EDITORIAL - Breathing new life

On Maundy Thursday, Pope Francis observed tradition by re-enacting Jesus Christ’s washing of the feet of the 12 Apostles. But breaking with tradition, the new pontiff did not wash the feet of clergy or laity in a church. Instead he picked 12 juvenile prisoners in a penitentiary for minors, and included in the ritual for the first time two girls and a Muslim.

The gesture was just the latest made by Pope Francis to lead by example in returning to the simplicity and humility that marked the life of Jesus Christ. It’s timely that Christendom is celebrating Easter Sunday under a new pontiff. New hope, new life ‑ Easter symbolizes renewal. Pope Francis, with his call for the faithful to live simply and humbly, is breathing new life into a troubled Roman Catholic Church.

His actions since being elevated to his position indicate that reforms are ahead and will be sustained - at least as long as he is head of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Taking inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi, who is best remembered for his vow of poverty, Pope Francis has consistently eschewed the trappings of wealth and privilege that have come to be associated with the princes of the Catholic Church.

On Thursday the Vatican announced that Francis was not moving into the papal apartment used by his predecessors, on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace. No one knows when Francis will leave his simpler accommodations in Rome’s Casa Santa Marta, where he has been billeted in a two-room unit since his election, or if he will ever move into the papal apartment. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio never moved into the archbishop’s palace, staying instead in a simple apartment where he cooked his own meals. He also declined a chauffeured limousine for the archbishop and instead took the bus.

As pontiff, Francis has eschewed the bulletproof popemobile, the red shoes that only the bishop of Rome can wear, and the opulent garments more associated with kings than shepherds. In leading by example, Francis is showing that he means what he says in wanting “a poor Church, for the poor.” This is a kinder Church, closer to the needy, the meek, and the hopeless. Christendom has much to celebrate today.

A happy Easter to all!