THE CONCHO PADRE POST

On Tuesday 19th of March the day the Church remembers Saint Joseph, less than a week after his election as 265th Successor of Peter , Pope Francis was back in Saint Peter’s Square.

It was 9.30 on the dot and a glorious sunny day and this first Jesuit and first Latin American Pope was there amid crowds, thousand strong, to celebrate the liturgical rite of inauguration of his Petrine Ministry.The Sacred College of Cardinals to elect him to the papacy – formed a crown around him – eager to present him to the Universal Church as the Chief Shepherd . And it with them in procession – to the sound of the singing of the Litany of the Saints that Pope Francis emerged from the great door of Saint Peter’s Basilica.
Wearing white vestments he made his way to the altar – removing the two pointed mitre symbolising the old and new testaments and putting down the pastoral staff he was carrying.Despite the crowds there was prayerful silence in Saint Peter’s Square

Christians and non-Christians alike had come eager to witness the rite in which the Bishop of Rome was to receive the two liturgical symbols of his Petrine Ministry: the fisherman’s ring in gold-plated silver representing the Apostle Peter and the keys . And the pallium, a narrow stole of white wool made out of lamb’s wool and sheep wool and embroidered with five red silk crosses symbolizing the five wounds of Christ , held in place by three pins representing the three nails of Christ. The celebration began with the pallium being placed on the pope’s shoulders by the proto-deacon Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, representing the culminating moment of this inauguration. It had been symbolically laid out over the tomb of Saint Peter overnight – as a sign of the continuity of the papacy.

It was there by the tomb of Saint Peter that Pope Francis had gone before appearing in the square accompanied by the Patriarchs of the Oriental Churches.It was to be a moment of private prayer by the tomb of the first Pope in history. The gesture of the placing of the pallium was followed by the placing of the fisherman’s ring on the Pope’s finger by the dean of the College of Cardinals , Angelo Sodano
And when it came to the homily Pope Francis began by pointing to the Feast of Saint Joseph, remarking on that continuity with his predecessor the See of Peter of whom it is the name day. He then greeted all present mentioning in a special way the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial communities as well as representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities.

Pope Francis then highlighted the role of Saint Joseph as protector.: ” Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will…In him dear friends we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others , so that we can protect creation! The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings, Pope Francis prompted, fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.”Please, he pleaded: ” I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!”

Pope Francis then remarked how his ministry as Bishop of Rome, as Successor of Peter began with this inauguration mass on the Feast of Saint Joseph. A role which he elaborated also involves a certain power : ” Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison Only those who serve with love are able to protect!” Pope Francis then pointed to the current world context: ” Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.”

Finally he outlined for all present the service the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out : ” To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves..”A service he added, to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us !”
Pope Francis’ homily on the day of the inauguration of his Petrine ministry ended with a specific request : ” Pray for me , he said, that the Holy Spirit may may accompany my Petrine ministry.”

Vatican Radio

God of wisdom and love,
you sent your Spirit to call a humble fisherman, Peter,
to follow Christ along the path of discipleship.
On this journey, Peter witnessed the loving power of Jesus
as the storms of life were calmed,
diseases were cured, and demons driven away.
He encountered the compassionate heart of Christ,
as he dined with sinners and prostitutes,
preached of a forgiveness without end,
and washed the feet of his friends,
especially those who would eventually deny and betray him.
As you brought Peter down from the mountaintop of prayer
into the valley of discipleship,
remain upon Peter’s humble successor, Pope Francis.
Bless the Church under the care of our new Holy Father.
May he be a gentle shepherd called to tend his flock
with your kindness and generosity.

By your love and gentleness,
may Pope Francis inspire us to love God our Father
by returning the sheep gone astray to the flock of the Lord.
May he serve the Church in the image of Christ,
patterned by the faith of Simon Peter, the Rock.
As the keys once presented to St. Peter are entrusted to Pope Francis,
may we ever discover ways to unlock the door of faith
to a world most in need of the spiritual gifts you shower upon us.
We make our prayer with Christ your Son,
and through the gentle yet ever-changing power of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Grant,
we pray, almighty God,
that by Saint Joseph’s intercession
your Church may constantly watch over
the unfolding of the mysteries of human salvation,
whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

Pope Francis has chosen to remain with his episcopal seal and motto. Added to the original papal seal are a blue background along with a miter with cross keys of gold and silver along with a red cord, symbol of his pontifical office.

The emblem of the Society of Jesus, the order which Pope Francis belongs to, is placed above on the shield. The emblem is an image of a radiant sun with the letters “IHS” the monogram of the name of Christ. A cross is placed above the letter H of the monogram while three nails are placed below it.

On the bottom left hand side of the shield is an image of a star, which according to heraldic tradition, symbolizes the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ and of the Church. To the right of the star is the image of the spikenard, an aromatic plant, meant to symbolize St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. According to spanish iconographic tradition, St. Joseph is depicted holding a branch of spikenard in his hand.

By placing these two symbols on his coat of arms, Pope Francis wished to express his particular devotion to the Virgin Mary and Saint. Joseph.

The Holy Father’s motto, “Miserando Atque Eligendo”, (Because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him) is taken from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable regarding the calling of St. Matthew by Jesus.

Saint Bede’s homily, which is read on the feast of St. Matthew, is a homage to the divine mercy of Christ, and is of significance to the Holy Father in his spiritual itinerary. According to a communique explaining the Papal coat of arms, at the age of 17, the young Jorge Bergoglio experienced in a particular way, the loving presence of God in his life.

“Following confession, his heart was touched but the descent of the mercy of God, who with tender love called him to the religious life, following the example of Saint Ignatius of Loyola,” the communique stated.

“Upon being chosen as bishop, Bishop Bergoglio, in remembrance of that event that began his total consecration to God in the Church, decides to choose as motto and program of his life, the phrase by Saint Bede miserando atque eligendo which he has chosen to reproduce on his own pontifical coat of arms.”

From zenit.org

(Vatican Radio) An historic first will grace the mass, March 19, that will inaugurate the pontificate of Pope Francis . After nearly 1,000 years, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople will attend the inauguration of the Pope of Rome.

Delegates from more than 20 Christian churches and ecumenical organizations announced their attendance. However, the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew I is of historic significance.

Considered “first among equals” in the Eastern Orthodox Communion, the Patriarch of Constantinople has not attended the installation of a Pope of Rome in more than 950 years, since Constantinople split from Rome in 1054.

Fr. James Puglisi, who is the Minister-General of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and director of an ecumenical centre in Rome, called Centro Pro Unione, says the participation of Bartholomew I sends a strong signal in favour of ecumenical dialogue.

“First of all, it’s a recognition of two local churches, the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, which has ecclesiological significance. And the second reason is that the Metropolitan of Pergoman, John Zizioulas, who is the co-chair of the Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, is going to accompany him,” he said.

“So I think the importance of this is a way of showing, from the Orthodox side, the willingness to go further in this dialogue and to breach the divisions that have kept us apart for centuries,” he added.
“They see in Pope Francis a person who has accepted a simple lifestyle, one that conforms to the Gospel,” he continued. “And emphasizing, first and foremost, that he is bishop of Rome, and I think that was really important. When he appeared, he spoke to his Church, who now elected him as head. And so, I know the Romans are very pleased with that, but I think it has ecumenical significance that shows that he intends to exercise his ministry, first and foremost, as bishop of Rome.”

Representatives from the Oriental Orthodox Church, including the Coptic, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox churches, as well as from the Lutheran, Methodist and Baptist churches are also expected to attend.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is preparing for his own inaugural ceremony March 21, has delegated Archbishop John Sentamu of York to represent the Anglican Communion.

Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America will also be in attendance, along with Br. Aloïs Löser of the popular ecumenical Taizé Community in France.

Vatican Radio