This Jubilee Year of Hope is a year we will never forget. It is a year of Grace for the Church and for the world. In addition, we are marking the centenary of our Diocese. No one can fail to know that the Catholic Church is led by the Pope, and this year has become all the more memorable as we have mourned the death of Pope Francis and then heard those two welcome words ‘Habemus Papam’ as Pope Leo XIV was elected as his successor. What a year of Grace!
I know how uplifted so many people have been already. Let us consider just a few key details about our new Holy Father. Firstly, he is young, not yet seventy! He seems healthy, so, pleaseGod, will have a long and fruitful ministry. He was born and raised in America, so he speaks reasonably good English! That will help us to relate to him and understand his spoken and written word.
He is an Augustinian, as is our Bishop Emeritus, Bishop Michael Campbell OSA. In fact, as has already been widely shared, Father Robert Francis Prevost was present in our Cathedral herein Lancaster on the occasion of Bishop Campbell’s Episcopal Ordination in 2008.
He has served as a missionary for many years in Peru. No secret has been made of how much he continues to value his time amongst the Peruvian Church. It will be at the heart of hisPetrine ministry in ways yet to be expressed.
He is a Doctor of Canon Law, an able administrator as well as an experienced pastor. This gives him a balance of qualifications and experience which will prove invaluable in the years ahead. But most of all he appears to us as a man of deep prayer, deeply familiar with the Lord Jesus Christ, and utterly committed to His service.
Before the Conclave I stated that our interest in the matter of electing a new Pope must not be media-led, but Gospel-led, rooted in prayer. Thank you for taking that instruction to heart.Now, following the election of Pope Leo XIV we must continue to follow the Gospel more than we follow the media. Don’t get me wrong, the media, responsibly used, can be of great use, but it does not have prime place in our lives as Catholics. Our first allegiance is to God, as revealed in Jesus Christ.
Some may already have begun analysing Pope Leo XIV anxious to know ‘what sort of Pope will he be’ by scrutinising every detail of his past, dissecting everything he says, every gesture he makes, every aspect of his demeanour. ‘What sort of Pope will he be?’ Which end of theChurch’s spectrum will he identify with or promote? Will he break with some of the works promoted by Pope Francis, or will he continue them?
As successor of Saint Peter, Pope Leo’s duty is to unite the flock, remaining true to what Christ has given to His Church. I quote something I wrote in the introduction to the Order of Service for my Episcopal Ordination in 2018 which I believe is absolutely relevant now.
‘Some may understand today in terms of change, But more truly it is about continuity. If and where change is needed it will come within the continuity of proclaiming and living exactly what Bishop Campbell’s nine year have been about; The Lord is risen indeed, have no fear.’
I find it immensely reassuring that Pope Leo has already, so many times, spoken so positively of his predecessor, Pope Francis, and his own ministry. Clearly, we are here experiencing continuity of the Petrine office, even though changes of emphasis will come, perhaps a more measured approach to public statements and certainly differences of character and expression and tone which will naturally appeal more easily to some that to others.
Let us not be anxious about how this ‘new’ papacy will unfold. Pope Leo has already assured us that the Church’s Social Teachings will have particular importance, that the Church will continue to cry out for, as well as reach out to, the poor and forgotten. Good order will not be sacrificed. The Liturgy will be celebrated with due reverence and dignity. The environment will be cherished as a gift to cared for from a generous and loving God. Clericalism will have no place in the relationship between clergy and the lay faithful, companion pilgrims. Let us not be anxious. Pope Leo know who has chosen him and who will guide him. The Risen Christ is being preached. The Church’s mission is in good hands. We may all grow in confidence under such a shepherd. Let us not take him for granted in the days ahead. Rather, let us include him in our daily prayers, remembering that each one of us is in his.
And let us thank the God of peach for such a gift at such a time.
+ Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick
Bishop of Lancaster
