Pope Francis - fulfilling his responsibility as a "bridge builder"

(Baonghean) - On September 19, Pope Francis departed from Rome to begin his historic visit to Cuba and the United States. This is the longest trip of the Pope since becoming the leader of the world Catholic Church, and the third historic visit of the head of the Vatican to Cuba in the past 17 years. During the trip, the Pope delivered important speeches and meaningful activities, attracting the attention of many people around the world.

Pope Francis, whose real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on December 17, 1936 in Flores, a suburb of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He attended technical secondary school and graduated with a degree in chemistry. He then worked as a chemist in a food laboratory.

Pope Francis with the President and First Lady of the United States

In 1955, at the age of 19, Jorge Mario Bergoglio began studying at a local seminary in Buenos Aires. On March 11, 1957, he joined the Society of Jesus. He later traveled to Santiago, Chile, to study humanitarian issues. On March 12, 1960, Jorge Mario Bergoglio took his first vows and officially became a monk. During the 1960s, he taught literature and philosophy in Sante Fe and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

On December 13, 1969, after completing his theological studies, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was ordained a priest and became a professor of theology at the San Miguel seminary. Father Bergoglio was then appointed Provincial of the Society of Jesus in Argentina from 1973 to 1979.

In 1992, he became Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in 1998 he was appointed Archbishop. In this capacity, he doubled the number of priests working in the slums of Buenos Aires. In 2001, then-Pope John Paul II made him a Cardinal. He served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires until 2011, when he resigned at the age of 75, according to church rules.

After the death of Pope John Paul II, Bergoglio was considered a potential candidate to become the next Pope. However, Cardinal Ratzinger was chosen and became Pope Benedict XVI. In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI suddenly announced his resignation from this noble position. Bergoglio won the highest number of votes in the Catholic Church's secret election on March 13, 2013. He took the name Francis, named after Saint Francis of Assisi, who was widely known for his simple, humble and frugal lifestyle. When explaining his choice of name, Pope Francis said of his patron saint: "He brought us the spirit of peace, the frugal person,... How I wish for a frugal Church, and one oriented towards the poor."

Since his election, Pope Francis has stamped his authority on the Church. Notably, he has sought to emphasize traditional Protestant principles of virtues such as humility, charity, and modesty. He has sought to encourage churches to focus more on individual religious practice and concern for the poor, rather than issues related to abortion, contraception, and gay marriage. Indeed, Pope Francis has built a reputation for charity and simplicity. He often chooses to live in modest homes, and has personally rejected the lavish, opulent accommodations reserved for bishops. When he was elected Pope, he preferred to remain in his old residence and did not move into Vatican apartments. Even as archbishop, he only traveled by public transport and attended Holy Thursday services to wash the feet of the poor, whether they were serving sentences in prison or in hospital. Not only that, the clothes he wears are also very simple, different from the clothes of previous popes.

He has shown a strong commitment to social justice, arguing that the truths of faith represent an important commitment to reaching the most disadvantaged sections of society and improving the living conditions of the poor. He is considered a conservative in principle. As archbishop, he supported abortion prevention. In 2007, he criticized the Argentine government for intervening and allowing abortions in cases of rape of mentally disabled women. But as pope, he has spoken about the need for the Church to shift its focus from gender issues. Pope Francis has argued that social work and religious devotion are far more important, and that if the Church becomes involved in gender issues, it could weaken it.

Pope Francis sees promoting dialogue between different faiths and religions as an important task for the Catholic Church. He has said that the title “pope” means “builder of bridges,” and he has sought to reach out to non-believers and other religious leaders. He is widely regarded as sincere and capable of creating meaningful dialogue. After he became Pope, Muslim leaders in Buenos Aires welcomed the news, saying that he “has always shown himself to be a friend of the Muslim community,” and a person who takes a “pro-dialogue” stance.

As Pope, he has raised the issue of corruption in the church and warned that he will not tolerate it. He has also announced changes to the Vatican bank to make it more transparent, amid speculation that the bank was being used by mafia groups to launder money. On social issues, he has taken a more open and liberal stance on same-sex marriage. In an informal press conference, he once affirmed that he personally does not judge people based on their sexual orientation. He has also criticized the growing inequality in many communities and societies.

During Pope Francis' historic visit to Cuba for 8 days and the US for 18 days, he has had activities that have received close attention from international public opinion, such as his speech in Havana, urging US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro to continue building a new path of reconciliation between the two countries; an important speech before the US Congress, calling on the country's lawmakers to overcome divisions to address challenges such as economic injustice, climate change, immigrants, refugees, the poor, etc. The Pope expressed strong support for the abolition of the death penalty, opposed abortion, said that "human life" needs to be protected at "every stage of development", and called on the US Congress to make a "courageous and responsible effort" on the issue of climate change to deal with the most serious consequences of human-caused environmental degradation. And on September 25, Pope Francis arrived in New York to attend and speak at the United Nations Summit.

This trip also reminds us of Pope Francis's very special role as a bridge in the process of normalizing Washington-La Habana relations not long ago. Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas, and also the first pope of the Society of Jesus. Shouldering the responsibility for the church around the world, Pope Francis has had many practical and impressive words and actions, contributing to making the world a better place.

Thu Giang