On praying for Pope Francis

Just after my 21st birthday, I parked myself in front of my tiny dorm TV to watch the funeral of Pope John Paul II. I was in my last year of college as a religious studies major, and he was the only pope I'd ever known. He was an icon for my generation. I'd seen him once as his Popemobile whizzed past me during his 1999 visit to St. Louis, Missouri. That was my first realization that the Catholic Church was bigger than the parish I attended on Sundays. Pope John Paul II's death and the subsequent conclave were major personal and ecclesial milestones. I vividly remember the classroom conversations and news coverage that came with the end of an era. Even the church bells ringing out announcing a new pope. 

As a divinity student discerning religious life, I knew Pope Benedict XVI mostly through his writing. I never had the opportunity to see him in person. Yet the impact of his resignation and his prayerful manner of living, especially at the end of his life, have left a lasting impression on me. He led the church with integrity and humility. 

For the past 12 years, I've prayed for Pope Francis by name each morning in our community prayers. I've been blessed to see him on five occasions in the past eight years (three times in Rome and at two different World Youth Days). Watching my third pontiff, I have a deeper appreciation of the burden and responsibility of the role and the value of different leadership styles.