Priest share insight on next pope

April 21, 2005
By Matt Carrol
Photo Editor

“I come to the heartland of America to celebrate the Eucharist.”

The opening words of the homily the late Pope John Paul II gave during a mass in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1979, say a lot about his character according to two current St. Ambrose priests who witnessed the mass.

“One of the great lessons that I learned from the experience, and I learned this from the Holy Father himself, was that the event was not about him,” the Rev. Robert Grant said.

Grant had a special opportunity to participate in the mass at Living History Farms that came about “by pure chance”.

“I was his miter bearer,” Grant said, “which means whatever point in the liturgy he was not required to wear the miter, I either held it or took it away to a table off to the side of the alter.”

The miter is the headdress worn by the pope during mass.

It may sound like a simple job, but to do it for such an important man and in front of a crowd of 400,000 makes it much more intense.

“Being caught up in that was just pretty amazing. It was kind of a buzz just to be involved in all of that,” Grant said.

One of those in attendance on that mild October day was SAU’s chaplain, the Rev. Charles Adam.

“It was amazing to have a crowd that size, and yet be very prayerful,” Adam said.

But now that Pope John Paul II’s 26-year papacy has come to an end, the coming days are crucial to the church’s future.  Both Grant and Adam have thoughts on what they’d like to see once the new pope is appointed.

“I would hope that whoever is elected the next pope will continue John Paul II’s energy in causes of social justice and environmental concerns,” Grant said.  “I’d also like to see the next pope take another look at issues within the church.”

“Chances are the next pope will be someone very much like John Paul,” Adam said. “I would hope that whoever is appointed will be a good pastoral leader, to show caring and concern for people, someone who can inspire others, and yet someone who can heal riffs in the church.”

But Pope John Paul II’s legacy will not be soon forgotten, and the things he accomplished during his papacy transcend many levels.

“On one level, he’s simply going to be remembered as the first non-Italian pope in 400 years,” Grant said. “I think it should shock us, it should make us pause, that this pope saw, in his own lifetime, the rise and fall of communism.

The issue of communism was one of such importance to Pope John Paul II because, among other things, he had to live through it in his native land of Poland.  But there are other things for which he will be remembered.

“More specifically, I think the pope’s legacy of social justice, environmental issues, and probably bringing the church back to a more conservative stance will be the real hallmarks of his papacy,” Grant said.

“He was someone that showed us that the church is universal, that we really are a worldwide church,” Adam said.

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