Pope Francis (Pastor of Mercy) Read Online Free Page B

Calabresi would consult with Bergoglio about priests who were being considered for the episcopacy. One day, the nuncio told Father Bergoglio that he had to meet in person. Father Bergoglio happened to be traveling on a three-stop flight within Argentina, so Calabresi offered to meet at the airport in Córdoba. Father Bergoglio recalls, “It was May 13, 1992. He asked me a range of questions on serious matters. And when the plane...was boarding, he told me, ‘Ah... one last thing... you’ve been named auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, and the appointment will be made official on the twentieth.’ He came out with it just like that” (from Ch. 12 of Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio). Jesuits are not allowed to seek offices within the Church, although they may accept if under obedience to the pope, to whom Jesuits take a special vow of obedience.
     
    Pope John Paul II made the appointment at the advice of Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, because of Bergoglio’s intelligence and reputation as a wise spiritual director. Bergoglio was consecrated a bishop on June 27, 1992, and made titular bishop of Auca. He took for his motto the same he would use as pope: miserando atque eligendo (seeing through the eyes of mercy, he chose him).
     
    Bishop Bergoglio’s first assignment as auxiliary bishop was as pastoral vicar to his home district of Flores in Buenos Aires. He was responsible for pastoral oversight of the area. The following year, in 1993, he was appointed vicar general of the archdiocese. In this role he was responsible under the cardinal for its daily administration. Scripture tells us, “My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find mercy in the sight of God” (Sirach 3:17-18). Bishop Bergoglio kept the lowest profile of the auxiliary bishops in the archdiocese and he was often seen engaged in humble pastoral work among young people and the poorest of the poor. He was often found serving in the slums of the city. He appealed to many groups of people, including University students in Flores that sought him out for advice, confession, and spiritual direction.
     
    Several years later, Cardinal Quarracino’s health declined such that he asked Rome for a coadjutor archbishop to be appointed to succeed him after his time. Bergoglio recalls, “on May 27, 1997, Calabresi called and asked me to lunch with him. We were drinking coffee, and I was all set to thank him for the meal and take my leave when I noticed that a cake and a bottle of champagne had been brought in. I thought it must be his birthday, and I was just about to offer my best wishes. But the surprise came when I asked him about it. ‘No, it’s not my birthday,’ he replied, grinning broadly. ‘It so happens that you are the new coadjutor bishop of Buenos Aires’” (from Ch. 12 of Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio). To the surprise of many, Cardinal Quarracino had recommended Bergoglio as his successor. Realizing he was destined to become the spiritual head of 2.5 million souls, Archbishop Bergoglio continued to humble himself, taking public transportation and often getting around by bicycle.
     
    Bergoglio’s first major event as coadjutor archbishop was the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in November 1997. The document “Encounter with the Living Jesus Christ: The Way to Conversion, Communion and Solidarity in America” was produced at the event. It was Archbishop Bergoglio’s first experience of the Vatican from the inside and it increased his appreciation of the universal Church. Within several months, on February 28, 1998, Cardinal Quarracino died and Archbishop Bergoglio assumed full jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. Having Father Jorge as archbishop would be an experience indeed for the faithful of Buenos Aires.

A Cardinal for the Poor

 
    Archbishop