At Christmas or Easter time I would proclaim from the Vatican balcony urbe et orbis that all humankind should meditate on the Circle. Not only is it the symbol of God but the symbol of the human race. Away with the pyramid which may be a symbol of strength but suggests that we are arranged in layers with the most important people at the top and the less important at the bottom.
I would ask everyone in the square below to form a large circle and join hands. “No, my Lord Cardinal and Bishops, you misunderstand me. You are not to keep together as a group in the circle. You are to disperse yourselves among the rest. Yes, my Lord, hold that lady’s hand. I know she isn’t a nun. Don’t worry. She is a child of God like you and me. Take off your mitre, my Lord Bishop, if it makes you feel conspicuous. Put it on that child’s head. We must all learn to see the funny side of our religion. If you have any dignity it will shine out from within your person. You do not need to wear a hat to demonstrate it.
“How are you getting on down there?” I would ask. But I cannot hear the replies for the laughter. A huge circle is beginning to form. “Is there more room?” I would ask. “Then some of you go to the hotels and invite the tourists to join us. Still room? Then go to the slums, the hovels, even the brothels, and bring in more people to make the circle larger. It doesn’t matter who goes, Father. You are not going to preach a message. You are simply inviting people to dance. Send the children if you feel you cannot do it yourselves.”
Then, when everyone was ready, I would ask them to move to the left, then change and move to the right. I would ask if anyone noticed any difference. The circle remains unbroken, a movement one way or the other makes no difference. Movements left or right, what matters is that hands remain joined.
“Let’s dance,” I would cry. “Steady, Your Holiness” would come the voices of my advisers around me. “You cannot dance when you don’t know the steps, and that is where we come in. You must work out the rules. Or, rather, we must work out the rules, write them down, and then you can put your papal seal of approval on them”. “Not necessary,” I would reply. “Can’t the dancers make up the rules, as you call them, for themselves? The shape of the dance will determine what sort of dance will be needed. There is no use our imposing the rules of a square dance on people who are trying to perform a circle dance. Perhaps that is where we have gone wrong in the past. We have imposed rules without due regard to the nature of the circumstances. We must work from the inside outwards, not the outside inwards.” “But this has never happened before,” cry the voices of fear. “They might decide to do the most outrageous movements!” “Then it is time we let them work it out for themselves and not be afraid if they make mistakes. There is enough common sense among them to get it right next time”.
I would suggest that while they were working on the movements for their circle dance, they allowed for individual expression, a twirl perhaps, a step or two to the side, maybe. It’s the effect of the whole that matters. “Your Holiness, isn’t a caller needed? May I suggest Cardinal X or Y? They are very loyal to yourself and the Church and wouldn’t allow any extreme measures.” I would reply that I didn’t think that would be necessary. “Why not let the people choose their own caller? Indeed, your Eminence, they would probably make a wiser choice than us as they are there, down on the ground as it were, while we are up here and too remote from the happenings below.”
“Your Holiness, the circle has become too large. What do you suggest?” I would suggest that we find another site, move away from the confines of Vatican Square and go out to the world beyond. “Surely we can find room for as many as would like to join us in the dance? We must not worry where they come from, nor what other dances they may take part in. Ours must be a dance in which everyone feels they can take part.”
I would dream that my circle grows larger and the laughter grows louder and the joy spreads all around so that people in faraway lands wonder and marvel at what is happening and feel, like the children who followed the Pied Piper, that they cannot resist joining in.
And then I would descend from my balcony, for it would be too painful to remain a spectator at such a scene of merriment. I would close the doors of the Vatican Palace behind me and join my brothers and sisters. I would leave behind the papers, the books, the problems, the power, the glory, and experience their company, the touch of their hands, the joy of our arms around each other, the blessings of companionship, and rejoice in the knowledge that there is no problem we cannot tackle together: Ah, the blessed relief that I would no longer be expected to solve all the problems of the world as if somehow I contained within my person all the answers to every question!
“Servus Servorum Dei” would now take on a whole new meaning. Mixing among the dancers, I would be able to listen more compassionately to them, really understand their problems. I could tell them about my problems too. Many people don’t think I have any, I am so distanced from them.
“Meditate on the circle!” God’s way is the way of the circle, the cycles of nature, the circle of the sun, the moon, the planets and stars, the cycles of death and rebirth. We do not know him as we think we know him, nor do we own him as we think we own him. He belongs to all. What we do know is that the world was created out of love by a God of joy and humour. Our hands were made for holding other hands, our feet for dancing, and my dream and prayer would be that one day all the world would take part in this circle dance of love. “Dance then wherever you may be For I am the Lord of the Dance said he / And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be…”