Pope Francis: A new style of communicating - Comments from Fr. Tom Dailey, OSFS
Excerpt from “Pope Francis, Supreme Pontiff of Catholic Church, Passes Away at Age 88” - Catholic Philly
Oblate Father Thomas Dailey, a professor of communications and homiletics at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, believes Pope Francis “changed the papacy from a position to a person, at least in terms of how he interacted with the world,” he said.
“In particular, he shifted the dynamic of papal communications. In him, communications took on the form of conversations, sometimes on subjects not typically discussed, occasionally with new vocabulary not formally used in Church teaching, often leaving arguments not settled. But doing so brought the pope and the Church closer to people and their struggles, especially to those not otherwise engaged in everyday ecclesiastical life.”
Pope Francis, Father Dailey concludes, “made faith real. He made mercy matter. He made the heart central to who we are and who we should be.”
Pope Francis addresses a capacity congregation Sept. 26, 2015 at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. (Photo by Fred Troilo)
His example “as an apostolic preacher offers the Church a guiding light for generations to come,” Father Dailey said.
In his pastoral letters Pope Francis balanced issues of the global stage with those of the family home, always inviting people not to forget those on the margins.
His 2013 Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”) dove into the broad issue of economic inequality. It criticized economic and political structures that harm the weak, the defenseless, the forgotten.
In 2015 he followed with Laudato Si’ (“Praise Be to You”), which not only raised an urgent warning about global climate change, but also called for responsible stewardship of the natural world and special care for the poor, those most affected by environmental degradation.
“Pope Francis has taught all of us the importance of encounter, seeing people as God sees them and walking with them on life’s journey,” said Heather Huot, secretary for Catholic Human Services (CHS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. “The prioritization of encounter challenges us open our hearts to the outcasts, the forgotten, the unseen.”
The work of CHS, the umbrella organization for numerous social service agencies that provide care and support for hundreds of thousands of people each year in the Philadelphia region, “exemplifies Pope Francis’ charism of love and mercy,” Huot said.
“Over the 12 years of his pontificate, Pope Francis has stood as a beacon of light guiding us in our service to our sisters and brothers. It is my prayer that we will honor his legacy in our continued pursuit of alleviating suffering and offering hope in our community. We have been so very blessed to have him shepherding us.”
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