Bernard of Clairvaux, Thérèse of Lisieux and Michel de Certeau, in his new encyclical He loved us Pope Francis honors several French or Francophone spiritual figures. For a pope who is sometimes said to be indifferent to France, the number of references may be surprising. In his text, he summons no less than ten authors. Besides these three, Francis also cites Guillaume de Saint-Thierry, François de Sales, Jeanne de Chantal, Jean Eudes, Marguerite-Marie Alacoque, Claude La Colombière and Charles de Foucauld.
A little-known francophilia of the Pope?
By devoting an encyclical to the heart of Jesus, a devotion which has developed in France, Pope Francis also underlines his attachment to many French spiritual masters, which has been evident since the start of his pontificate. He cited the writer Léon Bloy in his first homily as pope, and published an apostolic letter for the fourth centenary of the birth of the philosopher Blaise Pascal, in June 2023. A discreet influence which marks the spirituality of Pope Francis and which is particularly highlighted in He loved us.
“The Pope himself declared: “My spirituality is French”.” explains historian Martin Dumont, secretary general of the Research Institute for the Study of Religions at Sorbonne-Université. “The emphasis on the tenderness and mercy of Jesus in François de Sales, Charles de Foucauld and Thérèse of Lisieux corresponds much more to Francis’s sensitivity than the somewhat cold rigor of Spanish spiritual masters like Thérèse of Avila and Jean of the Cross. »
The French over-represented in the encyclical
In his new encyclical, three sections of the fourth chapter are entirely devoted to these three authors, to which is added Claude La Colombière, Jesuit priest, major promoter of devotion to the Sacred Heart after the apparitions of Paray-le-Monial .
The pope had already expressed his particular affection for Thérèse of Lisieux, his “favorite saint”to which he dedicated an apostolic exhortation in October 2023. It once again occupies a place of choice in He loved usa text often with a very personal tone. “His discretion, his humility, and the richness of his contemplative life make him, paradoxically, a great missionary figure for the Pope”analyse Martin Dumont. “Thérèse speaks to people who have not done ten years of theology. »
Another significant figure for the pope: Charles de Foucauld. Francis cites it from the start of his pontificate in the apostolic exhortation the joy of the Gospel on November 24, 2013, then canonized him on May 15, 2022. Francis de Sales was the subject of an apostolic letter on the occasion of the fourth centenary of his death, entitled All of loveEastDecember 28, 2022. In the encyclical He loved ushe is highlighted as a promoter of a sensitive spirituality in the face of certain excesses of rigidity: “We can see in the thought of this holy doctor how, faced with a rigorous morality and a religiosity of simple observance, the heart of Christ presents itself as a call to full confidence in the mysterious action of his grace. »
How to explain these French influences of Pope Francis. According to Father David Gilbert, head of the history department at the Catholic Institute of Paris, they come essentially from his Jesuit training, through which he confronted authors like Michel de Certeau and Claude La Colombière, cited in the encyclical, but also Gaston Fessard, who had a strong influence on his social thought. Pope Francis’ references also include other Jesuits such as Henri de Lubac and Louis Lallemant.
