"FRANCIS, A THOROUGHLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC MAN"

by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.

The above title for this article is taken from an ancient antiphon preserved in the Franciscan Order for use in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Feast of St. Francis. The whole antiphon reads: "Francis, a thoroughly Catholic and apostolic man, taught that the faith of the Roman Church must be kept and that priests are to be revered above all other men." This antiphon gives, I believe, an important insight into the spirituality of the "Little Poor Man of Assisi." It is the fact that his call to personal holiness and his ministry to God's people are linked inseparably with his dedicated love for and humble submission to the Roman Catholic Church, and in a specific way to the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and the successor of St. Peter.

This is a very essential element in the understanding of St. Francis and the mission he received from the Lord. It can be seen clearly in the incident in the dilapidated chapel of San Damiano where the saint had stopped one day to pray. As he knelt in prayer before the painted figure of Jesus on the chapel cross, he heard the Lord speak to him: "Francis, go and rebuild My house which as you see is falling into ruin!" Francis at first understood these words to refer literally to the dilapidated stone chapel that was obviously in need of repair. But the Holy Spirit later enlightened him to realize that the "house" he was called to repair was that spiritual "house" that had been purchased at the price of Jesus' Precious Blood, namely, His Church. His task was to rebuild the Mystical Body of Christ, by renewing the faith and love of His People. St. Francis was to become an outstanding instrument of Church reform by the holiness of his own personal life and that of his followers in his three orders: the Friars, the Poor Clare Nuns and the members of the Third Order, now called the Secular Franciscans.

Another incident which shows St. Francis' link with the Church was his repairing of the chapel of San Pietro, which he undertook when he had finished the repair of the chapel of San Damiano. He chose to repair this second chapel out of his great love and veneration for St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles.

A third example of his reverence and obedience to the Pope is seen when he had his first eleven followers. He realized that God was using him to begin a new community of "penitents" in the Church. He addressed the eleven one day: "Brothers, I see that God in His mercy wishes to increase our number. Let us therefore go to our Mother, the Holy Roman Church, and make known to the Pope what God has deigned to begin through us, so that we may continue what He has begun, as He instructs and according to His wishes!" What is very significant here is that St. Francis had absolutely no doubts about what the Lord Jesus had called him to do. Despite that, he still wanted the approval and blessing of the Pope as Vicar of Christ, so that he would confirm by his authority of "binding and loosing" on earth what Jesus Himself had already commanded. St. Francis desired the Holy Father to send him and his eleven brothers on their mission to preach the message of God's mercy and the need for conversion of heart throughout the Church, just as Jesus Himself had sent His twelve Apostles on their mission to preach the Gospel message to, the very "ends of the earth."

St. Francis, in order to assure that his Order would always remain loyal to the Pope and to the Roman Church, incorporated his "Catholic sense" into his way of life. For example, in his earlier written Rule of 1221, he required faithfulness to the teachings of the Catholic Church for membership in his Order: "Let all the friars be Catholic, and let them live and speak as Catholics. Should one of them preach against the Catholic Faith and life by word or deed and not amend his ways, he shall be excluded absolutely from our fraternity." In his later Rule of 1223, St. Francis put obedience and respect for the Holy Father both at the beginning and the end.

In Chapter 1, he writes: "Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to the lord, Pope Honorius and to his canonically elected successors, and to the Roman Church.'' He closes the Rule in Chapter 12 by commanding those Ministers General who would succeed him in leadership of the Order to petition the Pope for a "Cardinal Protector," who would be a friend, protector and disciplinarian of the friars, reminding them of their duties to the Holy Father and to the Catholic Church. He wrote: "I command the Ministers by obedience that they petition our lord, the Pope, for one of the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, who shall be the governor, protector and corrector of this fraternity so that, being always subject and submissive at the feet of the same Holy Roman Church, and steadfast in the Catholic faith, we may observe poverty and humility and the holy Gospel of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, as we have faithfully promised."

No doubt, the Holy Spirit inspired this great loyalty to the teaching and guidance of the Roman Catholic Church in the saint of Assisi, and moved him to make it an essential element of his Order. Historians credit this factor above all others as saving Francis and his Order from the pitfalls of heresy and anti-clericalism (opposition and contempt for Church authority) which many other movements of the time involving "Poverty" and "Gospel living" fell into.

This essential element of the Capuchin-Franciscan tradition has always held a special place among the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Renewal. It is mentioned explicitly in the friars' charism and mission statements. The friars likewise chose St. Crispin, a Capuchin lay-brother, as the patron-saint of their first friary, not only because he carried out many forms of service inside the friary, as well as doing hands-on work with the poor in his neighborhood (as the friars do inside and outside their friary in the South Bronx,) but also because he was the first saint canonized by Pope John Paul II.

The recent visit of our Holy Father to the United States brought great joy and inspiration to many, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Both the Friars and the Sisters of the Renewal were among the great crowds cheering the Pope and listening attentively to his words. This visit, like his previous one, especially the World Youth Day in Denver, will continue to be a source of many blessings for the Church in the United States for many years to come. In all the excitement of the Pope's recent visit, however, one point might easily be overlooked, St. Francis was featured in the papal visit! The Holy Father came to the United States on October 4th, the feast of St. Francis. President Clinton, not a Catholic himself, made note of St. Francis' feast day when he greeted the Holy Father upon his arrival at Newark International Airport.

It is interesting to note Pope John Paul II referred to the previous visit of Pope Paul VI, who also came on October 4th, 1965 to appeal for peace before the United Nations. Pope John Paul II made reference to that visit in his opening remarks at the airport: "Exactly thirty years ago today my predecessor, Pope Paul VI, spoke to the United Nations General Assembly and delivered a message that still resounds in many hearts. "No more war, war never again!" He went on to appeal: "Peace, it is peace which must guide the destinies of people."

All of this was no mere "coincidence." Pope Paul VI had come to appeal for peace. Now, Pope John Paul II had also come to appeal for peace. As he said himself, he had come "as a pilgrim of peace and understanding among peoples." Both came on the feast day of St. Francis, the saint who worked tirelessly for peace among all peoples in his society, and who inspired the "Peace Prayer" that commonly bears his name: "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace!" When Pope John Paul II arrived later that day at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark, N.J., to address the clergy, seminarians, religious and laity, he made a direct reference to St. Francis. Referring to his talk at the United Nations the next day, the Holy Father said: "St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast we celebrate today, shines forth as a great lover and artisan of peace. Let us invoke his intercession upon the United Nations' work for justice and peace throughout the world."

The focus of this article on St. Francis' love and reverence for the Pope in his day provides an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our own personal love and esteem for the Holy Father today. Pope John Paul II is truly a leader in an age of misguided confusion, a spokesman of truth in an age that holds truth in contempt, a voice that speaks for the poor and oppressed and unborn who have no voice of their own. Maybe someday history will recognize his greatness and call him: "John Paul the Great!" Perhaps we must ask ourselves the question: "How can we follow the lead of this great Holy Father?"

Maybe the first thing we can do is respond to the challenge which he issued at the very beginning of his papacy, and which he restated in his address before Cardinal O'Connor, the faculty and a host of seminarians during an Evening Prayer Service at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., on October 6th. (I was privileged to be there along with our friars and sisters, and I even got to greet the Holy Father personally!) The Pope had just blessed the special new doors for the chapel, over which were the words in Latin: "Aperite portas Redemptori" ("Open wide the doors to the Redeemer!") Referring to these words in his address, he said: "These were my words to the peoples of the world at the very beginning of my pontificate - 'Help the Pope,' I said, 'and all those who wish to serve Christ, and with Christ's power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!' (Homily, St. Peter's Square, October 22, 1978)"

Another thing we can all do is to acquaint ourselves more with his wonderful teachings, especially his marvelous defense of all human life in his encyclical, The Gospel of Life. Finally, let us pray daily for the Holy Father and his special intentions. He carries the weight of an enormous responsibility on his shoulders out of his love both for Jesus and for us! Like St. Peter, he has heard the Lord's words: "Do you love Me?... Then, feed My lambs! ... Feed My sheep!" I cannot help remembering the wonderful chant of a seemingly countless number of people at the Papal Mass in New York's Central Park. "John Paul II, we love you!" And his response said it all: "John Paul II, he loves you!!!"