He Is A Saint, I Say!

 He is a Saint, I say!

That headline actually is the lead to this column.

 “Who,” you ask … “who is a Saint?”

 Pope Francis.

 I believe we are living in a very special time in the history of the Church – a time when we have a bona fide Saint leading us as the Bishop of Rome. He is not the first Saint I remember among us. I never questioned that Blessed Mother Teresa was a Saint, and I believe her canonization is not a matter of “if,” but “when.” That being said, I don’t make the claim about Pope Francis lightly; I believe I can provide evidence in its defense.

 Just look at Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II.

 St. John XXIII is the first pope I remember – although I wasn’t old enough to truly appreciate who he was or his impact on the Church.

 Some, I suspect, would call him a revolutionary – he is, after all, the Holy Father who called the Second Vatican Council. Although he did not live to see its completion, St. John XXIII truly is the architect of one of our Church’s most dynamic periods.

 In advance of his canonization last Sunday, Catholic News Service moved a feature that led by noting that St. John XXIII “struggled to shake off many formalities that came with the papacy….”

 Sound familiar?

 CNS also moved a short feature that spotlighted his sense of humor. Sister Anne Flanagan, our book reviewer, noted last week that St. John XXIII once said, “There are three ways to face ruin: women, gambling and farming. My father chose the most boring one.”

 CNS also recounted the time a reporter asked St. John XXIII how many people worked at the Vatican. “About half of them,” he replied.

 St. John Paul II captivated people … period. There is no other way to describe his long-term popularity and status as one of the most charismatic Catholic Church leaders in modern history. He is the first pope I remember people calling “Papa” … and actually meaning it.

 Which brings us back to the beginning. Pope Francis is, in my opinion, a Saint living among us. We should thank God daily for the blessing of living during his service as our Holy Father. In reading the vast amount of information distributed in advance of Sts. John XXIII’s and John Paul II’s canonizations, it became clear to me that Pope Francis brings our world the best of these newest Saints.

 It’s tough to deny that he is a revolutionary – even tougher to argue that he has NOT shaken off many of the papacy’s formalities. You’ve seen his genuine, sincere smile; we all have. That comes from a man with a wonderful sense of humor. I don’t believe it’s possible to have one without the other.

 As a result of these things our Holy Father shares with St. John XXIII, he has captivated people … just like St. John Paul II.

 I personally believe that Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI has gotten short shrift in the historical record. I believe that over the long term, experts will regard him as one of the truly brilliant theologians the College of Cardinals ever elected as the Bishop of Rome.

 From here, Pope Francis is proving to be brilliant, too. As evidence, I offer two statements he made during the first year of his papacy:

 “God never gets tired of forgiving us. It is we who tire of asking Him for forgiveness.”

 “Often Christians behave as if they were going to a funeral procession rather than to praise God, no?”

 Talk about getting to the point. Pope Francis speaks to the hearts of matters in profoundly simple ways.

 He is a Saint, I say!