Succeeding (not replacing) such a distinct, disruptive, and striking Pope as Francis cannot be easy. And even less so for a man of characteristics aligned with a low profile, silence, and listening, who is not inclined to being in the spotlight and possesses a discreet naturalness. But also someone who has shown himself sure and faithful to himself.
Comparisons, especially at first, were as inevitable as they were profitable for those seeking audience. In clothing, manner of expression, gestures, trends that supposedly reveal appointments, declarations, the meaning of certain decisions… everything could be used to equate or distance one Pope from another.
More than a year has passed, and I perceive that Leo is not afraid of comparisons with Francis. When it was announced that the Pope would return to live in the Apostolic Palace, some hands were raised to their heads. Francis had renounced living in that grand work of art and had chosen Santa Marta House, where he only had a humble room with an entrance hall; and now, an apparent step back towards wealth and luxury, according to clamoring interested and ignorant voices.
Obviously, Leo would carefully weigh the advantages, disadvantages, and repercussions of moving to one place or another. We do not know what he considered, but the fact is that he decided to follow tradition and return to the official residence, although profoundly reforming the papal apartment. For months, the smoke from the works replaced the white fumata and supplied fuel to comments of all kinds.
It did not seem to matter to him. I intuit that he believes it is fundamental to live in community, and in the apartment he is accompanied by his secretaries, trusted people responsible for overseeing his rest. Furthermore, he chose to use the attic of the building as a personal workspace and area for physical exercise, which is an important part of self-care.
That is, there he achieves company, intimacy, and a space for rest and self-care. There are no images of the new dwelling, but it seems that the Pope has sought to enjoy a home. I imagine that the renovation has modified those very high doors, those marble floors, and those Baroque furnishings that I could see on the first level the day I was with him. The brain of the Vatican machinery is situated in a 16th-century monument, and Prevost accepts and continues it, but at the same time he needs a home like any human being.
Without complexes. Being himself. Father Edgard Rimaycuna defines him as “close, calm, and with a great capacity for listening. And who is always available. Despite the great workload and the pace of activities, he always finds time to attend, to listen”. That can only be achieved if one has settings of tranquility, silence, privacy, and the restorative times of solitude for someone who spends hours attending to people.
Leo always appears very whole. Never startled or strident, constantly serene and approachable: “He seeks to greet, smile, give a word of encouragement, a phrase or a small gesture, always”. In the morning, cordial, close, and affectionate details; in the afternoon, a productive meeting, as when he received us from the jungle, we all participated in the dialogue, it flowed with him. But at night, calm conversation while havinglonche, some laughter, perhaps a call to someone dear, somereading, a program; perhaps early in the morning some time in the small gym. The body relaxed, the mind clear, the heart vibrant.
Francis without vacations; Leo every Tuesday at Castel Gandolfo. Francis in Santa Marta; Leo in an apartment with a gym; Francis with Laudato Si; Leo with AI. Each one in his own way, trying to answer, being fully himself, to the service God has asked of him. It is useful to learn to reflect the best of them and draw out the most genuine from yourself. With gratitude, simplicity, and security. And when more diverse, more divine.
César Caro
Digital Religion