people, the Amazon, universal fraternity, the climatic crisis, the sacred heart of Jesus. These are the references of the Church for the announcement of the Gospel to the world today, thanks to which it enters dialogue with it “.
In these 12 years the world has changed and seems in crisis. Populisms, wars, contempt of the poor. How much are the seeds that Pope Francis has sown and sowing are able to respond to these crises?
“I welcome the metaphor of the” seeds “with pleasure, because to them, with Pierangelo Sequeri, we dedicated a volume series a few years ago:” The theological seeds of Pope Francis “(San Paolo, 2018). These are some key words that characterize the pope’s teaching and are the signpost not only for believers, but for all people of good will,
Just in this world torn by conflicts and injustices. These are ancient words that, in the magisterium of Francis, have a new force: meat, mercy, discernment, integration, reform, reciprocity, harmony, people, neopelagianism, neognosticism, vulnerability. In a time like ours, in which arrogant hegemonies are strengthened at every latitude, which increase production and trade of weapons, feed the contempt of the poor and propose the religious myth of prosperity, the seeds of Francesco seem buried. Yet their destiny resembles that of Jesus: “If the grain of wheat fell on the ground does not die, it remains alone; if instead it dies, it produces a lot of fruit” (Jn 12:24). There is no resurrection without the crisis of bankruptcy. Therefore we celebrate the Jubilee of hope, certain that of the Gospel of Jesus
Salvatore – the treasure that we bring to Crete pots – whole humanity today has even more need ».
How has the Church changed in these 12 years?
«Benedetto’s resignation surprised the Church and the world, leaving in all a certain sense of loss, together with the general appreciation for such a courageous and profoundly human gesture. By grace of God, Francesco succeeded him, who gave a shock to the image of the pontificate, with a pastoral imprint renewed in style and content. He spoke to the world directly, even without protection, without mediation. He brought together the bishops in the Synods, trying to involve all the people of God in important decisions for the universal Church. Then the pandemic came, the war in Ukraine, the war in Palestine and other parts of the earth. The world discovered itself vulnerable, and the powerful of the earth, instead of tightening relationships of fraternity and solidarity, have given impulse to increasingly dangerous selfishness. Today we are faced with the sick Pope, weak in the body, but still capable of reading and signing. Although in a faint voice, he prays and asks to pray. Perhaps it is precisely in this fragility that we are called to look for a sense, in the light of the Gospel. Pope Francis guides the Church in a vintage change, giving a strong evangelical imprint, even if not everyone likes his choices. However, it is to be hoped that, in the future, you do not take steps back. St. Paul reminds us that “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (MRI 11,29). And it cannot be denied that these first twelve years of the pontificate of Pope Francis were full of gifts of God for the Church and for the world ».
