A name, a programme

We did not expect a Francis on the papal See. We have always imagined and seen him in frescos, in humble and respectful reverence, standing before Pope Innocent or Pope Honorious. Now he sits on the highest throne. The entire world sees him and are at his feet. But which throne!? He bends over and asks for the blessing of the people, before imparting his own blessing upon them. "Nomen est omen", the name is a sign. When it is chosen, unless it’s a stage name or a nome de plume, it represents a programme. It’s a clear choice, the choice of a lifestyle and a commitment. Everyone knows who Francis stands for inside and for the Church. More so, Francis in the world and for the world is "Vir catholicus" and "vere apostolicus", a universal man, a concrete, personal name. It is the name of the lovers of nature and the environment, of peace workers of those operating in the realms of poverty and exclusion. Saint Francis’ conversion took place when he met the lepers, and along with the gift of poverty he was gifted with the talent of acting in Christian love, of loving profoundly and fully. In his "Testament" he wrote that the Lord guided him to the lepers: I had "mercy upon them" and "what had seemed bitter to m was changed into sweetness". Francis of Assisi had a strong bond with Rome’s Ponfiff, that he simply called mr. Pope, he was received by the Holy Father to obtain the indulgence of the Portiuncola, and the approval of the rule for his monks. Francis is also the name of the Church reform. This word, that many people fear, was understood by Francis as a mission that he had been entrusted by the Crucifix of Saint Damian, that spoke to him and said: "Francis, go and repair my house, which you see is falling down". This is a strong word that repeated today, in the framework of the election of a new Pontiff, triggers a set of related sentiments. The word of the Cross of Saint Damian is today even more powerful and committing compared to the words of the Second Vatican Council, which states that the conversion of the heart and the reform of the Church, along with prayers, and the basic conditions in the life and the unity of the Church, also in the perspective of the union of all the baptized. In the perspective of the renewal of the Church we also glimpse the continuity with Benedict XVI, inspired to another Saint from the same Italian region, Umbria, Saint Benedict of Norcia. In different ways, and given the different circumstances of the time in which they both lived (over seven centuries separating the lives of two Saints) Saint Benedict of Norcia echoed the same commitment for a life that mirrored Gospel values, to build a Christian Europe. The renewal of the Church that the movement originated by Francis triggered within the Church under the banner of humbleness and obedience is acknowledged as the true reform, or rather as the true possible and effective reform, as it does not question internal unity and life.In a statement Cardinal Badoglio once wrote: "My people are poor and I am poor" to explain the reasons why he was living alone in a Buenos Aires flat and was preparing dinner by himself. We also read that he called upon the priests to keep distant from what De Lubac – a Jesuit like Bergoglio – described as "spiritual modernity": "placing oneself at the centre". The choice of the name Francis to me is also a sign of affection towards Benedict XVI, even more than if he had chosen the name Benedict XVII. These are in fact two decisions of innovation and detachment from our present circumstances that extend over the horizons in the quest for the true origin, rooted in the wake of a tradition that continues bearing the fruits of spiritual life and pastoral guidance. These names extend across the borders of religious Orders, Congregations and beyond everything that may be seen as a closed and limited compound, lest someone might feel excluded. Francis is bound to the "spirit of Assisi" to the opening to the peoples and religions, committed for peace. Benedict XVI said that violence is not caused by religions but by the absence of God in society; in the spirit of Assisi we find the proclamation of peace beyond the borders of Christianity, as happened during Francis’ visit to the sultan of Egypt. All this and much more in the name of a name, Francis, which, God willing, will not have been chosen in vain.