Jorge Bergoglio

Jorge Bergoglio grew up in Argentina and became a Catholic priest in 1969. He was a Jesuit who loved the Lord and dedicated his life to serving God and helping the poor. He fulfilled his ministry with distinction and was appointed the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.

Instead of living in luxury and riding in the chauffeured car that was provided to the archbishop, he lived in a modest apartment and took the subway to the cathedral each day. As he participated in ecumenical prayer and worship events in Buenos Aires, Jorge became friends with Giovanni Tarantino, an apostolic leader from Caserta, Italy.

In 2013, Giovanni was driving in Caserta with his son Luigi when his phone rang. Luigi answered Giovanni’s phone.

“Hello, this is Pope Francis, is my friend Giovanni available?”

“Sure, this is the Apostle Peter,” he replied. “What can I do for you?”

“This really is Pope Francis. Is Giovanni available?”

“Yes, and I’m really the Apostle Peter…..”

At that point Giovanni realized what was happening and took the phone from Luigi. Jorge then told Giovanni that he had just been selected to become the next Pope and he wanted his friend to be one of the first people to know.

Giovanni has a worldwide network of friends, including Joe Tosini, who leads the John 17 ministry and lives in Carefree, AZ. Over the years Joe and Giovanni took many groups of Christian leaders to Rome to meet Pope Francis. In 2017, I joined thirty leaders who met with Pope Francis in the Apostolic Palace one day and in his prayer chapel the next day.

We sat in a circle in the chapel and talked, sang and prayed with Pope Francis for two hours. We asked him questions and discussed biblical issues. If you were to look at a transcript of our dialogue without knowing who was speaking, you would think we were talking with an evangelical leader who loved Jesus deeply, knew the Word of God thoroughly, and had a heart for the poor.

I asked Pope Francis how he came to understand that we were all brothers in Christ. I appreciated his reply. “One day when I was a young boy, I was walking through the streets of Buenos Aires with my grandmother. We passed by some Salvation Army missionaries who were in their uniforms. I asked my grandmother, “Who are these people?”

She replied, “They are servants of God.”

“Ever since then, I have understood that God has his servants in many different denominations.”

Pope Francis met with us because he believed John 17:21, where Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

I want the world to believe Jesus is the Son of God. I’ve worked most of my life to help people understand that Jesus really died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead. Yet the most effective way for this truth to be communicated is not just the faithful witness of individual believers. Jesus said the most effective way to reveal his relationship with his father is for his disciples to be in unity.

Unity in the body of Christ does not require us all to become Catholic, Evangelical or Pentecostal. Unity does require us to love one another, speak well of each other, and honor each other’s uniqueness, rather than judging and condemning each other over non-essential differences.

I could tell you areas of doctrine and practice that Pope Francis and I disagreed about. I could also tell you areas of practice and principle where I disagree with my local church pastor, my pastor friends, or my wife,

Kristina andI have been married for fifty-one years. We don’t always agree about things. However, because we love each other and want to continually enjoy life and God’s blessings in our marriage, we work to understand each other. We speak well of each other. We pray for each other. We forgive each other. We serve each other and we stay faithful to each other. We will continue to do these things as long as we live.

For Christians to have meaningful unity and fulfill the John 17 prayer of Jesus, we must have that same commitment towards other believers.

A few months ago, Mary Tosini, Joe’s wife, took a terrible fall and hit her head on their tile floor. Her brain swelled greatly and part of her skull was removed in the hospital. For days the doctors did not know whether Mary was going to survive. Hundreds of people who love Mary were praying for her. She has been a wonderful hostess and a true servant to the many friends that come to stay in their home from all over the world.

At the hospital, the doctors and nurses were amazed. Catholic bishops and priests, along with pastors and leaders from many churches came to visit and pray for her. They wondered who this woman was who drew such a diverse group of Christians to her bedside. Mary is a humble servant, a beautiful woman of God and a true saint.

Joe recently told me that Mary’s recovery has been incredible. Her doctor told her, “When you look in the mirror, you are looking at a miracle!”

Miracles happen when people love and obey Jesus. Miracles also happen when the Lord is trying to get our attention so we will turn our lives from sin and seek him. We need miracles and God’s grace to heal our broken families, mend our broken hearts, and to unite the body of Christ.

I conclude with a phrase I heard Pope Francis say several times, “At least that is my opinion.”