On a wall, just to the left of my desk, is a woodcut print, a gift from an artist and dear friend of my seminary days in Rome.
It bears the image of one, who in my opinion (which is slowly gaining favor), is perhaps the greatest Pope of the modern era: Pope Paul VI.
I have so many precious and fond memories of Pope Paul, who was Pontiff during my seminary days in Rome.
It was my good fortune to have served as Acolyte at his morning Mass a number of times.
As a Deacon, I and my brother-Deacons from the North American College assisted the Holy Father as Ministers of the Eucharist at the Pontifical Masses celebrated at Saint Peter’s Basilica.
And I had the extraordinary privilege of meeting the Holy Father in private audience, the special guest of the Undersecretary of State who was a dear friend and classmate of the pastor of my home parish in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.
What few people know or ever experienced was the Holy Father’s quick wit and the ever-present yet subdued smile. I can give witness to the fact that Pope Paul was the consummate gentleman, respect and kind to everyone.
He is seldom recalled of late.
The judgment of many in the Church and secular society remains that his was a failed Pontificate (largely because of his Encyclical, Humanae Vitae).
That may be the judgment of the last forty years since his death, but I doubt that that will be the judgment of history.
The French Dominican theologian Yves Congar once predicted as much: “With time, Paul VI will be appreciated.”
Why has Pope Paul has been so often overlooked?
Many have offered answers.
But here’s my take on the question: Pope Paul VI was just too intelligent and prudent to take sides on any given issue. As a result, he was no one’s hero and no one’s real villain (other than those who attacked him personally for what he saw as the threat which artificial contraception posed to the dignity of life itself and the individual human person).
A careful, rather than exaggerated or hysterical reading of the Encyclical reveals that Pope Paul tried to see the value of every point of view, while avoiding the pitfall of becoming the darling of agenda-driven Catholics.
True, this Pope had clay feet (as do we all) and was susceptible to the influences of voices within the Curia in whom he had placed his trust. In the end, some of those relationships did not serve the Holy Father very well at all.
Many accuse Pope Paul of an eager willingness to resist making decisions or providing solutions to the many problems which were plaguing the Church in the years immediately following Vatican Council II.
Still, those who knew Paul VI insist it wasn't spinelessness or angst, but rather a keen awareness of the insufficiency of simple answers.
Simply put, Pope Paul VI knew the wisdom of silence and respect for the Holy Spirit’s guidance of the Church.
And so, while he may never be a hero to many, he remains a hero to me.
How often have I looked upon his visage and wondered what he would have said or done, not said or not done, in addressing the manifold challenges facing the Church in the contemporary world.
Pope Paul believed in listening before speaking.
It’s a wisdom our society has easily and quickly forgotten, the penalty for which is increasing division and hostility to opposing points of view.
I was just looking at his image again as I sit at the keyboard on this Christmas Eve morning and thought I’d offer a few words of homage to this great Pope and the fondest memories of the few and precious moments we shared in each other’s company.
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