Pope Recalled As ​“Prophetic Voice”

The Church should be like a field hospital for the wounded of the world. And pastors who guide in Jesus’s name should have the smell of the flock they lead — that is, they should be among and with the people.

Those inspirational paraphrases from the teachings of Pope Francis were very much on the mind of Rev. Ryan Lerner on a sunny Monday morning as he prepared to hear confessions and lead mass at the St. Mary’s Church on Hillhouse Avenue, just hours after the pope’s death. 

Pope Francis died early Monday at the age of 88, after a month’s struggle with pneumonia. He had pulled through by Easter insisting, despite frailty, on delivering an Easter blessing in person Sunday from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

He had also, in the days preceding, said Rev. Lerner, pointedly insisted on being among the people, including during a visit to a Roman prison to speak with inmates, both men and women, and of all faiths.

“He was a voice speaking bluntly to issues we’re facing — an end to war and bloodshed, of peace, and especially denouncing sins against the most vulnerable. He has had a prophetic voice for the times that we’re in,” said Lerner. He praised the pope’s humility, inclusivity, and embrace of people on the margins.

Lerner also termed Francis’s tenure for himself a kind of personal inspiration. He was finishing his studies and preparations to become a priest 11 years ago, shortly before Francis was selected to be the Bishop of Rome and pope.

Lerner was a student at Catholic University writing a paper on the practices of Holy Thursday, in the lead-up to Easter, when it’s traditional among the faithful to wash the feet of the poor.

Francis became pope a year later, ​“reinforcing,” said Lerner, the style of service to the marginal that he was writing about. ​”He was always insistent on being present for the poor.”

And, Lerner pointed out, Pope Francis’s visit to the Roman prison on Holy Thursday, where he performed precisely that kind of humble service once again, bookended his pontificate.

Those qualities were also on the minds of the steady stream of regular folks, parishioners and visitors, who climbed the tall steps of Saint Mary’s for the regular 11:15 a.m. confession and for the noon mass in which there would be formal prayers for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis.

“I love this church,” said Ron Hogan, who credited the nurturing of St. Mary’s for helping him beat addiction. ​“And there have been good and bad popes. Francis was a good man who spoke against the madness of the world, often in spite of those who rebutted him, like the United States.”

Asked who he would like to see succeed Francis, he said, ​“I’m praying for a steady like his to follow him.”

“It’s an end of era,” said Patricia Gannun, a West Havener who travels to St. Mary’s to pray regularly. ​“He was so much more of a progressive [than his predecessors] in bringing light to the church. He was the people’s pope and he reminded me of Mother Teresa. He touched hearts and brought people together. I hope his successor will bring more light to the church.”

And Gannun had one particular female beam of light in mind as well: ​“Allowing women to become deacons. That’s my hope. That his successor will fulfill Francis’s plan to elevate the role of women in the Church.”

Retired North Branford special ed teacher Mike Proto, a regular at confession at Saint Mary’s, also had a laudatory if more conservative take on Pope Francis’s contribution and legacy: ​“His pastoring was really out on the margins and some faithful Catholics took issue with him, but he was faithful to the Magisterium,” the formal, authoritative teachings of the church.

“And they did not change [during Pope Francis’s tenure] and that’s a good thing. His heart was in the right direction without altering the teachings of the church. Francis was very cognizant that the greatest attribute of God is his mercy and that’s what he tried to convey in his service.”

Non-Catholic Yale staffer Brooke Ramthun was walking by Saint Mary’s on her way to work and said she in particular appreciated Pope Francis’s ​“speaking out about the war in the Middle East and calling for tolerance. 

“My hope is they [the College of Cardinals] will choose someone with Francis’s depth of compassion. A pope holds a lot of sway in people’s minds and hearts. People take him seriously.”

Rev. Lerner said that while the church is formally in mourning for nine days, this takes place, with a certain kind of poetic beauty, during the Easter season. The first eight days after Easter Sunday, the octave of Easter, also celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly also issued a statement in the wake of Pope Francis’s death, describing the pope as ​“a powerful witness to charity and fraternity, calling us from his first days as pope to reach out to the margins of society and serve those who are too often forgotten.”

He also noted the pope’s relationship to the Knights of Columbus. ​“Pope Francis continually encouraged our charitable mission and offered his blessing for our work, especially our humanitarian efforts around the world,” the statement reads. ​“Pope Francis was also very supportive of our efforts to help Catholic men be better husbands and fathers and take up co-responsibility for the Church’s mission of evangelization.”

As to who or what kind of person will succeed Francis, Rev. Lerner was a bit agnostic. ​“The new pastor [that is, he explained, the next shepherd of the flock of the entire Catholic Church] will bring new gifts onto the chair of Peter. The process is such that the next pope will be the pope that God wants. It will be a movement guided by the Holy Spirit, with, of course, all the human agency involved.”

That said, Lerner added that he is 44 years old, and Francis has been the pope for nearly all of the years since Lerner was ordained. ​“And while we’ve been blessed with excellent ​‘shepherds,’ I’ve always admired him and wanted to be as passionate as he has been. We need a prophet’s voice for the times we’re in.”