When Necessary

St. Francis of Assisi by Jusepe de Ribera.

What a puzzle this Pope Francis seems to be.

You hear that he is a simple man, a man who has lived in a humble apartment instead of a palace, who has cooked his own meals, who rides the bus. He is a man of the poor who gets under the skin of progressives, a man of conservative principles who irks traditionalists. The Jesuits, who seem to have strayed far from the principles of their founder, pushed him to the proverbial sidelines for his adherence to Biblical principles, and yet he did his job with grace and style until John Paul II brought him back into a role of leadership.

Some wrestle with the contradictions, or struggle to put together all these pieces. But then you return to the words of St. Francis himself: “Preach the Gospel, and when necessary use words.”

Pope Francis seems to have lived out this teaching his whole life, and when you understand that, you begin to get a clearer picture of this new Holy Father, and all that he might accomplish.

Viva il Papa!