Sts. Peter and Paul &
Popes Benedict and
Francis
The other day, I received a forwarded e-mail message that caused
me a little concern. The title of the message was “Differences Pope
Francis Made in One Appearance”. It contained a photo of Pope Benedict
XVI seated on the left and Pope Francis seated on the right. The message
was a comparison of the “pomp” in which Benedict chose to vest himself versus
the “simplicity” in which Francis has chosen to vest. Although the e-mail
was not an explicit attack on the papacy of Benedict, it certainly aimed to leave
the reader with a negative impression of him. Furthermore, it also gave
the impression that we can judge the ministry and character of Francis (or any
church leader) based on his external appearances. Regardless of the
person or position, external dress does tell us something about a person’s
preferences, but it does not say much about a person’s integrity or ability to
lead. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The
LORD looks into the heart (1 Sam 16:7b).
Today, we live in an extremely polarized society in the western
world. The mass media categorizes every word or action of a public figure
as either liberal or conservative, contemporary or traditional. It is bad
enough to constantly hear about the extremes of the political world on TV and
the internet, but this polarizing mindset also filters news about the Catholic
Church. As it relates to news about the two most recent popes, Benedict
has certainly been characterized as a cold, grandiose, German traditionalist;
and Francis is seen as a warm, simple, Latin American revolutionary.
These comparisons do an injustice to both of these great men. Sadly, many
Catholics not only buy into these shallow juxtapositions, they do not realize
how divisive such critiques can be to Church unity. Holy Father,
keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as
we are (Jn 17:11b).
The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul is a reminder that God used the
gifts and talents of two very different men in order lead the Early Church in
spreading the Kingdom of God. Simon Peter was a simple fisherman from
Galilee with no formal education whom Jesus called to follow Him. Despite
constantly “sticking his foot in his mouth,” the Lord called Simon Peter “rock”
and gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven (see Mt 16:18). Peter
denied Jesus three times and was absent from Calvary, but was given the
opportunity to repent and reconfirm his love for Jesus (see Jn 21:15-19).
Saul of Tarsus — who came into the picture only after the
ascension of Jesus — was a highly educated, rigorous Jew who consented to the
persecution of the first Christians. When he was knocked down on his way
to Damascus, the Lord had great plans for [Paul] after his conversion to Christ
(Acts 9). Paul had to earn the trust of the other apostles and had great
success in his missionary expeditions. Paul is considered the “Apostle to
the Gentiles” and Peter is considered the “Apostle to the Jews.” Paul is
responsible for writing most of the NT, whereas Peter only has two epistles and
an influence on the Gospel of Mark. These men were very different — and
even had a disagreement at one point (see Gal 2:11-14) — but the Lord used them
to reach different people in varying ways. Of course, the analogy to Benedict
and Francis falls short for several reasons (Peter and Paul were not both popes
among other things). However, I do believe the example of Peter and
Paul is one way to look at the papacies of Benedict and Francis. Two
great men, two different pastoral approaches, two diverse backgrounds are
utilized by God to lead the Church and to bring Christ to the world.
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