The Mass of inaugurating the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome that took place last week for Pope Francis was history making on several levels. First and foremost was the beautiful simplicity of the liturgy itself. As Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Press Office of the Holy See, explained about the different emphasis that Francis directed, “The correct term for the ceremony is not enthronement but inauguration. As successor of Peter, the pope is bishop of Rome and the Church of Rome ‘presides in love’ over the others. Also, it is a celebration rich with symbols that recall the pope’s tie to St. Peter, beginning with the place where, according to tradition, Peter was martyred.”
Pope Francis in fulfillment of his ministry to “preside in love” prearranged that seated in the prestigious seats on the left hand side of St. Peter’s Square, the porch side of the Basilica, on the day of his inauguration would be, as Father Lombardi explained, “bishops and archbishops (some 250), ecclesiastics and delegations from other churches and Christian confessions…. On the St. Peter’s statue side of the piazza will be seated Jews, Muslims and members of other religions.”
These invitations have been included in the seating of most of the popes since the Second Vatican Council.
What was truly historical about Pope Francis’s ceremony was that it was the first time ever that the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has attended the installation of a bishop of Rome. In deference to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, the Gospel was chanted in Greek at the Mass. Initially historians were citing that it was the inauguration first time that an Ecumenical Patriarch has attended an installation of a pope of Rome since the great schism of 1054 A.D. But upon further study it was decided that this was actually the first time ever. It’s difficult to express the momentous impact that the patriarch’s presence at Pope Francis’s inauguration will have on ecumenical relations between the churches of East and West.
After the inaugural Mass Patriarch Bartholomew said, “This pope is a good shepherd of his faithful. The Catholic Church needs a shepherd. From the off he has shown a real closeness to the people. I only met Pope Francis today and I was really impressed. We’re meeting in private tomorrow and I intend to invite him to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul as soon as possible.”
At that private meeting the next day which took place in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis met with representatives of non-Catholic churches, ecclesial communities, ecumenical organizations, as well as representatives of non-Christian religions, who came to Rome for the inauguration. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was chosen to represent those present and address the new pope.
The patriarch addressed the pope, saying, “Your Holiness, in the name of the Lord of powers, we wholeheartedly congratulate you on the inspired election and deserved assumption of your new duties as first bishop of the venerable church of Senior Rome, defined by the primacy of love…. The task and responsibility before you are immense before God and humankind. The unity of the Christian churches is surely our foremost concern as one of the fundamental prerequisites for the credibility of our Christian witness in the eyes of those near and afar.… As the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the worldwide Orthodox Church of Christ, we are certain that your venerable and dearly beloved Holiness, who commences this historical journey with such favorable auspices as bishop of Rome, will together with all those who are willing and able — exhibit special concern for the reparation of secular trends so that humanity may be restored to its ‘original beauty’ of love. We fervently pray with all Christians as well as with people throughout the world that Your Holiness will prove effective in this deeply responsible and highly onerous task.”
Seated in a simple armchair after refusing to sit in the throne, Pope Francis listened attentively. When Bartholomew finished speaking, Pope Francis thanked and embraced him calling him “my brother Andrew,” since the patriarchs of Constantinople are the successors of the Apostle Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
Pope Francis then turned to the others and said that when he saw all of them present at his inauguration Mass, he felt, “in an even stronger way, the prayer for unity among believers in Christ and glimpsed prefigured in some way, its full realization, which depends on God’s plan and our sincere cooperation.”
Good health and long life to our new Holy Father, Pope Francis!
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