Addressing the media as “dear friends”, Pope Francis spoke of how the
role of mass media continues to grow and how it is indispensible for
telling the stories of contemporary society.
The Pope thanked the media
for the service they have rendered over these past days, jokingly
remarking on how hard the media has been working.
He spoke about the
complexity of recounting historical events like the election of a pope
and of how important it is to present such an event in the light of
Faith.
“The Church” – he said – “does not respond to an earthly logic”
and can be difficult to communicate effectively because “the nature of
the Church is spiritual, not political”.
This is the only perspective in
which the work of the Church can be presented, said Pope Francis.
“Christ”,
he continued, “is the centre, not the Successor of Peter…Christ is the
reference point at the heart of the Church, without Him, Peter and the
Church would not exist”. The protagonist of all these events, said the
Pope, is the Holy Spirit: “it was He who inspired the decision of
Benedict XVI for the good of the Church, it was He who inspired the
choice of the Cardinals”. It is important to keep this in mind, he
added, as we try to interpret the events of the past few days.
Pope
Francis then reflected on what he called the “trinity of communication:
Truth, Goodness and Beauty”. “We are not called to communicate
ourselves, but this trinity…the Church exists to communicate Truth,
Goodness and Beauty”.
The Pope then departed from his prepared speech
to recount why he chose the name “Francis”. Some people, he said, still
don’t understand whether he named himself after Francis Xavier or
Francis De Sales or St Francis of Assisi. He described how, during the
conclave, he was seated beside the Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paolo and
Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a close friend of his.
“When the matter became
dangerous” – said Pope Francis – “he comforted me”. And when the votes
were being counted and it was clear the Pope had been elected, the
Cardinals began to applaud and Cardinal Hummes “embraced me and kissed
me and said: ‘Don’t forget the poor’…and that struck me…the
poor…Immediately I thought of St Francis of Assisi…Francis was a man of
peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation.”
That,
said Pope Francis, is how the name came to mind. “How I would love a
Church that is poor and for the poor” – he added.
The Pope then
continued his account of the name choice by saying how some had
suggested he take the name Pope Adrian, because of his association with
reforming the Church. And in reference to the fact that he is a Jesuit,
the Pope added how others said he should call himself Clement XV to get
back at Clement XIV who suppressed the Society of Jesus in 1773…
Pope
Francis concluded his encounter with representatives of mass media from
all round the world by extending his best wishes to them, their work
and their families.
He imparted his apostolic blessing, however, in
silence – out of respect, he said, for the fact that “not everyone
present belongs to the Catholic faith and others do not believe.” “I
respect the conscience of each one of you”, he said, “knowing that each
one of you is a Child of God.May God bless you”.