Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob and Auxiliary Bishops Jeffrey R. Haines and James T. Schuerman consider a black-draped photo of Pope Francis placed in the Mater Christi Chapel at the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center on April 21, the day of Pope Francis’ death. (Photo by Steve Sweeney)
The word encounter has become a powerfully replicated term in describing Pope Francis’ ministry — not only in the culture he constructed within the Catholic Church but in the experiences he shared with so many Catholics who shared short seconds, minutes and long hours with him during his papacy.
Milwaukee’s three active bishops, Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob and Auxiliary Bishops Jeffrey R. Haines and James T. Schuerman, reflected how interpersonal encounters — including some that they each shared with the Holy Father — became the focal point of his ministry.
“Words that I think are going to loom large in his legacy are the notion of accompaniment,” Archbishop Grob said. “How we accompany each other, this sense of journeying with each other.”
That sense of interpersonal connection stands out for Bishops Haines and Schuerman from their shared time with him in December 2019.
“I expected to find a regularly shaped setting for a meeting and to listen to a speech from the Holy Father,” Bishop Haines recalled.
“I was much surprised to find the chamber filled with chairs arranged in a circle, with the pope sitting among us. Instead of giving us a lecture, the Holy Father invited us to engage in a conversation with him. It was a very personable and free-flowing discussion filled with a spirit of candor, concern and care.”
Bishop Schuerman recalled that Pope Francis spent nearly two hours with the group of bishops from Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
“When he entered the room, he immediately set about making us feel at home. What I remember most was how impressed I was that he was so generous with his time. I truly felt that we were in the presence of a concerned and caring leader,” Bishop Schuerman said.
Each Milwaukee bishop shared, in different ways, how care, compassion and simple recognition of the human person made in God’s image has become the hallmark of Pope Francis’ legacy.
“Certainly, there was a humanity about Pope Francis that you couldn’t help but love because he simply cared about people,” Archbishop Grob said. “That’s one of the things that will be the hallmark of his pontificate.”
“Pope Francis will be remembered for drawing the attention of the Church and society to the needs of the poor, the marginalized and those in need of experiencing God’s mercy and compassion,” Bishop Haines said.
“I believe that the cause of ecological concern will be part of the legacy of Pope Francis. His landmark 2015 encyclical, ‘Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home,’ addressed the need for caring for our planet Earth,” Bishop Haines said.
“Part of his legacy is (also) the emphasis which he placed upon mercy. Pope Francis highlighted Jesus Christ as the face of the Father’s mercy and challenged the Church to become an ‘oasis of mercy,’ a place with doors always open for everyone and anyone to experience the loving compassion of our gracious God,” Bishop Haines said.
Pope Francis’ funeral took place Saturday at the Vatican. More than 130 cardinals from around the world will meet there in May to discern whom the next Pope should be, with a two-thirds majority of votes leading to the choice of a new pontiff.
