Protestant leaders don’t usually go out of their way to heap praises upon the Bishop of Rome. In fact, Venerable Pope Paul VI once said that the papacy is one of the major stumbling blocks to Christian unity. However, lately some Protestants and some Eastern Orthodox leaders have shown a greater interest in the institution of the papacy. They speak of the benefit of having a visible head of all Christians and they have a growing respect for the ministry of the pope as a moral force and leader in the world.
Pope Francis is receiving accolades from many Protestant leaders even those usually most leery of the papal office, including our Evangelical brothers and sisters. In fact, Pope Francis is more popular in the eyes of many in the world than the church he heads. Here in America even Catholics view Pope Francis more positively than the Catholic Church itself. More than half the Protestants in the country, as well as those of other faiths, view him positively. According to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released after Pope Francis was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” 57 percent of Americans have a positive impression of Pope Francis while just 5 percent view him negatively.
Never before has a pope been so quickly admired by Protestant and Evangelical Christians. In a recent Op-Ed for “Christianity Today,” a leading Protestant dean of Beeson Divinity School at Stamford University, Timothy George, called the pope, “Our Francis, Too.” What stood out most strikingly to Protestants is a quality they hold in high esteem, servant leadership. This has been perceived by Protestants because of his rejection of fancy outfits, cumbersome ritual and such acts as his Holy Thursday liturgy when he stripped down to his diaconal vestments and falling on his knees washed the feet of young prisoners, even a Serbian Muslim woman. He is the first pope ever to wash the feet of a woman and a non-Catholic.
Most Protestants and Evangelicals are attracted to his acts of humility and Christian simplicity. They also like his style of giving a homily or writing a letter to the world where his rhetoric is accessible and concise. His quotes are simple yet profound: “The church is a love story, not an institution,” and “War is madness. It is the suicide of humanity.” For those Protestants who are drawn more to a simpler, grassroots Christianity, his decision to eschew the palatial papal apartments for a simple room in Santa Marta guesthouse spoke volumes. Pope Francis speaks to the Protestant longing to live the Christian message in simplicity and his actions speak louder than his words.
Chris Nye, an Evangelical pastor in Portland, Ore., wrote recently about Pope Francis, saying: “I see Pope Francis respected because he reminds us of Jesus, which unfortunately is a bit of a surprise when seen in public religious leadership. He is a breath of fresh air. He did not see the office of pope as something to be grasped, but instead made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, which is an imitation of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-11). This adoption of servanthood has turned critics into followers. Because it’s difficult to be critical of someone who serves the poor and spends time with the victims of the world’s worst violence. As Evangelicals move ahead, I pray we would not be afraid to be led by a servant like Pope Francis. For if we cannot be led by a servant, how can we be led by Jesus? Pope Francis knows what Jesus knows and what I so often forget: True power comes from true humility, and true leadership comes out of true service. Let’s not just celebrate this pope; let’s imitate him.”
What a beautiful reflection on the impact that Pope Francis is making on our world and how his simple imitation of Christ is moving Christians closer together. He is truly living and embodying the teaching of the great evangelist St. Paul when he said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Christians recognize Christ when we see and experience him in others. Pope Francis should not only be celebrated but imitated.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is coordinator, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, Diocese of Camden.
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