Running head: POPE FRANCIS: LET YOUR ACTIONS SPEAK 1

Pope Francis: Let Your Actions Speak

Cathy Mangan
Siena Heights University

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Pope Francis sparked a flurry of dialogue the moment he entered the
spotlight as the New Pope. This Jesuit Cardinal hailed from Argentina. What was it
that catapulted this man into instant stardom? What years of groundwork set the
stage for this man from a modest background to emerge as such a strong leader?
This paper will explore what made Pope Francis the influential man that he is today.
Born into humble beginnings, Jorge Mario Bergoglio entered the world on
December 17, 1936. . His parents Marion and Regina Bergoglio had four other
children. Pope Francis survived severe pneumonia and an extended hospitalization
at the age of 21 (Francis, 2013).
From an early age, Jorge developed a passion for the church and building
community with its members. On March 11, 1958, Jorge chose to enter the novitiate
of the Society of Jesus. In an interview with the National Catholic Review (Spadaro,
2013), Jorge explains why he chose the Jesuits. Three things in particular struck me
about the Society: the missionary spirit, community and discipline (p.3). Ignatian
spirituality focuses on unity and lifelong learning.
Following his commitment to the Jesuits, Jorge went on to complete his
studies in Chile. He returned to Argentina, where he graduated with a philosophy
degree from the Colegio de San Jose in San Miguel Argentina in 1963. Further
cultivating his leadership skills, Jorge began to teach Literature and Psychology at
Immaculate Conception College in Santa Fe from 1964-1965. Jorge later taught the
same subjects at the Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos Aires in the year 1966. From
1967-1970, Jorge studied theology at Colegio of San Jose (Biography of the, 2013).

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Jorge was ordained as a priest on December 13, 1969. Then, he trained from
1970-1971 at the University of Alcala de Henares in Spain, where he made his
formal pledge with the Jesuits. He then returned to Argentina, where he became
novice master at the Villa Burilari in San Miguel. He went on to become the Rector of
the Colegio Maximo of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology (Hutchinson, 2013).
Next, Jorge was named provincial of the Argentinian Jesuits from 1973-1979.
After those six years, he returned to his position as a parish priest at San Miguel and
as the Rector at Colegio de San Jose. He worked in those capacities for the next four
years. Desiring to further his knowledge of theology, he left Argentina in 1986 to
finish his doctoral thesis in Germany (Hutchinson, 2013). Upon his return, he
accepted a role as spiritual director and confessor at the Colegio del Salvador in
Buenos Aires (Biography of the, 2013).
Prominent leaders in the Catholic Church took notice of Jorges work with the
poor and his humble spirit. In 1992, the Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, so impressed
with Jorge, suggested to Pope John Paul II, that Jorge be made a bishop. The Cardinal
knew Jorge would be an asset to work alongside. Pope John Paul II agreed,
appointing Jorge titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires on May 20,
1992 (Biography of the, 2013).
After becoming a bishop, Jorge was appointed Episcopal Vicar and given
charge of the Flores district. The following December 1993, he was also elevated to
the title of Vicar General for the Archdiocese (Biography of the, 2013). He served
in that capacity for four years, during which time he continued to connect and reach
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out to the local community. After the Four years, Jorge was promoted to the role of
Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires on June 3, 1997 (Hutchinson, 2013).
When Cardinal Quarracino, the man who first extolled Jorges potential to
Pope John Paul II, passed away, Jorge was chosen to succeed him. On February 28,
1998, Jorge became Archbishop, Primate of Argentina and because Eastern-rite
faithful in Argentina had no Ordinary, Jorge was named Ordinary for that region
(Biography of the, 2013).
As Archbishop, Jorge stood apart as a man who was always ready to serve
anyone who had a need. He earned the nickname, man of the people, and was most
often sighted in the most destitute parts of Buenos Aires. He continued to live in a
small apartment and refused any luxuries in favor of public transportation
(Hutchison, 2013).
Pope John Paul II created and proclaimed Jorge Cardinal on February 21,
2001. Jorge in keeping with the Jesuit tradition, called for simplicity as he served in
that capacity. He still emphasized the individual above the bureaucracy.
In his role as Archbishop, Jorge built a supportive community (Flamini, 2013). He
worked long hours every day, without fail. He visited the sick, unafraid of
contracting an illness.
While Jorge rose steadily through the ranks of the Catholic leadership, he
never sought to gain power or acclaim. He had no previous Vatican experience.
Perhaps that was why he was elected pope. Known for being blunt and transparent,
those qualities may be just what the church needed as the Vatican has been plagued
by scandal in the past decade. The child sexual abuse scandal combined with
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infighting in the Vaticans central administration has alienated many former
believers (Fairclough & Meichtry, 2013).
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, on March 13, 2013, chose the name Francis as his
papal name to pay homage to his inspiration, Saint Francis of Assisi. In his work as a
priest and cardinal, Jorge was described as a sincere and simple man, who shied
from the spotlight and preferred to meet one on one with. His first week in office,
Pope Francis asked the Vaticans that were present to pray for him. This act broke
tradition and showed his vulnerability (Hopper & Silverman, 2013).
Wall Street Journal authors Gordon Fairclough and Stacy Meichtry, note that
Pope Francis faces tumultuous times.
Fairclough and Meichtry (2013) explain: The new pontiff faces the
challenge of reviving Catholicism in former church strongholds
in Europe and parts of Latin America where it now is in
decline, ministering to growing congregations in Africa and
Asia, and inspiring the churchs priests, monks and nuns (p. 2).
Already, Pope Francis has begun to transform the papacy and the way it is
perceived around the world. As the first pope from Latin America, he has helped to
rekindle a fire in the youth. With 3 million youth from all over the Americas, many
were shocked to see that large number in Brazil for World Youth Day.
Those who know The Pope describe him as a strong leader who focuses more
on individuals than on political agendas. A church organizer who worked closely
with him, Monica Aveiro, called him the cardinal of the slums. Despite some
questions about a speculated involvement in Argentinas Dirty war, Pope Franciss
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tireless work in the slums of Buenos Aires are what he is known for. This work is
what set him apart from other candidates for the papacy and sparked the interest of
the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics (Walsh, 2013).
Pope Francis demonstrates a beautiful way to connect with an individual
from another spiritual background in his interview with Eugenio Scalfari, who is an
outspoken atheist and creator of the newspaper La Repubblica. Pope Francis posits
that in order to effectively share ones faith, one must focus on building
relationships first and foremost. He urges Catholics to focus more on mentoring and
building connections than on officialdom. To evangelicals, he suggests less
proselytism and more inquiry. The Pope made Scalfari feel right at home in their
interview. In fact, The Pope personally called the author to set up the meeting,
bypassing formality and marking them as equals (Scalfari, 2013). By the end of the
interview, the two embraced before parting ways. Pope Franciss sincerity was
enough to win the respect and admiration of a staunch atheist.
When reflecting on Pope Franciss leadership style, I am challenged to engage
those around me, no matter who they may be. Few would deny that Pope Francis is
skilled at connecting with people one-on-one. According to the Strengths Quest
Strength Finder, my most prominent strength is that of connectivity. A way that
Pope Francis uses his gift is to focus on each person individually. He explains, I
manage to look at individual persons, one at a time, to enter into personal contact
with whomever I have in front of me. Im not used to the masses. No matter who
that person is, be they royalty or the common man, Pope Francis is lauded for
treating both with equal importance and grace (Spadaro, 2013).
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In my graduate assistantship here at Siena Heights, spirituality plays an
important role. I have fourteen Resident Assistants who meet with me one-on-one
on a weekly basis. Throughout the course of each semester, I spend up to twenty
hours with each of those students. During our talks, I seek to discover who that
Resident Assistant is when it comes to identity development, family background,
spiritual life, academic life, and any struggles that arise that week. We are halfway
through the semester, and by now I have connected with half of the Resident
Assistants, but I want to push myself to get to know that other half, the ones who are
more reserved.
Another example that the Pope sets is his commitment to always lead by
example. Instead of being driven around as a Cardinal, he chose to take public
transportation in order to be with the people he led (Flamini, 2013). In my career, I
sometimes must choose between taking the easier path, and choosing to lead by
example. During my first week as a Hall Director at Siena Heights, the football team
had just walked over from practice and my team of Resident Assistants and I were
waiting in line to enter the dining hall alongside them. Up walked the assistant
football coaches and a graduate assistant. One of them said to me, You dont need to
wait with these kids, as he cut the line of students and walked in. I smiled and
explained that I did not mind the wait. These little actions, while often unrecognized,
will build me into the servant leader that I want to be, a humble leader like Pope
Francis.
I purpose to maintain a humble approach, build connections, stay grounded
in my current leadership position, and remember to lead with my actions in any
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future roles I rise to. As Pope Francis notes, a leader is no better than anyone else on
this earth. In his interview with Antonio Spadaro (2013), Pope Francis is famously
quoted as saying, I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure
of speech, but a literary genre. I am a sinner (p. 2).
Pope Francis of Argentina, the man who emerged seemingly overnight,
worked tirelessly for seventy seven years before the world at large noticed. This
Jesuit Cardinal knew leading with actions would speak more powerfully than a
thousand oral speeches. What sets Pope Francis apart is that he still enjoys
personally calling his people to set up meeting times using his cellphone. He refuses
to wear the lavish clothing worn by many of his predecessors. He still eats meals
with prisoners. This man of the people will not lose sight of his priority, which is to
love and lead by example.




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References
Conchie, Bary., & Rath, Tom., Strengths based leadership (2008). New York, NY
GALLUP press
Dias, Elizabeth . (2013). Pope francis talks spirituality in a new interview Time.
Fairclough, Gordon., & Meichtry, Stacy. (2013). World news: Pope francis celebrates
inaugural mass. Wall street journal, eastern edition. New York, NY.
Flamini, Roland., (2013) Pope francis: Resurrecting catholicisms image?. World
Affairs. September/October Retrieved from
Francis, Rubin. S., & Ambrogetti, F. (2013). Pope francis: Conversations with jorge
bergoglio. New York, NY: The Penguin Group
Hopper, Tristin., & Silverman, Rosa., (2013) Pope francis one of gods marines;
modest means; first ever pontiff elected to clean house. National Post. March
14
Hutchinson, John., (2013). From fresh faced schoolboy to leader of 1.2 billion
catholics: Charming images shed light on pope francis early life growing up
in Buenos Aires. Daily mail uk.
Kennedy, Robert, F. J. R., Saint francis of assisi: A life of joy. (2005). New York, NY:
Hyperion Books for Children.
Scalfari, Eugenio., (2013). The pope: How the church will change. La Repubblica
Spadaro, Antonio, S.J., (2013). A Big Heart Open to God America: The National
Catholic Review.

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Walsh, Jason. (2013). How European catholics see pope francis. The Christian
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