Aung San Suu Kyi, Matteo Ricci, how the Pontiff prays … these are some of the topics that Pope Francis spoke about in his meetings with members of his own spiritual family, the Society of Jesus, in Indonesia, East Timor, and Singapore on his trip to Asia and Oceania from September 2 to 13, 2024.
As he usually does when traveling abroad, the Pontiff met privately with his fellow Jesuits and answered some of their questions. His candid conversation in these three meetings were published in full by the Italian Jesuit magazine, La Civiltà Cattolica, on September 24, 2024.
Aleteia summarizes the contents in 8 quotes.
1The Pope offered asylum to ex-Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi
In response to a question about how to keep hope regarding the problems in Myanmar, Pope Francis acknowledged that the situation is “difficult” and there is “no universal answer” to this question.
He said the "Rohingya are close to [his] heart"; the Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority persecuted in the country, which the Pope has often appealed for in speeches and public interventions. The Pontiff visited Myanmar in 2017.
He also highlighted the situation of the ex-state counselor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister), Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been imprisoned since 2021 after a military coup overthrew the government.
“I called for the release of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and received her son in Rome. I offered the Vatican as a place of refuge for her,” Pope Francis said. “Right now, the lady is a symbol and political symbols are to be defended.”
He also evoked Sister Ann Nu Thawng, a Burmese nun whose photo kneeling before the police in 2021 went viral.
“I pray that you young people will be brave like that. The Church in your country is courageous,” he said, calling also for people to not remain “silent” in the country but to fight for “peace” and a “democratic order.”
2Asia Bibi's courage
Another Indonesian Jesuit asked Pope Francis for advice in assisting persecuted Catholics in Pakistan. “The Christian’s path is always one of 'martyrdom,' that is, of witnessing. One needs to bear witness with prudence and with courage,” he replied. “Prudence always takes risks when it is courageous. Instead, pusillanimous prudence has a small heart.”
He then highlighted as an example Asia Bibi, a Catholic Pakistani woman “who was left in prison for almost 10 years.”
“I met her daughter, who secretly took Communion to her. She gave courageous testimony for so many years,” the Pope said.
3How the Pope prays
“I need it, you know. I really need it!” Pope Francis answered when a Jesuit asked him about how he managed to pray with such a busy schedule.
He then explained how he organized his days from a spiritual point of view:
“I get up early, because I am old. After rest, which is good for me, I get up around 4 o’clock, then at 5 o’clock I start prayer: I pray the Breviary and speak to the Lord. If the prayer is a little, let’s say, 'boring,' then I pray the rosary. Then I go to the Palace for the audiences.”
The Pope then added that he also celebrates the Eucharist, and takes time to pray “before the Lord” and in the evenings. “Sometimes I fall asleep in prayer. And this, when it happens, is not a problem. For me it is a sign that I am well with the Lord! I rest by praying. Never leave prayer!” he said.
4Pope Francis is hoping for Matteo Ricci’s canonization
In the meeting with the members of the Society of Jesus from the province of Malaysia and Singapore on September 11, the Pope said he wanted to see the cause of canonization of Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary to China in the 16th century, move forward.
“Matteo Ricci is a great figure. There have always been problems, but the cause is moving forward and I want it to move forward. We have to pray that there will be the right conditions for the canonization,” he said.
The Pope approved a decree published in December 17, 2022, recognizing Matteo Ricci as “venerable,” the first step before beatification and then canonization.
The Catholic Church, through the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, will have to recognize two miracles attributed to his intercession in order to recognize him as a saint.
5Pope Francis’ admiration for St. Peter Faber
“I am very much helped by the example of Peter Faber, whom I love very much,” Pope Francis said in response to a question about how to avoid clericalism.
St. Peter Faber was a Jesuit theologian and known to be one of Pope Francis’ favorite saints. The Pontiff canonized him in 2013 and in his conversation with the Jesuits in East Timor defined him as “one of the greatest men the Society has ever had.”
“Faber was a non-clerical priest, going from place to place in the service of God,” the Pope said. “I would call his 'pastoral care by the heart,' a quality which we need so much today.”
6Accepting where God has placed you
“Each of us has to carry out what we have been entrusted with, but with the originality of places, times, and people,” Pope Francis said in response to a question about how he developed his governing program and how to respond to challenges to one’s vocation in a very secularized world. He opened up about how he sees his mission as pope.
“When one only does something with one’s own resources, it is not fruitful, it is not useful. [...] The criterion is always: take on the mission because it has been given to you. When you are elected pope, you are asked whether you accept the role or not. But once you have accepted, you have no choice: either you go ahead with your abstract, personal criteria, or you go ahead with what the Church asks of you.”
In response to another question about what cross he bears as a Jesuit Pope, Francis replied:
“Being pope is a cross just like yours is a cross. You all have your own cross. The Lord accompanies you, consoles you, gives you strength.”
“Maybe I am exaggerating, but being a pope is no more difficult nor very different than being a priest, a nun, a bishop. In short, it means being in the place where the Lord has put you, following your vocation: it is not a penance,” he added.
7Adapting in order to reach people
In a response about how to reach young people or encourage people to consider religious life, the Pope emphasized that priests need to meet people wherever they are and adapt to changing times.
“In my time evangelization was done through conferences. Today, however, you have to take young people as they are. You have to pose social, educational challenges that they feel, and accompany them in the faith with parrhesia and prudence,” he explained.
“Vocation is like that. Each of us has had resistance to vocation. We have to help young people not only to think, but also to feel and to work,” he said.
8The Jesuits’ mission
In various parts of the conversations he spoke about what mission Jesuits should fulfill and encouraged his fellow order members.
“I want the Jesuits to make a noise. Read the Acts of the Apostles to see what they did at the beginning of Christianity! The Spirit leads to 'uproar,' not to leaving everything standing still,” the Pope said.
He also highlighted how Jesuits need to have the ability to adapt to local cultures and contexts and learn to evangelize accordingly.
“Jesuits must have the ability to inculturate, as so many missionaries have done on different continents. This implies that the Jesuit preaches in the appropriate language, and in the appropriate form, according to places and times. The two pillars are inculturation of the Gospel and evangelization of culture,” he explained. “One must be able to discern in order to inculturate: to seek and find God where he makes himself found, already present in cultures.”
Pope Francis also encouraged the Jesuits to read St. Paul VI’s letter to the General Congregation XXXII of the Society of Jesus in 1974. The Pontiff called it a “work of art” and a “masterpiece” that explains clearly “what the Church wants from the” Jesuits.
