Photo credit: David Yoder for National Geographic
Slider photos: Brendan Kownacki for Hollywood on the Potomac
“I jokingly say that Harvard Business School could use him to teach rebranding. And politicians in Washington would kill for his approval rating.” Robert Draper, author of the August, 2015 cover story: Pope Francis Remakes the Vatican for National Geographic.
“What surprised me the most about the Pope is that–unlike politicians I’ve covered for the New York Times Magazine–there appears to be no ambition to the man. He never sought out the leadership roles into which he was thrust. He didn’t leave a trail of embittered also-rans behind him,” Draper told Hollywood on the Potomac. “Rather, his ascent owes itself to his being a natural leader, which in turn is due to the fact that Jorge Mario Bergoglio is a thoroughly sincere individual: There’s no disconnect between what he says and thinks and what he actually feels. People are drawn to him for that reason–that, along with his sheer intellect and basic generosity of spirit.” And yes, politicians in Washington would kill for his approval ratings!
“I joined National Geographic in January of 2014,” Susan Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief, told us, “so the feature was suggested before I got here. I think religion is a good way for us to write about different cultures all over the world. This Pope particularly seems to be having a major impact on the world’s one.2 billion Catholics, as well as many non Catholics; so he seemed like a very compelling figure for us to write about.”
“I did go to Rome though in May of 2014 to be sure that we could get photographic access to the Pope,” Goldberg explained “and was joined by our photographer on the project David Yoder and our writer for the story Robert Draper; and so the three of us went and talked to the Pope’s communications people and top advisers, and we were able to convince them that we would tell a unique story about the Pope and they gave us access. We were given exclusive access for about six months. We never run all of them and they’re not all worth publishing of course, but we did have so many great ones that we decided to do a book as well. That resulted not only in our magazine story, but in a book about the Pope that is on sale now: Pope Francis and The New Vatican.
“Our photographer took 68 thousand images of the Pope,” she added. “Had we not been given the kind of access that we got, I am not sure we would have done the story because what we had to bring to this story was particularly the kind of visual images that really help people understand this man and peoples reaction to him. I think part of getting that kind of access was because we are National Geographic. We are a globally known, a respected brand with 16 million readers all over the world. We publish in 35 languages, and so I’m sure they were attracted by that. But I think seeing us in person and hearing from our writer and photographer who we wanted to assign to the story, that that really helped.”
Draper described the Pope to us this way: “The spectacle of this new Pope, with his plastic watch and bulky orthopedic shoes, taking his breakfast in the Vatican cafeteria, has required some getting used to. So has his sense of humor. Pope Francis is a gentle individual but also, in his own way, quite demanding. He has charged all Catholic bishops with going out to the periphery and having a dialogue with the neglected and alienated. Recently he’s directed all parish priests to receive at least one family of refugees. At the same time, he’s urged them to shift their priorities from judgment to tending to human suffering. Many of his peers rejoice in this shifting of the priorities. Other traditionalists are less enthused. As to whether this will draw more worshipers back into the pews, there’s anecdotal evidence that he has done so already–but also indications that he faces an uphill battle in this regard. More significantly, however, I think he’s awakened spiritual impulses among many individuals–not simply Catholics, or Christians, or even believes in God, but all groups.”
Caring for the homeless
“The August issue,” Goldberg noted, “is going to be one of our best selling issues of the year, so it’s very interesting. I do think that this Pope does make kind of a connection to people and what we’re very excited about is how much that comes through in the photographs that we were able to get and from the reporting that Robert did from The United States, from Rome and Argentina. So we were able to get a lot of insight into this Pope.”
The Popemobile in St. Peter’s Square
We asked Robert to respond to this: “It has been said by many that although he seems laid back, that he has his own vision and determination to stir things up in Catholicism. Do you see it that way? How is he perceived by his piers? Will he be able to bring back ‘the flock’ so to speak in an institution that has been riddled by scandal and long held doctrine that is out of touch with the rest of the world?”
Draper quotes:
“They describe him as a ‘chess player,’ one whose every day is “perfectly organized,” in which “each and every step has been thought out.” Bergoglio himself told the journalists Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin several years ago that he seldom heeded his impulses, since “the first answer that comes to me is usually wrong.”
“How can they know what the common people want when they build a fence around themselves?”
“By putting the suffering of man, and his relationship with God, back in the center, these harsh attitudes toward homosexuality, divorce, and other things will start to change.”
“Have you thought about profiling other religious leaders?” we asked. “I’m certainly not opposed to the idea–I tend to be a generalist and profile all sorts of individuals. But I was particularly drawn to Francis, because he’s a transformational figure by any criteria. There aren’t many of those walking among us.”
“What has been the feed back from other religious organizations?” “In many ways, I think the Pope is more popular among non-Catholic religious groups. This isn’t a coincidence. He’s deliberately reached out in an ecumenical way. He makes it a point to meet with Evangelical Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and others. I think non-Catholics appreciate his disinclination to speak of Catholicism’s primacy.”
“What impact do you think the Pope’s visit had, morally, politically?” “Time will tell, obviously. Some political observers are already prognosticating that in the afterglow of Francis, GOP voters will turn away from Donald Trump, who seems in many ways to be the Pope’s polar opposite. I’d like to believe that a week’s worth of proximity to this remarkable holy man will have a lingering effect, particularly on the morality of our leaders. We’ll see.”
“It’s very entertaining to be Pope.” Pope Francis.
