A Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness?

Pope Francis shows his black eye after colliding with a railing on the popemobile in Colombia
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Hurricanes devastate Texas, Georgia and Florida. An earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale causes 90 deaths and widespread damage and homelessness in Mexico. North Korea continues to launch dangerous missiles, bringing the world closer to nuclear devastation.

In the midst of a lot of bad news but mostly unobserved by American media, Pope Francis last week paid a long-planned visit to Colombia where millions of people turned out to see him. In a type of visit that has become ritual, the Pope celebrated outdoor masses, held heart-to-heart – sometimes chiding - talks with the clergy, visited orphanages, kissed children and donned native costumes and various headwear.

Some people, even believers, may be tempted to be cynical about these visits. They cost the host countries – many of whom are poor – millions. They disrupt traffic and the lives of countless commuters. Some people see them as simply exalting Catholicism, or nothing more than an exhibition of a personal cult of the Pope. In any case, people may ask, what real difference have the words of Popes made in the world.

Words Matter

But words matter, and Francis’ message has been simple and consistent: Work for acceptance of others, allow your most noble instincts to dominate, acknowledge God. Who could argue with this advice? Who can say that the visits aren’t a force for good at a time when it is desperately needed?

That’s especially true for a country like Colombia. Speaking from experience, I can say that there are no more friendly, kind, smart and inventive people than Colombians. Their country is beautiful and they have so much going for them.

But Colombia has had more than its share of misery. Colombian drug mafias have killed thousands and interrupted the lives of thousands more in their pursuit of polluted profit. Two major insurgencies, known by the acronyms FARC and ELN, kidnapped and killed thousands more and left millions homeless in a civil war dating to the 1950s. Right-wing paramilitary groups formed to oppose them, and they were responsible for even more death and destruction. 

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Colombia, with a population of nearly 50 million, is not a financially rich country and over the years it has been racked by economic problems. Nonetheless, it has maintained its vibrant democracy through it all, continuing to steadfastly seek innovative solutions to its problems.

Colombians are also famously religious, and that was evident in the recent papal visit. Before millions of wildly enthusiastic admirers, Francis encouraged, rebuked and complimented people wherever he went. He consistently challenged them to go beyond themselves and to never surrender their joy and hope.

He has been tireless in these trips in urging his fellow Catholics to be inclusive and non-judgmental. Is this merely a proselytizing ploy? I don’t think so. He wants Catholics, and all religious people, to be more authentic.

He has urged Catholics to be more human, to focus on the essentials in their faith, pointing out that being religious doesn’t mean simply complying with religious norms but in acceptance of others.

“The Church is not a customs agency” whose goal is deciding who is, and who isn’t, allowed to enter and with what baggage, he told one crowd. “The Lord isn’t selective; he doesn’t exclude anyone.”

On his last stop in the beautiful but agonizingly poor coastal city of Cartagena, the Pope referred to the city’s favorite saint, Peter Claver, a 17th century Spanish Jesuit who devoted his adult life to helping and ministering to slaves. Cartagena was the staging city for the Spanish conquest of South America and a major slave-trading market.

One Last Word

“Dear brothers and sisters,” said Francis, “I would like to leave you with one last word. Let us not be content with ‘taking the first step,’” to which the Pope had referred earlier in his visit. “Instead, let us continue our journey anew each day, going forth to encounter others and to encourage concord and fraternity.

“We cannot just stand still. In this very place, on 8 September 1654, Saint Peter Claver died after forty years of voluntary slavery, of tireless work on behalf of the poor. He did not stand still. His first step was followed by many others. His example draws us out of ourselves to encounter our neighbors.

“Colombia, your brothers and sisters need you. Go out to meet them. Bring them the embrace of peace, free of all violence. Be slaves of peace, forever. Slaves of Peace Forever.”




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