Vatican

At 81, Pope Francis shows no signs of slowing down

By Christopher Lamb | Correspondent
Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Pope Francis blows out a candle on a 13-foot-long pizza during a special meeting to celebrate his 81st birthday Dec. 17 at the Vatican’s Paul VI hall. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)

Pope Francis turned 81 Dec. 17. He celebrated his birthday by sharing cake and pizza with children from various countries being treated at the Vatican’s pediatric clinic. Wearing traditional costumes, they danced and greeted the pope before putting together pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle of the world. 

In St. Peter’s Square, 25,000 pilgrims from a range of countries sang him “Happy Birthday,” while a local gelateria on Rome’s Borgo Pio made a special birthday cake depicting Francis slightly bent over carrying a globe on his back and holding a briefcase labeled “valores,” Latin for “values.” 

The birthday celebrations underlined the global leadership role that the Argentine pope has developed, with many looking to him as a voice of reason and compassion in a fracturing world. 

His recent trip to South Asia highlighted the humanitarian crisis involving the Rohingya Muslims, who have been driven out of Myanmar in a wave of massacres, with children forced to witness their parents being shot. While in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the pope met with a group of them brought in from a refugee camp and said, “The presence of God today is called Rohingya.”  

It was also the pope, along with the Russian and French presidents, whom Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, decided to phone after his conversation with President Donald Trump, during which Abbas was informed of the United States’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to move its embassy there. 

Francis expressed his concern about the move given it has sparked unrest in the West Bank; while U.S. presidents have said that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is their aim, to do so unilaterally goes against international agreements. 

It has been the long-held view of the Holy See that peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine recognize each other. Jerusalem can be the capital of Israel but East Jerusalem is sought after as the capital of Palestine. 

Differences in the Middle East between the papacy and the Trump administration are just one of the issues facing incoming U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich who moved to Rome last month. She is due to present her credentials to the pope just before Christmas, after which she can begin her official work. 

Her job is going to require a good deal of diplomatic bridge-building, given that the pope and the president disagree on fairly substantive issues, including protecting the environment, migrant issues and nuclear weapons. 

Ambassador Gingrich will be assisted in her task by her husband, Newt, former speaker of the House. He will be dividing his time between Rome and Washington, where he will be ideally placed to relay messages between the Vatican and the president’s office, and has already showed a willingness to be a mediator. 

Speaking to Fox News recently, Newt Gingrich pointed out that despite their differences, Francis and Trump are two strong personalities who had a “very, very good meeting” in May when the president visited the Vatican. 

From the Holy See’s point of view, having an ambassador who can get direct access to the U.S. president will be seen as a bonus. Francis was reported to be happy about his encounter with Trump, although he will have noted that the president’s promise to read “Laudato Si’” — the papal encyclical on protecting the environment — was soon followed by his decision to pull the United States out of the historic Paris climate-change accords. 

This encyclical has, more than any other, helped the pope carve out his role as an elder statesman, while also being known for offering a sympathetic ear to the heads of government he meets on a regular basis. It has made him into something of a confessor to world leaders. 

But at 81, age is not on his side. Francis maintains a hectic schedule, rising at 4:45 each morning, and he keeps going until around 9:30 p.m., when he turns in for the night. His six-day South Asia trip was grueling, and at times the pope showed signs of difficulty when walking, particularly when going up steps. During Mass in Bangladesh, he instructed aides that he would deliver the homily sitting rather than standing at the lectern. 

Back in the Vatican, his mornings are normally taken up with back-to-back meetings with bishops and world leaders, and more often than not a speech to a gathering taking place in the Vatican. After lunch and a brief rest, the meetings continue, along with work on big decisions and speeches. He also makes time to welcome groups and go on pastoral visits around Rome. 

By all accounts, his health remains good and his primary ailment is sciatica, a condition that causes pain from the leg to the lower back. 

Francis is relentless. He is not trying to conserve energy but use every moment to ensure his vision of a compassionate, field-hospital church that binds up the world’s wounds continues long after his papacy ends. 

Topics:

  • pope francis

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