The pedagogy of the Pope

Dean dela Paz / The Next Page

For the more discerning and those astutely aware of the intimate connection between the history of Latin American politics and the personal development of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, there must have been a wealth, nay, a virtual treasure trove of teachings, found in every step, discovered in every movement and displayed in every expression and tiny gesture that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, took when he visited the Philippines.

Indeed, in his endearing charm and engaging smile alone, even in his mere waving to us, and the quaint way he would constantly fix his zucchetto, to the deliberate and constant digression from prepared text, preferring instead messages direct from the heart, there was enough there in those all-too brief days to calm the most troubled, inspire the most jaded and reconcile the most divided.

From the first moment the Pope broke into a smile upon landing and seeing ordinary Filipinos, he and his flock were inextricably engaged and engaging. Add his aggressive attempts to infect his papacy, and, more important, his timely visit to our troubled islands, with his uncanny humility and common touch, and his determined accessibility to those who need his presence the most; in total, we suddenly see where his greatest inspiration lies.

After all, there is so much that the Philippines shares with the Latin American experience, both politically, economically, even temperamentally, that endear us intimately to the Holy Father. From the birthplace of liberation theology of which Pope Francis is not entirely an advocate (He differs on its Marxist aspects), to the seminal works on oppression by Paulo Freire (The Pedagogy of the Oppressed), the despondent human condition in Latin America at the time of his ordination against those we wallow in today mirror enough thematically that nearly nothing is lost in the translation.

On the economy, inclusive growth that redounds to the poor remains painfully elusive despite the boasts of glowing growth statistics that fail to nourish, comfort and uplift the poor. Over a fourth of the population remain mired in poverty. Consider population growth and the actual numbers have been increasing. Array the hunger and misery indices, the Gini Coefficient and the unemployment data against latent GDP empiricals and the disparate disconnects are undeniable and require no debate.

Undeniable still is prevalent inequality. The irony is lost to no one that the poor who are dearest to Pope Francis’s heart braved the elements for a good quarter of a soaking day only to catch a glimpse of even just his zucchetto as the popemobile sped past while Cabinet men, criminals and crooks enjoyed the comfort and longevity of his presence, courtesy of a political protocol that even the Pope as the Vatican’s sovereign must accede to.

Unfortunate for the Holy Father, afflicted by a pathetic case of petty one-dimensionalism and the “Last-song Syndrome,” our highest officials could not escape a deeply ingrained culture of vengeance, accusations, finger-pointing and blame spawned in their DNA as they, shamelessly, in the presence even of the Pope, disgustingly excused their shortcomings away by blaming a past long gone, powerless and incarcerated indefinitely in a hospital suite.

Netizens have aptly described these myopic indiscretions as injudicious, disrespectful and impolite. The event at hand was a political courtesy call but the guest was the Vicar of Christ.

Have they listened at all to the papal pedagogy? Or were they completely, totally and absolutely full of their own egos that they would take the occasion of the Vicar of Christ’s visit to point fingers at others? It is a puerile and immature temperament, vindictive and oftentimes hollow, that overwhelms an easily overwhelmed single-celled simpleton intellect and is unable to move on and develop.

For the shallow, hollow and heretic, the papal visit was merely a state visit. As they had done before with other state visitors, they spirited away, effectively sweeping under the rug street urchins and hid them from view in a remote albeit unlikely hideaway. And then they attempted to spin the disingenuous hamletting as a family event.

It was even far less than a visit for those who think that the Pope’s didactics do not apply to them. As a counterpoint, what the true faithful, the devout and deserving take away, learn and hopefully institute from the papal visit are infinitely far more enriching.

The Pope’s messages of humility and compassion, his advocacy of the family, the unborn’s rights and the ineptitude of officials in treating calamity victims all throughout the visit were undeniable and when arrayed against government pomp and pretense, plus the reality of an uncaring dispensation whose governance has led to increasing poverty and inequality as the undeniable economic indices and GDP growth exclusivity testify, then the Pope’s messages are even more compelling.