- Feb 5, 2002
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A lot of words will be written about the late Pontiff in the coming days. I’d like to offer some as a one-time staffer.
I began working in the Vatican Secretariat of State under Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. By the time Cardinal Bergoglio was elected to the Chair of Peter in 2013, I felt I had a pretty good grasp on how things worked. Then the first Latin American pope decided to shake things up. He settled down not in the Apostolic Palace, but in the Domus Sanctae Marthae so that he could be surrounded by people. He penned replies to letters personally rather than allowing us to reply on his behalf. He took walks within the sight of tourists only to be rebuked by his security detail and whisked away by car.
The fact is that things needed shaking up. Benedict XVI was a wonderful man and an extremely fine theologian. But he trusted people too readily and underestimated his foes. He was much more comfortable writing books than governing the Church. This is not a criticism, just a reality check.
We all, of course, have weaknesses, Francis (and Benedict) included. That’s the point. The late Pontiff could be judgmental and swift to anger. He didn’t always know what to say when. In fact, he didn’t seem to want to. Again, these are not meant to be criticisms, just observations from the inside.
I loved Pope Francis as much as I loved his predecessor. Both were men of deep prayer, ardent charity, and tireless service. Both loved the Lord and wanted others to know His love. They did all they could to show it. In these and in other respects, Benedict and Francis were more similar than different, though the media focused on the differences.
Continued below.
I began working in the Vatican Secretariat of State under Pope Benedict XVI in 2007. By the time Cardinal Bergoglio was elected to the Chair of Peter in 2013, I felt I had a pretty good grasp on how things worked. Then the first Latin American pope decided to shake things up. He settled down not in the Apostolic Palace, but in the Domus Sanctae Marthae so that he could be surrounded by people. He penned replies to letters personally rather than allowing us to reply on his behalf. He took walks within the sight of tourists only to be rebuked by his security detail and whisked away by car.
The fact is that things needed shaking up. Benedict XVI was a wonderful man and an extremely fine theologian. But he trusted people too readily and underestimated his foes. He was much more comfortable writing books than governing the Church. This is not a criticism, just a reality check.
We all, of course, have weaknesses, Francis (and Benedict) included. That’s the point. The late Pontiff could be judgmental and swift to anger. He didn’t always know what to say when. In fact, he didn’t seem to want to. Again, these are not meant to be criticisms, just observations from the inside.
I loved Pope Francis as much as I loved his predecessor. Both were men of deep prayer, ardent charity, and tireless service. Both loved the Lord and wanted others to know His love. They did all they could to show it. In these and in other respects, Benedict and Francis were more similar than different, though the media focused on the differences.
Continued below.
