The Grace of God’s Mercy
When I wrote the column entitled How I didn’t become a Jesuit (February 26), all I wanted to do was to produce an article that would enable me to meet the deadline for my column.

Pope Francis has said that he is literally a sinner. In our sinfulness, we need God’s mercy. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)
I did not realise then that the spiritual journey that I said started at St Michael’s mission in Mhondoro, Zimbabwe, was something I was going to pursue in the immediate future. But there, at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris where the article was written, I had in my briefcase a hard copy of A Big Heart Open to God: A Conversation with Pope Francis (HarperOne).
A few weeks later, I started on the long road to recovery from a prostate cancer operation in Pretoria. I began to read the book in earnest. I was really touched by what I learned about the pontiff and what the commentators said about the interview that Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ had with Pope Francis.
I googled and downloaded a full English translation of the interview. There are many good things I learned from Pope Francis, but I have chosen to write about two aspects of his character which really stood out for me.
First, here is a Christian leader, the head of the largest church in the world, who does not hesitate to talk about his weaknesses and failings. We call him The Holy Father, but this is how he describes himself.
Asked by Fr Spadaro, Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?, he responds, in part: I do not know what might be the most fitting description… I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.
He refers to other dimensions of his character, such as being a bit astute, ability to adapt to circumstances, and being a bit naive, but emphasises: Yes, but the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.
Later on, referring to his limitations as a Jesuit superior, he says: My authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultra-conservative.
These statements and others remind me of St Augustine of Hippo and can rightfully be described as The Confessions of Pope Francis. They are an example of the humility of this pontiff.
They also echo the words of St Paul to Timothy: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life (1 Tim 1:15-16).
The second aspect of Pope Francis’ character that I have chosen to highlight is one that the commentators on his famous interview do not, in my view, project sufficiently.
To me, Pope Francis is a radical reformer who inspires us to see the mission of the Church in a refreshingly new light, and yet there is something unique in this radicalism.
Pope Francis is not a firebrand; his radicalism is couched in a manner which is not capable of offending even those of his predecessors who might have given a bad name to the Church. He speaks, not as a critic of what has been done wrong, but as a witness to the true message of Christ.
How does he achieve this? He achieves this in part by emphasising that one of the most important qualities of the Church and Christians is to show mercy in all we do and say as Jesus states in Matthew 9:13.
As the Catholic writer Kerry Weber puts it: Francis calls us not only to have mercy or to show mercy, but to embody mercy.
In Can You Drink the Cup?, Fr Henri Nouwen said that lifting our cup to life means that we take all we have ever lived and bring it to the present moment as a gift for others, a gift to celebrate.
Pope Francis and Fr Nouwen have persuaded me to tell the story of my failures as something that might be a humble gift for others. The next series of articles will attempt to tell this story of an anti-hero.
- Good Leaders Get up Again when they Fall - April 19, 2018
- Christian Leadership: Not Just a Title, But an Action - February 28, 2018
- Christian Leadership: Always Start with ‘Why’ - February 1, 2018