It may be too early to measure a “Pope Francis effect” in the Islands tangibly in numbers of new churchgoers or priestly vocations, but some local Catholics said the pontiff in his first year has nonetheless made a refreshing impact on the faithful and non-Catholics alike.
Several diocesan staff who attended papal events in 2013 said they have been inspired by Pope Francis’ genuine expressions of his love for people. Lisa Gomes and Makana Aiona of the diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry witnessed the pope’s personability last July at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“I was lucky enough to see him driving by from about 10 feet away,” said Aiona, the diocese’s young adult ministry coordinator. “I think what was apparent to me about Pope Francis was his longing to be with the people. We all could see that if he was given the time, he’d walk through the crowd and greet everyone there personally.”
“I think that it’s his consistency that makes everything he does evangelization,” Aiona added. “From the way he smiles, to the words he speaks, to what he wears. Pope Francis uses every moment of his life to witness to Jesus.”
Gomes, director of the youth and young adult ministry office, was moved when she saw that, “despite death threats, protestors and the large crowds, Pope Francis rode around in his little Fiat with his window rolled down, and that he visited one of the most dangerous favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro.”
“He’s simple, he’s humble, he’s real,” Gomes said. “I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide his decisions, and that he’ll continue to lead us through his example and witness.”
Diocesan religious education director Jayne Mondoy was at Pope Francis’ audience for hundreds of catechetical leaders at the Vatican last fall. The pope, she said, took “a full 15 minutes … shaking hands, blessing, acknowledging, making eye contact” with as many of the people in Paul VI Hall as he could.
“All while flashing that joyful smile,” Mondoy said.
What most “impressed” her about Pope Francis’ style “was as though he had nothing else in the world to do than to be fully present to us. He modeled a ‘theology of presence.’”
The pontiff’s down-to-earth nature has made him a figure beloved not just by local Catholics, but by Islanders of other faiths and Christian denominations. Capuchin Franciscan Father Michel Dalton, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Ewa, said Pope Francis’ “persona” and “spirituality” has resonated with many of his non-Catholic friends, including a member of Sufism.
“Even they are calling him their pope,” Father Dalton said. “That’s how universal his appeal is.”
Rich Meiers, digital content director at Hawaii News Now, said he has noticed Pope Francis’ popularity skyrocket on the local news outlet’s website and social media pages. Meiers said Internet headlines he posts on the pope “receive a lot of attention.”
“The media recognizes Francis’ popularity, but more importantly, the media recognizes Pope Francis’ ability to attract readers, viewers from all religions and beliefs,” said Meiers, a Catholic.
“This pope has addressed controversial issues that other popes have shied away from,” he added. “That alone has made Francis a media favorite.”
Pam Aqui, a member of the Basic Christian Community, said the local group comprised of Catholics and other faithful “speaks of (Pope Francis) in the most positive terms, especially one Protestant member who really loves and appreciates him.”
“She sees him as a bridge between Protestants and Catholics,” Aqui said. “I do think that people in general are thinking more positively about our church. (The pope) shook up the status quo in a good way.”
“I pray for him daily because this is very new for him,” she noted. “I imagine it’s very hard to have all eyes on you all the time.”
Aqui, a parishioner at St. John Vianney Church in Kailua, was commissioned by the White House last year to craft a gift for Pope Francis’ installation Mass. Her koa rosary was presented to the pontiff by a U.S. delegation, which included Vice President Joe Biden.
Retired diocesan social ministry director Carol Ignacio said the most important things Islanders can take away from Francis’ first year are his return to the fundamental value of honesty and his “ability to change.” He has made an impact on both believer and non-believer alike, Ignacio said, because he has brought a heartfelt, fearless approach to evangelization.
“If you were to articulate what is it that he’s attempting to do and be,” Ignacio said, “it is to walk that mission of Jesus the best he can, in his humanness.”
“Your core mission, everything is measured against that,” she added. “They see him — whether they’re believers, unbelievers or whatever — living out the mission as we (Catholics) claim the mission to be.”
“They may not even believe in the mission, but he’s living the mission,” Ignacio said.
