Clare Duffy |
Sophomore Ana Fonseca has photo evidence of her self-proclaimed admiration for Pope Francis on her Instagram, namely a photo of herself holding a collection of magazines featuring him on their front pages.
“Oh my gosh, I’m kind of obsessed with Pope Francis,” Fonseca said. “He’s just doing so many great things, I don’t know how anyone could not be excited about him.”
Fonseca attended World Youth Day, an international event organized by the Catholic Church, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last July. The event was held not long after Pope Francis, formerly Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, had been elected as the pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on March 13, 2013.
One year later, the 266th pope has become highly popular amongst Catholics (and non-Catholics) around the world, as well as within the UP community.
“From the very beginning of his papacy, he ushered in his message of humility and that really came through seeing him in person and seeing him speak, and made it real,” Fonseca said.
In a report published March 6, 2014, Pew Research found that more than 80 percent of U.S. Catholics have a positive view of Pope Francis. It also stated that since his election, 26 percent of U.S. Catholics have reported being more excited about their faith.
Campus Ministry’s Assistant Director for Faith Formation Anthony Paz agreed that the pope’s message has reinvigorated Campus Ministry’s mission.
“(Pope Francis’s) approach, with mercy and inclusion, has given us more confidence to do our work as a Campus Ministry in a way that is more outward-focused and inclusive and welcoming to all people, regardless of their faith or background or worldview,” Paz said.
Junior Megan Biggi, a member of the Servant Leadership Team, has also experienced Pope Francis’s influence on Campus Ministry, as well as on the greater student population at UP. Additionally, he’s impacted how she views her own faith.
“He’s definitely a role model,” Biggi said. “I think that humility is something that he really emulates, and it reminds me that even the littlest things, like listening to a friend or smiling at someone, our actions on an individual, personal level really do have an effect on the world around us.”
Pope Francis is also unique in that he is somewhat of a pope of “firsts.” He is the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, the first Western “New World” pope, the first Jesuit pope and the first pope to take the name Francis. Math professor Fr. Charlie McCoy feels that these firsts allow Pope Francis to bring a new perspective to the papacy, as well as signaling somewhat of a change in direction in pursuing the church’s mission.
“A lot of what I think he’s brought is his background, his story, really who he is, is different than what we’ve seen in centuries and even in history,” McCoy said. “It sends a definite message of wanting to bring something new to the Church … a breath of fresh air.”
Additionally, McCoy believes students can better relate to Pope Francis because he is a Jesuit.
“College is such a time of discernment, and as a Jesuit, he speaks so easily and clearly about discernment,” McCoy said. “I think it’s a gift he brings to young people.”
