Since its founding by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, the Vatican Observatory has been in the service of eleven Popes. But as a fellow Jesuit (and one with a background in chemistry) Pope Francis has had a special place in our hearts. Of the number of times he visited us or hosted us in audience, three events in particular stand out in my memory of the late Pontiff.
On July 14, 2013, just four months after his election, Pope Francis came out to Castel Gandolfo to visit the palazzo that, before him, had served as the summer home for Popes. Francis had other ideas about how to spend his summers, however; if the poor don’t have a chance to escape to the countryside, neither would he. Besides, his first summer on the job saw him working full time. (So did every following summer.)
Eager crowds followed him out to Castel Gandolfo, swamping the town. After he addressed them, he escaped into the gardens themselves where he spent a quiet moment visiting with the Poor Clare sisters and then had lunch with the Jesuits of the Vatican Observatory.
The director of the Specola at that time, Fr. José Funes, had first met Fr. Jorge Bergoglio, S.J. more than thirty years earlier during his astronomy studies in Argentina when he was considering entering the Society of Jesus. As I recall the story, Fr. Bergoglio encouraged him to finish his degree and then enter, which José did in 1985. Later, at one time Fr. Bergoglio was José’s superior in a Jesuit house in Argentina. Now, as Pope Francis, these two fellow Jesuits met once again.
José carefully instructed our Italian cook, Gina, on the proper way to prepare Argentine empanadas and she served up a wonderful mid-day meal for us. He also got a grand tour of our laboratory space (including my meteorite lab), which had only been remodeled for us five years earlier. “It used to be a convent for the Basilian sisters,” José explained to His Holiness.
“And now it’s yours,” he nodded.
“No,” José corrected the pope. “It’s yours.”
On August 30, 2019, Pope Francis met with the entire scientific staff of the Vatican Observatory. It was a private gathering; no formal statements, no urgent concerns or profound proclamations. We were just a group of Jesuits and friends… sharing our stories, our hopes, our concerns, our joys; at times, even, our jokes.
It was the capstone to a gathering of all of the Jesuits of the Specola, both those who live in Rome and those in Tucson (except Br. Tom Williams, whose health precludes transatlantic travel). We had gathered in our Castel Gandolfo headquarters for two days of meetings before the day of our papal audience, reviewing the state of the Specola and exploring together the ways in which we can engage the public in our core mission of showing the world how the Church supports science. It was a chance to put what we’ve been doing into a larger context, and a chance to meet and enjoy each other’s presence as a community.
At the end of these meetings, the Pope had agreed to a short audience with us, perhaps a quarter of an hour just before his break for the mid-day meal. Except… it lasted an hour. We each got to introduce ourselves to him (in Italian and Spanish, and occasionally in English). He heard about how Fr. Gabriele Gionti not only works in the mathematics of quantum physics but also says Mass for prisoners in a local jail… and we gave him a copy of the calendar we produce both for our benefactors and for those prisoners. He got to see for himself our international community and our dedication both to research and to outreach. And he shared a few private (and very funny) stories about Jesuits whom we had all known over the years.
Finally, I add one more audience with a personal meaning for me. Every Summer School we arrange for an audience with the Pope. Though there are times when the schedules and other events interfere, the willingness of all the Popes to try to make the audiences happen is a testimony to the esteem they have for our schools and their students. But the audience for our 2018 school was different.
The audience was held on June 14, 2018, and all the students of course were. excited to get to meet the Pope. But for me, it was a bittersweet occasion. Just three days earlier, I had heard that my father had died in Florida.
It was not unexpected; he had passed his 100th birthday just that April, and my mother had passed just the previous December; they’d been married for 72 years. But the passing of any loved one, at no matter what age, is its own tragedy. Yet, with my responsibilities for the Summer School, I saw it as a trial for me to face alone.
After the usual anxious waiting, the students stirred and then stood up as we saw Pope Francis enter the room. I waited, with my introductory remarks ready, as he approached the podium. Except… he stopped, and walked over to me and spoke quietly for only me to hear… and gave me his condolences, and blessing, on the death of my father.
“Pope” in Italian is Papa, just slightly different in accent from the familiar word “papa” or father. We call the Pope the Holy Father. But for me at that moment, he was also standing in the place of my papa.
I mourn Pope Francis now, as then I mourned my own father… missing them, but confident in their presence in the Resurrection.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J.
Director of the Vatican Observatory
President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation
Robert Lorenz, S.J.
I only recently joined the Vatican Observatory last year, so I never got a chance to personally meet Pope Francis. However, in my pre-Jesuit days as a park ranger, I was deeply moved by the resonance between the National Park Service mission to preserve the parks “unimpaired…for this and future generations” and the pope’s beautiful vision in Laudato Si: “The world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.” The pope also reminded us in the same document of the importance of finding God in nature: “To sense each creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God’s love and hope.” The stars, planets, and galaxies certainly qualify as God’s creatures!
As an outreach coordinator for the Observatory, I often talk with grade school and high school students about astronomy. The pope’s statements have always been a guiding light for me in that work: how wonderful it is to pass universe-inspired joy along to the next generation! Although his mission on Earth has come to an end, Pope Francis’s warmth and wisdom will continue to inspire us all.
Michelle Francl
Michelle wrote an article for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled: Pope Francis’ approach to science and faith emphasized our duty to wield both with care.
“Most of all, I remember his words to us, that he hoped our research, even when it was sometimes frustrating and tedious, would always be a source of deep joy, and that we might share this joy with the world.”
Fr. James Kurzynski
Fr. James wrote an article for the VO website titled: Requiescat In Pace: Did We Really Know Him?
“I’ve often wondered how we would change our perception of the late pontiff if we could see him from the “inside-out.” Obviously, I can’t claim to have such clairvoyance into the life of a man I’ve only seen once passing me by in the Popemobile. Still, there are stories out there about Pope Francis that have little to do with global conflicts and hot button social issues that can shed some light into the “inner-Francis.””
James Renn
James posted a tribute on Facebook to Pope Francis with a CNN quote and a reference to Sr. Petrini at the VOF.
Pope Francis and Women in the Church
CNN notes that – “During the Francis papacy, the role of women in the church emerged as a pressing priority, The pope appointed the first woman leader of a department in the church’s central administration and the first female president of the office governing the Vatican City State. Francis also chose the first women to sit at the board level in the church’s central administration, including at the influential department for choosing bishops.”
At the Vatican Observatory, we are honored that Sr. Rafaella Petrini, F.S.E., is the Vatican Representative to the Vatican Observatory Foundation Board of Directors.
Sr. Petrini is the aforementioned first female president of the office governing the Vatican City State. She is very supportive of the mission of the Observatory and is active in many of the Observatory Foundation functions.
Thank you, Sr. Petrini, for your support.
Rev. Christopher Corbally, S.J.
“People have been sending me condolences for the passing of Pope Francis. I do thank them for their kindness, while telling them that I can’t think of a better way for him as Pope and Jesuit to die: with strength enough, as his doctor acknowledged, to greet and bless his people in person on Easter Sunday in the square of St. Peter’s; and with a swift passage early next morning to his Risen Lord whom he had loved so deeply and served so long and well, especially in the most poor and needy. May we be united in Easter joy and thankfulness, rather than sadness, at the passing of Pope Francis.”
