A poem written at Hilfield Friary, Dorset, following two earlier poems on 'Karol Wojtyla: Polish Pope' and 'Joseph Ratzinger: European Pope'
Jorge Bergoglio:
Latin American Pope
In Saint Peter’s Square:
“Buona sera.” “Good evening.”
From the ends of the world,
a friendly greeting, typical of Saint Francis.
Connecting identities:
Italian parentage, Argentine heritage;
Jesuit order, Franciscan humility.
In Buenos Aires:
limousine and palace were left on the wayside,
for bus and flat, with people on the wayside.
For the Conclave:
Latin America beckons,
and bequeaths a Pope.
In Rome:
periphery becomes central,
Papacy becomes simpler,
Curia become curiouser.
May Francis the First
open the windows of the Church
for fair winds of the Spirit.
Graham Kings
Hilfield Friary, 15 March 2013
Poems on the two previous Popes:
Joseph Ratzinger: European Pope
The Rt Revd Dr Graham Kings is Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Ely and Research Associate at the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide.