Cupich at DePaul College Prep talks about pope’s critics

When Archbishop Blase Cupich visited students at DePaul College Prep on Sunday, he told the story of a stubborn child who refused to do as she was told.

Then he turned to the topic of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States.

“There is something in each one of us that’s immature,” Cupich said. “That wants to say, ‘no.’ That can be negative. I thought about that this week as I looked at the readings, but also as I looked at how some people responded to the Holy Father.”

Cupich played the role of principal celebrant Sunday at DePaul College Prep’s Opening of School Liturgy and Blessing. And in his homily, he spoke about the “enormous crowds and wonderful enthusiasm” in the United States for the pope and his public comments last week.

“And yet we read others who are criticizing him,” Cupich said. “Who didn’t like exactly the way he said this, or maybe didn’t say that. Or his emphasis was here and not there.”

Finally, Cupich explained how his father used to tell his children, “If you’re looking for a problem, it’s easy to find.”

“That is why the Holy Father is so attractive to people,” Cupich said. “He’s not one who overlooks human sinfulness and frailty. He knows we need to correct a lot — the way that we’re dealing with justice in the world. And poverty. And the environment. But he always calls people to tap the deepest aspirations of their heart. To realize that there’s a goodness that’s much deeper in the human soul than any evil that lurks there.”

Near the end of the service, Cupich blessed a stack of Bibles that will be presented to each first-year student at DePaul. He called it a “good read.” And later, he blessed a statue of St. Vincent de Paul on the grounds of the school on the city’s Northwest Side.