Pope Francis has died, and the world is in mourning. We didn’t have to agree with everything he ever said or wrote to appreciate the massive impact he had on millions of lives. His approach to following Jesus was shockingly simple: love your neighbor. And sure, he struggled when the church was at odds with the teachings of Jesus, but don’t we all? All religion is true and, at the same time, false; only God is perfect. Being pope is like being president – a lot of people are not going to like what you do, no matter how hard you try. All any of us can do is our best. I, for one, will leave it up to God to sort it out in the end.
And yet, there are a lot of people who seem to be rejoicing over the Pope’s death. They are questioning whether he will go to heaven. They are disrespecting his particular flavor of faith. So much hate being spewed about a person who did more to make love the center of his faith than anyone I can think of in recent memory. Could he have handled the priest crisis better? No doubt. Should he have allowed priests to marry and women to be ordained? I think so. But even the Pope has limitations, as we can see by the opposition every single one of them has faced during their tenure. My standard of respect always comes down to this: does a person live out of a lens of love, or a lens of hate? Love makes life better – hate destroys all that is good. Choosing love matters; Francis chose well.
In the aftermath of Pope Francis’s death, it is pretty clear to me who the truly good and faithful people are. We can’t read their minds; we can only read and hear their words. If their response to this Pope’s death is one of joy, God have mercy on them. If their response is one of gratitude and respect, they got the message. Pope Francis wasn’t my spiritual leader, but I respected him as a person of deep faith and integrity who struggled to do what was right. He spoke truth to power, even in the face of disagreements. May his memory be a blessing – and may his successor try to lead in the same way.
Prayer – We thank You God for followers who work to do what is right, even if they don’t always succeed. May we be so bold to do the same. Amen.
Today’s art is a portrait of Pope Francis by Iryna Kastsova.