By common reckoning, there have been 266 popes in the 2,000-year history of the church. We’ve had some giants, and some lemons. Come to think of it, the first one, Peter, had a mixed record, one day bravely professing Jesus as the “Son of God,” but then cowardly denying Him thrice on the day Jesus needed him most.
No wonder one of the best histories of the papacy is entitled “Saints and Sinners.” Each pope has particular talents and some obvious flaws. That shouldn’t surprise us, since that is also true of each of us.
The three most recent ones, the trio most of us vividly recall, are all giants: Blessed — soon to be Saint — John Paul II (1978-2005), Benedict XVI (2005-2013) and now Francis.
A good way to understand the different gifts of each of these recent pontiffs might be to use the imagery of soul, head and heart.
John Paul II emphasized the soul. President Jimmy Carter, welcoming him to the White House in 1979, even called him “the soul of the world.”
The soul of the church seemed exhausted and scared when he stepped out onto that balcony on Oct. 16, 1978, and simply proclaimed, “Be not afraid!” — the advice from God most often found in the Bible.
His eloquent calls to prayer; his accent on the revival of the spirit; his concentration on the sacraments and devotions of the church, which bring the grace and mercy of Jesus; his tender trust of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his record “saint-making,” cogently reminded us that the soul comes first.
Bring on Benedict XVI, a renowned theologian, and popular professor and author, who had served John Paul in helping him pass on faithfully the church’s doctrinal treasures, and we have a successor of St. Peter who emphasized the head. He would renew the church’s vast intellectual heritage, and remind us so effectively that faith and reason are hardly at odds, but actually allies.
So, Pope Benedict could revive the church’s charism as the engine of truth, humanity’s best friend in the pursuit of learning and education.
And now, Pope Francis emphasizes the heart.
After his first sermon as pope last March 19, a hardboiled reporter I know — and you would, too — told me, with tears in her eyes, “I spend every day covering stories about war, famine, murder and violence. And here this good man speaks so softly about tenderness. I needed that!”
Warmth, mercy, joy, tenderness, outreach, acceptance, love . . . all flow from the heart, and those are the words most used by Pope Francis.
John Paul emphasized the spiritual (the soul); Benedict the intellectual (the head); Francis the pastoral (the heart).
Don’t get me wrong: All three knew well that the soul, the head and the heart were all essentials. But each had a particular favorite.
And God’s been good, as he seems to have given us the pope we needed for a particular era. Every person needs a soul, a head, a heart. So does the person we call “Mother Church.” So do each one of us.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan is the archbishop of New York.