Profile: The ‘simple pastor’ dedicated to helping poor
WHEN Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the Phoenix Park, the relics of one of his greatest inspirations will be situated nearby.
Francis has expressed devotion for the late 19th century Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, who was renowned for showing great love and doing good, and whose remains have been brought here for the visit.
Many of the pontiff’s years of ministry have been dedicated to doing good for the poor in his native Argentina.
He became the first Pope to hail from the Americas. He is a member of the Jesuit Order, the missionary Society of Jesus charged with taking the gospel to “every corner of the globe”.
While Archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998, Jorge Bergoglio travelled around the capital by bus and was described as a “simple pastor”, the Vatican newspaper ‘L’Osservatore Romano’ said.
The son of Italian immigrants rose to prominence in Argentina after criticising capitalism during a financial crisis which rocked the country in 2001.
His representations on the treatment of the poor came despite the Church’s longstanding opposition to godless Marxism. He regularly visited the slums around Buenos Aires and emphasised the importance of social outreach.
Bergoglio led the Jesuits during the years when a military junta held power in Argentina and has opened up Vatican archives to victims of the ruthless regime.
The Pope has defended the rights of the children of single mothers to baptism but also criticised his home country’s decision to legalise gay marriage.
His spare lifestyle has been described as almost ascetic.
Upon his election as Pope in 2013, Francis chose to live in the Vatican guest house and was driven around in a Ford Focus.
The Pope has apologised for “grave errors” in how the Catholic Church handled sex abuse in Chile, while a grand jury report in the US detailed decades of sexual abuse by priests and cover-up by bishops.
Abuse survivors will want to know whether the Pope’s devotion to Saint Thérèse translates into true love for a section of the faithful who have suffered grievous wrong in Ireland.