Together, we can seek Salvation through faith that's at the heart of the Christian tradition
By Newt Gingrich
Callista and I attended the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception three times during this year's Holy Week. The Basilica is the largest Catholic Church in America – and one of the 10 largest churches in the world. It seats more than 3,500 people, and on Easter Sunday, there was standing room only.
While watching people receive Communion, I was struck by the extraordinary diversity of people at the Basilica. On each of those three days, the variety of dress and ethnicities was a tribute to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is truly universal.
As the Basilica points out on its website, with more than 80 chapels and oratories, the diversity of the Catholic faith around the world is well represented:“Among the nationalities and ethnicities represented throughout the Basilica are: African, Austrian, Chinese, Cuban, Czech, Filipino, French, German, Guamanian, Hungarian, Indian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Latin American, Lebanese, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, and Vietnamese.”
Pope Francis’ emphasis on helping and loving everyone dramatically furthered the attractiveness and growth of the Catholic Church. In Africa and South Asia, especially, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of those who adopt Catholicism.
This was reflected during Easter Week at the Basilica.
Pope Francis’ emphasis on helping and loving everyone dramatically furthered the attractiveness and growth of the Catholic Church. In Africa and South Asia, especially, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of those who adopt Catholicism.
This was reflected during Easter Week at the Basilica.
When Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose Francis as his papal name in 2013, it was a clear signal of commitment to a papacy focused on and dedicated to serving the poor. Just like St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis was determined to rekindle the spirit of Christ’s passion to help the less fortunate, downtrodden and marginalized.
On his last Thursday a few weeks ago – deeply ailing and only four days from his death – Pope Francis went to Regina Caeli, Rome’s central prison, to meet with 70 inmates. He washed the feet of 12 of them in the tradition of Christ washing the feet of the apostles.
Pope Francis’ commitment to reach out to everyone was a powerful signal of caring and inclusion that opened the doors of the church to those in spiritual and physical need across the entire planet.
Pope Francis’ commitment to reach out to everyone was a powerful signal of caring and inclusion that opened the doors of the church to those in spiritual and physical need across the entire planet.
This openness to everyone has been on display at the Basilica the past few weeks.
I have long been haunted by something the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. asserted in his great Aug. 28, 1963, “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. He said, “I think it is one of the tragedies – one of the shameful tragedies – that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours, if not the most segregated hour, in Christian America.”
King gave us a powerful test for moving beyond the baseline of legal desegregation toward a genuinely integrated society for all Americans. I think King and Pope Francis would have been proud of the unity, sincerity and friendliness I witnessed at the Basilica.
It may now be that the most united hour in America happens at the Basilica and other great churches. When Callista and I recently attended Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, we had the same sense of people from every background coming together to worship in a Community of Faith.
We experienced the same sense of universality for the 3½ years Callista served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, with the second largest diplomatic representation of any country in the world, next to Washington, D.C.
Sitting in the diplomatic corps for Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica reminded us how diverse the world is – and how much that diversity is captured in the Catholic Church.
Despite his worsening health challenges, Pope Francis visited countries such as Mongolia and Timor-Leste. He continued the tradition of constant outreach that St. Pope John Paul II pioneered. It is now routine to take the papacy far beyond the Vatican’s walls.
We must continue to reach out to every person of every background. Together, we can seek salvation through faith at the heart of the Christian tradition.
This would be a fitting tribute to the memory of Pope Francis.
Newt Gingrich served as the 50th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. Known for creating the “Contract with America” that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994, he helped create the first conservative majority in the House in 40 years. For more of his commentary and insights, visit Gingrich360.com or subscribe to the Newt’s World podcast.
