Second Sunday of Easter - Mercy and Pope Francis

Is the Pope Catholic?

I remember the first time I asked someone a question, and they responded with, “Is the Pope Catholic?” I had never heard that before, and it struck me. It was a way of saying, “Isn’t it obvious?” Right?

And yet, over this past decade or so, there have been people in the Church who aren’t so confident in saying that anymore. There are people in the Church who would ask that question in sincerity. It isn’t something that seems so obvious to everyone now.

And now, Pope Francis has died. I’m sure that’s not news to anyone. Right now, as Catholics, we do not have a Pope. There is no one in charge of the Church right now—except for Christ. In this time, as the Pope has passed away, it’s no surprise that some people have mixed feelings. Some people don’t know what to do. Some are very sad that Pope Francis has passed and is no longer with us. Others, perhaps, are less so. And I think that’s human, and to be expected.

But I think the fundamental question we have to ask ourselves is not, “Is the Pope Catholic?” The real question is: Am I Catholic? Are we Catholic?

Because what does it mean to be a Catholic Christian? It means we believe that Jesus Christ founded a Church on earth. We believe that the Gospel we just read is true. We believe that Jesus Christ came and breathed on the Twelve Apostles and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” He gave them power—power over sins, as we heard in this Gospel. He gave them authority over His Church—that His power was in them, that the Holy Spirit, which means the presence of God living within, was in those Twelve Apostles in a very particular and unique way. They were given the authority to continue Christ’s work on earth.

So when Thomas, at the end of this Gospel, says, “My Lord and my God,” and Jesus responds, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed,” that’s what He’s talking about. Jesus Christ is going away; He’s not going to be with us forever. But He left a Church on earth. He left representatives on earth. He left His Twelve Apostles with His Spirit within them and with His authority to continue to guide and direct His followers.

That’s what it means, fundamentally, to be a Catholic Christian. It means to believe that this is true. It means to believe that Jesus Christ left, on earth, His representatives who have His Holy Spirit within them and who have been given the authority to continue that work.

And so, it doesn’t really matter whether I like the Pope or not. If you didn’t like Pope Francis, you probably liked the Popes before him. And if you didn’t like the Popes before him, maybe you liked Pope Francis. We have different kinds of people occupying the papal office. If you go back far enough, there were some very sketchy people occupying the papal office—people none of us should like because they weren’t good people. They were bad people. The papacy went through some very rough times. We have a long history, and there are lots of problems in that history.

But ultimately, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter whether the particular person holding that office is someone I like or not. Even during those crazy times when the Popes were, objectively speaking, not good people—when there were basically Italian mafia families fighting for the papacy and getting their people into office—even during that time, the Pope never changed the doctrines and moral teachings of the Church. The Pope may have been engaged in all sorts of political shenanigans, but he continued to be a center of reference for the faith.

And that’s what we believe as Catholic Christians. We believe that the Holy Spirit, whom Christ breathed on His Apostles in this Gospel, continues to enable those Apostles—and their successors—to guide the Church, regardless of their personal foibles. Because guess what? We all have personal foibles. None of us is perfect.

And if I think I could do the job of being Pope better than the Pope, I should think again—because that is an impossible job. Nobody is going to do it perfectly. Every man who occupies that seat will make mistakes. It’s very easy for us to be armchair critics—to say, “Oh, this,” or, “Oh, that,” and to stand in judgment over the Holy Father.

So I think that’s something important for us to reflect on and to remember in this time—the time of the passing of our Holy Father and the time of the election of his successor.

This is Divine Mercy Sunday, as you may know, instituted by John Paul II, based on the writings and revelations Christ gave to Faustina Kowalska. And I think on this day, of all days, what better time could there be to ask for God’s mercy on the soul of our Holy Father? That is what we are called to do. We are not called to stand in judgment. We are called to pray. We are called to entreat God for our brother who has died. We are called to ask God’s mercy on him.

But I think there’s something even more interesting about this feast of Divine Mercy—something that perhaps can illuminate our hearts when we reflect on it. This feast is not just about praying for God’s mercy on the souls of the departed or on ourselves. It’s also a feast that calls us to imitate Christ in His mercy, to exercise mercy, to practice mercy.

Practicing mercy—having mercy on others—is the opposite of standing in judgment over them. And we are all too ready to stand in judgment over our brothers, over our bishops, over our priests, over our Holy Father—to say, “I know better. I would do better. I could do this or that.” And all of that is false.

We are called to have merciful hearts. We are called to have loving hearts. We are called to have the heart of Christ—to accept, to love, and to forgive what others do. So rather than standing in judgment over anyone, on this feast of Divine Mercy, let us ask the Lord not only to have mercy on us—because we all desperately need God’s mercy—but also to help us practice mercy.

It’s so easy to look at others and say, “Look at them; they’ve got problems.” But I’ve got problems. I need to look at myself, to ask God’s mercy on my own life. And I need to ask God’s mercy on others—on those who have died, on those around me—and also practice mercy: extend forgiveness, be humble, realize that I don’t know everything, and recognize that it is not up to me to direct God’s Church.

It is up to God to direct His Church. It is up to the Holy Spirit to guide that Church. And as I practice humility and mercy toward those who are in charge and those around me, I should also pray. Each of us should pray. Pray to the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct His Church. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide those who are making decisions right now about the future of that Church.

Ask the Holy Spirit to descend on them—because it is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church: yesterday, today, and forever.