Christine Flowers: An American Pope for the 21st century
There have only been two times in my life when I cried over a Pope.
The first was in April of 2005, when John Paul II died. I sobbed for an afternoon, spent in a pew at St. John the Evangelist. He was the pope of my youth, my teen years, my young adulthood and early middle age. He was with me from my junior year in high school in 1978, until I was on the brink of menopause. A giant part of my life was lived in the shadow of this saint, and my body had a visceral reaction to his passing. I loved him. I still love him.
The second time I cried was a few hours ago, in my office, as I watched the elevation of Pope Leo XIV. I did not believe that I would ever see an American born prelate in my lifetime, just as I never believed that I would have seen the Eagles win a Super Bowl. Oh me of little faith.
When I saw them announce the name Robert Francis Prevost in Latin, I was unaware that I had just heard the name of a Chicago native. Seconds later, the chyron at the bottom of the TV screen read “first American Pope in history.” And I sank to my knees and sobbed, this time tears of joy instead of the sorrow that engulfed me when John Paul II passed away.
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve thought a lot about the papacy, and what lay ahead for Catholics worldwide. There are about a billion and a half of us, and we are as diverse as snowflakes. But we do have one uniting characteristic: a sense that there is something very special about our church, something eternal, something fundamental, something that overrides political coups and partisan elections. To be Catholic is to be small c “catholic,” namely, universal.
And that is why the world came to a halt when the white smoke poured from the Vatican. That is why we held our collective breaths, even those of us who are not baptized in the faith, even those of us who have no faith, because the next few moments would announce a shift in the world. A new Pope is not just something for Catholics. A new Pope heralds a change for the human community.
Personally, I hoped for a conservative who would bring the church back to its moorings, roots from which it had been detached by the brand of Christianity communicated through Francis. There is no secret that I criticized the late Pope, all the while attacking those who would say bad things about him when he passed. My point was that his politics were fair game, his character was not. Francis was a very good man. But he was not the man that I thought the church needed in these critical moments of flux and social revolution. I wanted someone who would be a pillar, not a willow that bends with the winds of empathy.
I did not get the conservative I sought, but perhaps we all got something much better. Pope Leo is on record as being pro-immigration, pro-refugees, pro-bridge building, and yet at the same time as a learned Augustinian, he understands the importance of tradition. He has been quoted as saying that “We must be careful not to make the church a mirror of the world, she is called to be a sign of contradiction.” This is radically different from Francis, who thought that empathy and compassion meant that we bend to accommodate the desires of the marginalized, when it would have been more compassionate to teach them how to come into the community. It means that we need to be strong in our principles, and not waiver so that others feel accepted. We need to accept them as children of the same and loving God, but not let them define themselves by things that are irrelevant to their humanity, like sexual orientation.
We will see what this new Pope brings, but I am very hopeful, having listened to his words as he greeted the crowds. He is a Villanova grad — a Delco Pope if you will — an American who lived as a missionary and has dual citizenship in his beloved Peru. He has criticized JD Vance for misinterpreting the Catholic message about deportation, and he has criticized those who push for a female priesthood.
This Pope is one for the 21st century, and if he is the last one that I encounter before I am consecrated with last rites, I will die a happy woman.
Christine Flowers is an attorney and lifelong Philadelphian. @flowerlady61
“This is radically different from Francis, who thought that empathy and compassion meant that we bend to accommodate the desires of the marginalized, when it would have been more compassionate to teach them how to come into the community.” – Whenever you read stories about Jesus and how he helped the poor, hungry, those in need of medical care, and the marginalized by society. At no time did he say; I will only help you if you convert. His actions always spoke for him. On the other hand I should congratulate you, this is the first column that I can recall where you have not mentioned abortion.
Judah, 1. Trump’s tariffs are so effective… they are even making Pope’s in the USA.
2. Actions speak louder than words. Remember when Jesus was In the temple (John 2:13-17; Matthew 21:12-13) and He used physical force? His actions drove out the merchants, overturned their tables, and stopped their activities, effectively compelling them to cease profaning the temple. Do you remember that part of the Bible? By doing so, He forced an “rude” interaction about facts over feelings regarding the temple’s true and sacred purpose, rooted in God’s law (e.g., Isaiah 56:7). His actions forced those specific merchants to cease their odious behavior; Jesus apparently felt he needed to confront them directly to stop their nonsense. Are you suggesting that’s what people should do when you seem to suggest we follow Jesus’ actions?
3. Speaking of Isaiah… and nonsense… the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) consistently portray Judah’s actions as wrong, calling them to repentance and realignment with God. Were they referring to you, Judah? Or a different Judah? Hey, is there one time when Christine Flowers writes an article that you won’t attack her?
“His actions drove out the merchants, overturned their tables, and stopped their activities, effectively compelling them to cease profaning the temple.” – And in that situation he was justified in doing so. What Chrissy wants is for people to convert first before they get help. Something Jesus did not do to the marginalized people of that time.
“Hey, is there one time when Christine Flowers writes an article that you won’t attack her?” – As soon as Christine understands that the Constitution states that we cannot pass laws that favor one religion over another and that abortion is up to the individual. When I see men have to go through the same level of invasive requirements and state bans of erectile dysfunction drugs.
Peggy,
Any amendment to the U.S. Constitution can be deleted or changed via another, new, amendment. Want to get rid of guns? Pass a new amendment.
Men allowed women to start voting and the results since then… not great. Maybe men will wake up and stop allowing women to vote?
How you equate erectile drugs to (perhaps) women’s control over reproduction is… fascinating. Also, what do you mean by “men?” How do you define that word… “men”?
Btw, if you believe in a human-Jesus it seems logical there would be an hippo-Jesus, an ant-Jesus, an any-type-of-animal-Jesus, even a pine tree-Jesus. And, if you’re going to talk Jesus… Jesus often called individuals to take decisive action, emphasizing repentance and transformation. Some examples showing Jesus demanding actions that often required faith, repentance, or radical life changes are:
Tax collectors like Zacchaeus and Levi were called to abandon sinful lifestyles and follow Him, while others, like Lazarus, were commanded in miraculous contexts to demonstrate divine power. The rich young ruler’s failure to act contrasts with the obedience of others, highlighting varied responses to Jesus’ demands.
Below are specific references to those examples:
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10)
Levi/Matthew the Tax Collector (Matthew 9:9; Luke 5:27-32)
Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
The Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-22; Matthew 19:16-22)
The Paralytic at the Pool (John 5:1-15)
Melissa
“Men allowed women to start voting and the results since then… not great. Maybe men will wake up and stop allowing women to vote?” – Misogynist
“How you equate erectile drugs to (perhaps) women’s control over reproduction is… fascinating. Also, what do you mean by “men?” How do you define that word… “men”?” – Let me spell this out for you. Women, in many states have to undergo state mandate processes that include having to listen to debunked medical information, extensive wait times, and invasive testing. Men don’t need ED meds to procreate and if they need them they should have to go through a similar process as women.
“Btw, if you believe in a human-Jesus” – My faith is older than yours and does not have any type of Jesus in it.
Here is a good Bible quote you should remember – Judge not, les yea be judged.
“1. Trump’s tariffs are so effective… they are even making Pope’s in the USA.” – Did you hear that Trump lowered the tarrifs against China from 140% to 30%? As you usual when push came to shove, Trump backed down, as usual.
Judah,
We both agree on something again – you are a misandrist.
“My faith is older than yours and does not have any type of Jesus in it.” – Let me guess… you are not a Canaanite?
If your favorite quote from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is: “Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch! I was there when it was written”… that would be too awesome to hope.
How do I know Trump is the best at real estate? He lives rent free in your head. Everyday. What would you do without him?
I too wept…many times. I was proud and humbled when I saw the curtain open and Bob walk out. Proud that not too many people can say they were in class with a Pope and humbled because I knew now and forever, I had to behave myself. Funny, right? I didn’t want my words and deeds to reflect badly upon Bob Prevost who like Sully Sullenberger had done his job well. Good work, Bob. Bob arrived on the Villanova campus just as scared and lost as I was in August of 1973. He stood in line with us in the basement of Bartley Hall with our punched class matriculation cards the day of freshman orientation. The Class of ’77 has been changed utterly. Bob Prevost has endowed it with special significance. Looking back, perhaps those years were Villanova’s academic golden years. Tich, Fittipaldi, Papin, Hagen, Jim Murphy, Caputo, Fiedler, Ratigan, Mitchell, Schultz, Patrick Nolan (The Jericho Mile). Legends. Their teaching was enlightening and entertaining. I was admitted in ’73 Straight Outta Coatesville, seventeen years old, still working at Lukens in the Open Hearth and Electric Furnace on occasion arriving to class wearing my steel toed shoes and white helmet that signified Labor Gang when I worked “night-turn” eleven to seven. Bob and I were in the same Core classes our freshman year. We were also in John Caputo’s German Existentialism and Phenomenology class Spring semester our senior year; a class in which Caputo received a stand ovation at the end. Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, and Heidegger. Game changers. I imagine Bob fancied Husserl most because of Husserl’s mathematical bent. Husserl’s concept of the “bracket” was akin to “doing the work in the parentheses first.” Bob would come to class sometimes dressed as a seminarian. Watching him I thought to myself he’s wearing those robes just as proudly as I wore my steel toes and helmet.