Francis the Great (Part 1)
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Being great refers to Pope Francis, who, always relying on the Holy Spirit and on a transformational vision-mission for the Church, went beyond the standard expectations of leadership and inspired others very significantly, driving impactful renewal for the world at a remarkable level.
On several occasions and conferences, when asked how I could describe the present pope in one sentence, I would always say without second thought, “He is Francis the Great!”
History has bestowed upon Pope Leo I, who reigned between 440 and 461, the distinction of being called Leo the Great. Two other popes in history have been given such honorifics: Gregory I (reigned 590-604) and Nicholas I (reigned 858-867). Although not officially declared by the Church, popular acclamations gave them this honorific title, a title that is reinforced by history.
In a period nearest to ours, a very popular demand made Rome think of including John Paul II (1978-2005) on the list. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, in a special manner, referred to John Paul as “the Great” in his homily for the pope’s funeral Mass of Repose in 2005.
Beyond doubt, our Polish pontiff did the extraordinary. He perpetuated his evangelical mission in official documents, which include 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions and 45 apostolic letters.
He also convened 15 ordinary and extraordinary assemblies of the Synod of Bishops, and pioneered the international World Youth Days, presiding over nine of them. c To this, add tens of millions of pilgrims who came and attended his general and private audiences. No other heads of state met as many people as St. John Paul II did in his lifetime, except for Queen Elizabeth II who reigned for 70 long years.
Suffice it to say for now that all four pontiffs are canonized saints. When applied to a pope, the word “saint” indicates God’s sphere and the mystical dimension of the Petrine Ministry, while the word “great” indicates the earthly sphere and the exceptional human dimension in leadership.
In every age, God raises saintly popes who are Jesus-like servant leaders to others, all guiding stars in the Catholic firmament, and contemplative “men of courage” who blaze the trail to show the world the beautiful face of God.
Is Francis a saint? Is he great? Did he spend his entire life and every throb of heart for God and His Church, overly exhausted, worn out and melting like a Paschal candle at the end of the Easter Season?
Had everything but chose to live on barely anything
The highest and the most credible world leader who offered his personal witness to the Gospel by living on essentials, wearing a pair of worn-out shoes during the most solemn occasions, carrying his own personal luggage during his trips abroad, refusing to wear the papal red mozzetta cape trimmed with ermine, and keeping the same old pectoral cross is nothing short of exceptional.
I once told university students in one conference that the Holy Father was an owner of a dazzling Lamborghini Huracán, which was a gift from the Lamborghini board of directors. After I said it, I heard everyone exclaiming, “Wow!” The Pope soon announced, I said, that “this one-of-a-kind white Lamborghini will be auctioned.” And auctioned it was at Sotheby’s in London, and the proceeds of $800,000 (P41,000,000) straight away went to charitable causes, mainly to the victims of human trafficking and for missionary works in Africa and Iraq.
He did the same to his Harley-Davidson motorbike in 2014, paired with a leather Harley-Davidson jacket with his signature. All proceeds were given to start a soup kitchen in Rome for the homeless.
I’ve seen a deep impact on the Church of the Pope’s simplicity. Across the archipelago, I’ve seen Filipino bishops and priests making attempts to be more fatherly, more pastoral and easily accessible like Francis, living a simpler lifestyle and daring not to use luxurious cars. No residence is called the “bishop’s palace,” always reminded of what Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Being an extraordinary leader in a troubled world
Nicholas Murray Butler once said that there is a scarcity of great world leaders who make things happen. Beyond doubt, one of those is Pope Francis, who is on top of his league, all for the greater glory of God! Ad majorem Dei gloriam (AMDG), as all Jesuits and every good Christian professed to achieve!
An octogenarian pope who solved the biggest ecclesial crisis since the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, championed and institutionalized radical changes in accordance with the principle of “extreme measures for an extreme disease,” transformed the face of the Vatican and the papacy – without convoking Vatican Council III – is nothing short of greatness.
A pontiff with bouts of sciatica on a walking stick or wheelchair who went around the world, even in the most dangerous war zones – remember his pastoral visits to Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Democratic Republic of Congo – personally brokered peace to warring nations and proclaimed Christ as the answer to the world’s problems is nothing short of extraordinary.
Widely recognized even by non-Catholics for his extraordinary servant-leadership, characterized by humility and his deep focus on serving others, Pope Francis has redefined the papacy, rebuilt God’s House and led a more synodal-missionary Church into the future.
(To be continued)
José Mario Bautista Maximiano is the lead convenor of the Love Our Pope Movement (LOPM) and author of the book Church Reforms 3: The Synodal Legacy of Pope Francis (Claretian, 2025). Church Reforms 1 and Church Reforms 2 are available in Lazada and Shopee. Email: jomaximiano@gmail.com
