Dear Parishioners,
I have waited until the dust has settled to write about our new pope elected on May 8. I must admit I did not think I would ever see an American Pope in my life time for many reasons which I will not write about since they are my reasons and thoughts. I want to spend my time looking at what being “pope” really is all about.
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. The Catholic Church which includes the Latin as well as many as 23-28 other rites. Our Latin Rite is the largest, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church lists the different rites which are equally valid with different liturgical traditions, with different forms of liturgy, often based on cultural and language differences, but all in UNION with the BISHOP OF ROME, the POPE. To give an example, is the Rite of SYRO MALABAR of which Fr. Jobi Joseph our associate pastor belongs.
The Holy Father is to be the father of all the churches, regardless of their culture or their country’s politics. For some who do not understand the spiritual role of the Holy Father, they may see Pope Leo XIV as a pope who will accept the Catholic Church in the United States to be his guide. What makes Pope Leo XIV a great choice is that he was born and raised here in the US, lived for over 20 years in Peru and then around 2 years in Rome. He has two passports, both American and Peruvian.
He has some of an understanding of the conservative as well as the liberal aspects of the Catholic Church in the US, along with our government. I personally believe that Pope Leo will be a Pope for the people caring especially for the poor and the immigrants.
In one of my short trips I went to Honduras on a mission trip. The poverty of the poor is beyond anything we can truly understand. I watched small children digging in the city dumps to find plastic bottles and aluminum cans to sell so they could buy something to eat. On one of my trips we were asked to bring tooth brushes, combs, pencils to give to the children so they could trade for food. Feeding and helping these forgotten peoples were what had made our country great, but no longer. Years ago we had wrist bands that had the phrase “What would Jesus Do?”, our country has for the most part, has forgotten that Jesus fed the hungry.
Whether people like Pope Leo XIV or not, I believe that he will continue to speak for the poor, the homeless and the immigrants. Remember the Holy Family was poor, fled leaving their home behind as they became immigrants in a foreign land.
Anyone interested in being on parish council please contact me at 417-831-3565