Remembering Pope Francis and Stan Swamy as Witnesses to the Christ of Faith

On April 26, I was asked to celebrate a Eucharist for the Basilica Rectors as these met for the first time to reflect on how Basilicas could be developed as ‘Centres of Evangelisation’. I remembered two Jesuits in my homily, Pope Francis and Stan Swamy. Both understood the importance of living the historical Jesus and proclaiming Christ of faith. For these two Jesuits, historicity and faith were not two different realities but one continuum. We are so used to a binary way of thinking and become judgmental about good or bad. We unconsciously emphasise one or the other. 

As we hand over the mortal remains of Pope Francis back to Mother Earth, I ask myself, what is it to be a Jesuit? General Congregation 32 of the Society of Jesus defined a Jesuit as ‘It is to know that one is a sinner yet called to be a companion of Jesus’. Pope Francis was human. He recognized himself as a sinner. But the recognition of one’s frailty did not deter him from embracing the Christ of faith. As a young Jesuit, brought up in a Latin American context, he was engrossed in the ideological moorings of the times. As he grew up, especially during his pontificate, he was overpowered by the Christ of faith and proclaimed in words of love, resulting in actions of love, the connection between the historical Jesus and Christ of faith. By recognizing himself as a sinner, he could enter into the vulnerabilities of those condemned by the world as sinners, such as the migrants, refugees, prisoners, and other excluded people, embrace them and bring them back to the Christ of faith. 

Today, we celebrate the 88th birth anniversary of Stan Swamy, who was falsely implicated, in the Bhima Koregaon case and succumbed to death in Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai on July 5, 2021. Arun Fereira, who was also implicated in the Bhima Koregaon case was kept in the same prison cell along with Stan. Arun took care of Stan like the mother. Arun’s uncle is Bishop Allwyn D’Silva of Mumbai. Arun was motivated to serve the poor when he was part of the Jesuit-run organisation All India Catholic University Federation (AICFU). However, he was disillusioned by the Church’s activities and left the Church. Stan recognized what he could do Arun in prison. He asked me to send him a copy of the book, Jesus: An Historical Approximation, written by a Spanish theologian, Jose Antonio Pagola. They discussed the matter every day. Arun used to buy some nuts from the prison shop and kept them during the discussion. Stan told him, “Do not buy costly nuts. Buy some ground nuts. Let us be simple while talking about Jesus”. Eventually, Arun was brought back to the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith. Jennifer, wife of Arun, told me, “Father, I do not know what is happening in prison. My husband wants me to read the book. It looks Stan has converted him, back to Jesus. Was Arun implicated in this case to meet Stan in prison and be brought back to Jesus”? 

Stan was grounded in the life of historical Jesus and as believer of Christ of faith, he had a big dream like Pope Francis. Pope Francis dreamt of the Synodal Church and left this as his legacy, knowing well he may not see the synodal church. Stan’s parting words to me, my last conversation with him on 28 June 2021. He did not complain about his health or fear death. ‘Take forward the struggles of the Adivasis for a dignified life.’ These two pilgrims of hope have left us. Their legacy will continue.

By Joseph Xavier SJ