Francis - a beautiful new Pope

By Richard Ho Lung

In the darkness of night, the light shines forth. It is wonderful, and we are ecstatic that we have a new Pope whose primary aim is to be a poor Church for the poor! He is a Jesuit with a Franciscan spirituality! Just like me.

"Doesn't that sound very Missionary of the Poor? Father, it is like you, you are a Jesuit with a Franciscan spirituality," laughed all the brothers, filled with delight and happiness. Needless to say, I, too, am happy.

Before he had taken on the new name Francis, Cardinal Hummes of Sao Paulo, his dear friend, whispered in his ears, "Do not forget the poor." The Holy Spirit was at work. Cardinal Bergoglio was struck with certitude, as happens to us when the Holy Spirit speaks, "Francis of Assisi: for me, he is a man of poverty, a man of peace, a man who loves and safeguards creation."

That is how Popes choose their names. It is the ideal, what they want to be, the direction their leadership will take. The new Pope revealed his heart once again on the day of his election: "Oh, how I wish for a Church that is poor and for the poor!"

He will make this happen. This Pope is different. He walks among the poor, he takes the public bus, he cooks his own meals, he pays his own bills. He is a simple man with a profound faith in Jesus Christ.

He tells us, "Know the Gospel of Jesus Christ." It is clear that he knows the person of Jesus Christ, not as a scholar, but as a man of prayer. He is in love with Christ, the man of the poor.

Appointment and acceptance

On the day of his election, Pope Francis, according to the ritual of appointment and acceptance, should have ascended the seat of St Peter. Instead, he sat among his brother cardinals and blessed them warmly. He also walked among the crowds, spoke to friends who have no real position in the Church; he is full of warmth, simplicity, humanity, and wants to share it with the world.

I humbly submit to him in my heart, and I must confess I identify with this man. He is a Jesuit with a Franciscan spirit. I, too, love the poor, but I also love everyone. I love all mankind. I meet thousands of people wherever I go. I am surprised. They know me and my brothers - because we are servants of the poor.

They have seen us on EWTN, and the news spreads. It is the ministry of the poor; it is the founding of Missionaries of the Poor; it is the music. And Jamaicans seem to be everywhere. I am humbled. I am sometimes fearful. Why should they love and respect me? I am nothing. I am a humble follower of Christ, though a sinner in search of holiness.

I pray for Pope Francis, who is so Christ-like. It must be the Holy Spirit that's at work. He must have journeyed as a churchman, as I have, through the wilderness of the secular world to the very heart of Christ in the poorest countries.

We are in Haiti, in India, in the Philippines, in Uganda, in Kenya, in Indonesia, in Jamaica, in the USA. Our Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) brothers are known everywhere as 'the Jamaican brothers' for their Christlike works - with lepers, disabled children, orphans, the elderly, homeless men and women, HIV patients, the blind, the deaf, the cripple, the mentally sick.

We are not a clerical institute. We are an institute of brothers. Even myself, I am first a brother, and second, a priest. The heartbeat of my life is the poor and our brothers living a life of service: West Indians, Americans, Canadians, Poles, Germans, Africans, Chinese, Indians, Australians all come to our homes in the ghettos to live and work with us.

I am at peace. A new Pope, who loves the poor and who desires a poor Church, is our leader. It confirms the 32 years of life of MOP as a prophetic message of the Church of the future.

Father Richard Ho Lung is founder of Missionaries of the Poor. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and mopfathergeneral@missionariesofthepoor.org.