A reflection from Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv.
I was appointed by Pope Francis as the fifth Bishop of Charlotte in April of 2024, so it is safe to say that he holds a special place in my life and in my heart.
I recall his election in 2013 and am embarrassed to admit that as a Franciscan I felt a bit conflicted that a Jesuit pope would take the name “Francis”! I soon learned, however, that God had given His Church a new “Francis” who would similarly “rebuild the Church” as did the Poor Man of Assisi eight centuries earlier. Bringing to the world stage a perspective from the southern hemisphere that is often not commensurate with its geographic size, Pope Francis helped us all to see with a new appreciation the forgotten and those on the margins.
His teachings on the joy of the Gospel (“Evangelii Gaudium”) and the interdependence of all of God’s creation (“Laudato Si’”) helped us to ask ourselves if we had individually and collectively taken some essential realities of our lives for granted. As believers in the Good News, are our lives really reflecting the goodness that Jesus came to share with us – such that others are drawn to the difference of our lives that only God’s grace can reflect? Similarly, have we been taking for granted that humanity is created in the image and likeness of God? And do we recognize that grants all of us a dignity that necessitates we respond in love to everyone, and that we should hold a special concern for the wellbeing of all of creation, especially the poorest? These encyclicals, as well as others of his pontificate, have highlighted dimensions of life and faith that can often be overlooked.
Perhaps Pope Francis’ greatest gift to the Church and the world is probably the one that is most misunderstood. Calling the faithful to greater “synodality” is by far, in my estimation, the most responsive act to the greatest need in our Church and our world in this day and age. I remember somewhat mockingly commenting in the early days of the Synod: “Only the Catholic Church would hold a synod on synodality!” So trapped in my own endeavors and shackled by the need to “do something” about the real needs of our day, I was unable to see the power of listening. Thankfully, Pope Francis, inspired by the Holy Spirit, called us all to take time to do just that. The American male in me wanted to see proactive steps, and the Argentinian Jesuit was inviting me (and us) to experience the power of listening. He understood better than me the line in the Peace Prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that it is better to understand than to be understood. Oh, that our world would embrace this most impactful dimension of Pope Francis’ legacy.
I will long cherish my brief personal encounter with Pope Francis when I met him at the Vatican last September. He exuded warmth and a playful spirit that reminded me a bit of my grandfathers (minus a cigar). Maybe that is what I wanted to see in this man who had changed my life so dramatically with the whisp of his pen. But I believe that time will show – as has been the case with the other five pontiffs of my lifetime and so many more before that – how God brings the right person for the right moment.
May we all live each moment with that hope – trusting that if God wills, and we say yes, we too can be a bridge (pons, pontis) between heaven and earth that should be the hallmark of every pontiff.
— Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., leads the Diocese of Charlotte.
Read more:
- Two bishops and diocese unite in prayer for Pope Francis
- Words of prayer, comfort offered after news of pope’s death
- Bishop Martin, others reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis