Today the world lost a great leader, a strong moral voice, and the Church lost our Good Shepherd. As I reflect upon the gratitude in my heart for the life and ministry of Pope Francis, I wish to capture a few thoughts in the hours following news of his death.
From the first days of his pontificate, it was clear we would experience something extraordinarily fresh and new from +Francis, as he rode the bus with the other cardinals after his election and personally paid the bill at the hotel where he stayed prior to the conclave. Then he chose to forgo the papal apartment and instead maintain a room at the Casa Santa Marta as his residence.
The world will never forget the stark image of Pope Francis alone in St. Peter’s Square as he prayed for an end to the COVID pandemic and gave his blessing to the world. Nor will we soon forget his devotion to people on the margins and his insistence that all the rest of us do better in caring for them. He was a dogged defender of the basic human dignity of those in most need, from migrants to the homeless and those in prison. He embodied the corporal works of mercy as he gave both witness to and teaching of the loving mercy of God.
Just last week I was thinking that Pope Francis has not so much “changed” Church teaching as he expanded our hearts and imaginations in how to live the Gospel. The one area of Church teaching he did update was moving beyond a just war theory and proclaiming that even possessing nuclear arms is immoral. War is always a defeat!
His encyclicals gave a new vision for the Church to always be going out in service to others, to move beyond a self-preservation to a Church constantly on mission. He called us to dialogue with and accompany one another, to live in better harmony with God, each other and all of God’s creation.
Appropriately, his final encyclical was on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is a beautiful reflection on God’s love. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we now give thanks for Pope Francis and the many reasons he gave us to have hope, of the many things he did and said to call us to greater patience, love and mercy with all of God’s children, who are each our brothers and sisters. The Risen Christ is our hope for a new humanity.
From the beginning of his twelve-year pontificate, he began to recover many of the major themes of the Second Vatican Council. He further strengthened this goal with the recently completed Synod on synodality which calls for greater recognition and engagement of all the baptized in the mission of the Church.
Rest in peace, Pope Francis. You held nothing back. May you now enjoy the fruits of your labors and experience the mercy and love of God as you encounter the Risen Christ in this Solemn Season of the Resurrection!
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