Reviews

My First Act as Pope Would Be….

3/13/2013

This Just In

The babble from the American news media is that the new Pope is from Latin America and is a Jesuit, therefore this must be good for the poor and sorting out the scandals.

I am three years younger than the former Cardinal Bergoglio, in pretty good shape, and write four or five hours a day.

Having been around one conclave, and covered religion for four years, when I hear the expectations being projected from afar on the new Francis I, my first reaction is: I need a nap.

Photo of Appalachian bridge by Ken Murray; photo of couch by GV

Altenir Silva

3/13/2013 02:03:46 pm

Dear George,

The Pope is Argentine! It's a sign that Messi will be the champion of the World Cup in Brazil.

All good wishes,

Altenir Silva

George Vecsey

3/13/2013 03:45:16 pm

Altenir: Muito obrigado.
I think it is a sign that Diego Armando (himself part Italian) might get help in Italy to lighten his $50-M tax bill.
We need to know what is the Pope's team.
Ciao, GV

Altenir Silva

3/13/2013 04:22:23 pm

Dear George,

I saw on TV that the Pope loves the team Club Atletico San Lorenzo de Almagro. I think it's an small club.

Best - Altenir

George Vecsey

3/14/2013 01:07:31 am

Altenir: This is the best sign yet. I just heard that San Lorenzo was named after the local priest who provided a field for children of the barrio to play football. This is tangible hint of a potential tilt toward the poor. GV

Brian Savin

3/13/2013 02:27:58 pm

Or maybe just a story to (mostly) lighten the mood:

A Jesuit Pope? If that doesn't prove that politicians have taken
over the world, nothing does! Of course, they are possibly the brightest of the Catholic clergy, and also as a group possibly the least likely to be hiding, or resisting, being gay, or possibly they are overwhelmingly heterosexual....who knows? They have an incredibly high percentage of committed alcoholics in my own experience...whom, by the way, I have the greatest respect for!

I remember our dear Jesuit friend, who co-performed our wedding with my wife's Minister. At the rehearsal dinner I kept asking him, "Father, may I get you another scotch?" The reply was always, "Well, just wet the ice a little." In addition to being humorous, he was one of the truly brightest and most loving men we have ever known. I hate the fact that our Christmas card was returned one year with the seemingly callous institutional message scrawled across it..."deceased." It didn't do the man proper justice.

In my view, a Jesuit Pope is a very, very interesting thing.....even if some of them deserved to be eaten by the cannibals they encountered over the centuries!
Best,
Brian

George Vecsey

3/14/2013 01:14:39 am

Brian, the Jesuit I saw up close was Father Pedro Arrupe, the head of the order, in 1979, when JP II was trying to bust Liberation Theology in Latin America. Father Arrupe -- from the Basque Country -- stood up in a meeting in Mexico and basically told everybody to leave his people alone. Very impressive. GV

Brian Savin

3/14/2013 02:56:04 am

You bring up a truly fascinating angle to this story, George: When the Pope who recently resigned was known as Cardinal Ratzinger, he officially condemned Father Arrupe and Liberation Theology in his role as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- which i guess is kind of like the group that decides what's "kosher." I think that act was considered a very big deal at the time. Now the condemner is out and one of Arrupe's acolytes takes over. So there. Just maybe this election was the very first important "act"?

Marvin Fein

3/14/2013 03:02:59 am

Hi George
I started to follow baseball when I was about 8 years old. Twenty years later I was shocked that I was actually older than most of the players. At least pope watching doesn't carry that same shock value. Here I am approaching 75 and the newly elected pope is still older than me. I assume his love of club football comes from having grown up in its heyday and before the sport became so commercialized.

George Vecsey

3/14/2013 04:06:17 am

Dear Mr. Fein: It's the last occupation for our elders, at the moment, after watching police officers and our kids' teachers, etc., grow younger and younger. The football club is a good sign -- a lot of cities have smaller teams with loyal followings, like St. Pauli in Hamburg and some around Paris and London. It's a statement. Hope it means something in this case. Thanks for writing. GV

Alan Rubin link

3/14/2013 04:06:38 am

George,

The election of Francis I is another example of why we should not pay much attention to the experts and pundits. Not only was he hardly on their radar, their predictions of dire consequences resulting from Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation ill-conceived and alarmist.

As a non-Christian outsider, I do not see the institution of the Catholic Church in any peril from these events. However, a move to more transparency and inclusiveness should make the church more relevant to the needs and desires of its members. Problems do not disappear by covering them up and progress comes from listening, rather than suppressing dissent.

The selection of Pope Francis I is being praised because he is considered a man of the people, etc. I like that he is a Spaniard, a good hearted people who have a very caring nature. Spain and most of the South and Latin American countries are predominately catholic. Religion is part of their very fabric and daily life.

My wife and first experienced the intensity of this devotion on our Mexican honeymoon in 1961. We witnessed a long line of believers seeking relief from their various ills at the Shrine of Guadeloupe in Mexico City. We were familiar with the devotion of ultra-orthodox Jews, but the vision of watching a crippled man holding a candle inch along with his family for over an hour across the large square leading up to the church is still with me.

More recently, we were in Andalusia Spain for a month leading up to Holy Week. We observed the preparations in Seville three weeks in advance, but the highlight was being in Granada during Holy Week. There were daily possessions beginning at about 4 PM and continuing well into the night. The streets were filled and car traffic was impossible until well after midnight. You could see tears in the eyes under the hoods of people in the possessions. I believe that Thursday night is the processions relating to the cross. The street was packed from wall to wall and the somber sound of the trumpets and drums were riveting. Whenever the procession stopped for the float bearers to rest, a single low trumpet was heard. It was one of the most emotional experiences that I have ever experienced. I kept thinking what it must have been like for the marchers and all the Catholics in the crowd. It was obvious that their religion was not a one week or an occasional Sunday experience for them.

My nearest, NOT EVEN CLOSE, Jewish experience to Spain was at B’nai Jeshurun, a conservative Congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It is a warm and dynamic congregation started by a young Argentinian rabbi, who unfortunately died a few years later. Two of his disciples, both rabbis from Chile, replaced him. There must be something called a “Spanish Heart” as they brought a sensitivity and understanding that was genuine and unique. It was the only congregation where I looked forward to the sermons. It seems that too many of the clergy of any faith sound as if they were products of a factory.

Pope Francis I has a daunting job ahead of him, and he will not be a cure all, but if he has anything close to the “heart” that the two Chilean rabbis possessed, the Catholic Church should be heading in a good direction.

George Vecsey

3/14/2013 04:29:31 am

Alan, I know of that congregation. Some good friends attend, or have in the past.
Thanks for your good points about the religion of Latin America.
(The weaving in my photograph above is a gift from a Mexican journalist with whom I covered the first trip of JP II in 1979.)
I recall pilgrims to Guadelupe crawling on their knees. GV

Ed Martin

3/14/2013 10:04:56 am

As a non-Catholic, I don't get a vote. I liked the fact that as Cardinal he used public transit and disdained some of the exaggerated trappings. Hope he does the same as Pope, perhaps reducing the Royal trimmings and using the funds for the poor. The reports say he is a conservative re: women, gays, etc. As Kurt Vonnegut wrote,
"So it goes."

Alan Rubin link

3/14/2013 10:22:10 am

Ed

Maybe being elected Pope is similar to a Supreme Court nominee who grows on the job and surprises everyone in a positive way. As I mentioned earlier, change would be a slow process. Hopefully, Pope Francis will set a tone that resonates well within the church.

Alan Rubin link

3/14/2013 10:32:54 am

Sorry for the multiple posts. Weebly kept asking me to resubmit.

I have not been receiving email notifications of posts to George's site for over five months. Anyone else having the same problem?

John McDermott

3/14/2013 01:59:07 pm

I'm not religious, not at all. I think my falling away started in the fifth grade when an otherwise very kindly and admirable priest who was giving catechism lessons told me that since one of my best friends from school(I went to PUBLIC school) and his family were Jewish they could never go to heaven unless they became Catholic. Even at 10 years of age I was already a contrary pain in the neck and the idea that the church I was being handed over to would have such a rule already made me not want to be a member . Father Mihal must have hated me and my questions. Anyway, notwithstanding my doubts about religious institutions I was thinking, "wouldn't it be helpful if Islam had a structure like the Catholic church?". Then there would be a central figure of authority like a Pope to establish a uniform view of what the rules are. Such a figure, such a leader, could then hopefully make it clear once and for all that a good Muslim does NOT kill other people in the name of God, that doing so is actually a perversion of Islam and only pisses off God or Allah or whatever her name is.

Andy Tansey

3/14/2013 04:07:13 pm

Re: Jesuits' reputation as being smart: (These stories require juxtaposition of the Jesuits with other orders. As a nod to the end of the Big East from a SJU alum, I'll use the Vincentians.)

A Jesuit and a Vincentian were arguing over a complex issue of canon law, and they could not agree, each thinking he was smarter than the other. They finally did agree on something, but only to refer the question to the Lord God Himself, who wrote back:
"Neither of you is correct. You both have valid points. Neither of you is smarter than the other.
Signed,
The Lord God, S.J."

Re: Pope Francis is supposed conservative; A conservative Jesuit?

A somewhat misguided Catholic really wanted a nice car but just could not afford it. He went down to his parish rectory and asked the pastor, a secular diocesan priest, "Father, do you pray the Rosary here?" Father responded, "Of course, my son." "Father, can you please pray the Rosary for me? I really want an Infiniti." Father was a bit baffled. "What's an Infiniti?"

Disappointed, the man went over to the Friary and spoke with a Franciscan there. "Father, do you pray the Rosary here?" The friar responded, "Of course we do!" "Father, would you please pray the Rosary for me? I want to buy an Infiniti." The priest knit his brow and asked, "What's an Infiniti?"

Somewhat depressed, the man headed to Fairfield and found a Jesuit. "Father, do you know what an Infiniti is?" The priest answered, "Sure! This is a pretty well-to-do area. Many of the parishioners drive them." The man's face lit up. "Father, I desperately want to own an Infiniti. Would you please pray the Rosary for me?" Father scratched his head. "What's a Rosary?"

I spoke with an Argentine this evening who told me that Pope Francis, as illustrated above, was a registered member of the San Lorenzo club, or its supporters or the like. Apparently, he could show his club pass for admission to matches. After his white smoke yesterday, my friend told me, the local folks went out and bet on his club membership number in the lottery. The number hit and the lottery went broke. I have no knowledge that this is true, but it is a good legend. A miracle already! One minute, a guy like anyone riding the Flushing Line to Shea (yeah, SHEA!), the next, infallible! I like this Pope already.

[Re: A few degrees of separation:
The Argentine who told me this story is a friend of my father, who knew SJU coach Lou Carnesecca from back in their St. Ann's Academy (now Archbishop Molloy HS) days and who was considerately remembered at alumni events by Molloy's good coach Jack Curran, who passed away this morning. More in your NYT E-mail. -- Andy]

Brian Savin

3/14/2013 04:38:37 pm

Dear Andy, You are hilarious! (By any chance, do you have a brother or other relative -- a Tansey I know named Frank, from Bayonne?) I can't compete with your post, but you do remind me of an ecumenical story an old lawyer friend of mine -- who was also an ordained Presbyterian Minister -- told me he learned in divinity school. His professor told him:

"There are two basic ways to argue a theological point: You can argue like a Jesuit or argue like a rabbi. If you give a Jesuit his premise, you will be confronted by unassailable logic and you will lose. If you argue like a rabbi, all they do is argue about each other's premise." Such, I guess, is the take on "true religion" at Princeton!

Alan Rubin link

3/15/2013 01:43:09 am

Brian

If Andy's Infiniti shopper had gone to a rabbi for advice he would have been told to cut two inches off the tail pipe.

Brian Savin

3/15/2013 03:05:02 am

Alan, let's keep George's thread to serious religious subjects -- like the debate in Judaism about when life begins. Did you know there is reportedly a congregation that believes that a fetus does not become viable until it graduates from medical school? I heard it from a 92 year old Jewish mother who told her sassy 60+ year old lawyer/professor son that she could still take him out without sin!

Andy Tansey

3/14/2013 11:45:17 pm

Brian, I was in my thirties before I met another Tansey outside my immediate family. If we are related, it is by branches of a family tree of which I am unaware. There are quite a few in New Jersey. I believe the name is quite common in County Sligo.

I remember good arguments like those you describe. It may be a sign of my age that I have not been involved in one for far too long. They were fun. Both sides always felt they won.

Brian Savin

3/15/2013 02:55:16 am

Heard you the first time, Andy! (I think you encountered a quirk in George's blog administrator that I have encountered as well. You get a page that tells you there was a mistake in sending, when there wasn't, but you think it wants you to send it again, to send it again, to send it again!) ps. You'd love your long lost "maybe clansman" but I'm not sure my sides could stand being in the same room with you both! Best,

George Vecsey

3/15/2013 03:23:18 am

I am enjoying what everybody writes.,
The moral to the site issue is, never listen to an administrator.
Andy, I knew an old copy editor named Tansey; I think he was from Cincinnati. I also think there was a teacher with that name at JHS 157 in Queens in the early 50's...maybe.
Thanks for these great postings. Just plow ahead through the warnings, I think. GV

Ed Martin

3/16/2013 02:38:38 pm

In the totally serious vein of this string, I am still smiling about a conversation from my friend Larry Meehan who asked, "What do you call an ex-Pope?" After my bewildered silence, he answered, "Ex-Benedict."

Gene Palumbo

3/18/2013 11:28:38 am

Hi, George,

I, too, was covering the meeting in Mexico at which Father Arrupe spoke. I remember something else. A well-known and widely-criticized Jesuit scripture scholar had just left the priesthood. He was the author of (among other books) “Marx and the Bible.” One person, after showing disdain for the priest and his writings, said to Arrupe, “You must really be glad that he’s gone.” Said Arrupe, with pride and respect and affection, “On the contrary. We loved him, and we still do, and we wish him all the best in his new life.”

Manuel

3/18/2013 10:55:15 pm

I Mr. Vecsey, finally on this web site!
About the new Pope I can say that in Rome there's a new atmosphere about the priests and to the church in general, a very positive atmosphere! This Pope, that reject golden things in his first days, could become one of the most beloved of all time in my opinion. And then he loves football, and you know that in Italy this brings you some sympathy from a lot of people. Bye!

Manuel

George Vecsey

3/19/2013 01:13:48 am

Ciao, Manuel, grazie.
Come si dice, a vedere -- we will see.
Il Papa nuova fa tifo per una squadra piccola...un buon segno.
George

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