WHAT'S IN A NAME? - IT'S JUST A SIGN

This Phd proposal business is presenting some difficulties. The subject was writing. Not just writing but performance writing. Whatever I do must ‘perform or else’. This small matter of writing takes on a multiplicity of disciplines, or should I use the word discourses. The issue emerges from a cultivation of semiotics, linguistics and performance theory. I am furrowing with intent through a number of books by very learned and accomplished academics and theorists. The ground is somewhat congested. What I thought was original is already original and my thinking therefore is not original. Nonetheless… 

Francis of Assisi

Francis I

The keystone to semiotics is an understanding of the sign - the signifier and the signified. A clear example of this concept was performed by the newly elected Pope Francis I.  This is the classic case of “What’s in a name?” There are a number of Francises in history from whom to choose a name, but it would seem clear from Catholic history that Cardinal Bergoglio chose Francis of Assisi.  Francis founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers followed by the early members of the Order of Friars Minor or the monastic lives of the Poor Clares. Though he was never ordained to the Catholic priesthood, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. He is also associated with a love of animals and in particular birds. A collection of legends and folklore sprang up after the Saint's death. It is said that, one day, while Francis was travelling with some companions, they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds." The birds surrounded him, intrigued by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away. He is often portrayed with a bird in his hand.

 Murray

Moorehead

And so the name Francis begins to signify in a multiplicity of directions. One in particular is the Order of St. Clare known as The Poor Clares. This, the second Franciscan Order to be established, was founded by Francis with one of his first followers, Chiara Offreduccio, who became Saint Clare of Assisi. It was founded on Palm Sunday in the year 1212. The association with Clare of Assisi prompted Jenny Murray, on Women’s Hour today, to ask Guardian journalist Joanna Moorhead (one time deputy editor of the Catholic Herald) whether this choice of name meant that the role of women in the Catholic Church might change, in the sense of being ordained as priests in their own right. Is this indeed something that the new Pope contemplated when choosing his name? 

One can follow any number of other paths prompted by the name Francis which will lead equally to a variety of speculations, but the first question is why do we assume that in choosing Francis, Cardinal Bergoglio wished to be identified with Francis of Assisi. Is it not possible that he had a completely different Francis in mind? Could it be Francis I, Holly Roman Emperor who reigned between 1745 and 1765; Francis I of France 1494-1547; Francis, Infante of Portugal (1691-1742) or Francis I of the Two Sicilies (1777-1830)?

Francis Xavier

More likely it is Francis Xavier (1506-1552) a Roman Catholic missionary born in Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. Francis Xavier was a student of Ignatius Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits dedicated at Monmartre in 1534.  It has been pointedly noted that Cardinal Bergoglio is the first Jesuit ever elected as Pope.  Francis Xavier led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India, but also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas, and other areas which had thus far not been visited by Christian missionaries. In these areas, being a pioneer and struggling to learn the local languages in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India. It was a goal of Xavier to one day reach China.

So, with whom do we identify Pope Francis I?  In observing the contexts displayed around the Pope it would be safe to conclude a religious connection. This does not exclude the Holy Roma Emperor, but the additional religious trappings would indicate a cleric or holy figure of some kind. The popular inference would be Assisi as being the most renowned figure, but I would be wiling to wager that, if pressed, Pope Francis might agree with Xavier. In which case I do not think that women priests are on the agenda. Pope Francis might see himself more as a missionary.

It is, after all, just a sign.