Pope Francis made faith more human

Pope Francis made faith more human

Commentary by Becky Tallent | FāVS News

Admittedly, I am not a Christan; but I am still greatly saddened by the death of Pope Francis.

Here was a man of great humility in a world that now seems to prize wealth and status. A man who cared for the poor and marginalized in society. A man who, when asked about the LGBTQ+ community and gay priests, asked, “Who am I to judge?”

In a time of great upheaval as a beacon of humanity, his work reminds us to be compassionate toward our sisters and brothers who might be different.

Don’t get me wrong, he was not perfect. No one is. Yes, he could have done more, but he was able to accomplish much in his 12 years as a pontiff, mostly pushing against tradition.

For example, while many popes might have ignored the environmental issues, Pope Francis openly addressed the climate crisis and challenged people to environmental stewardship.

Already, his 2019 quote about the environment (“Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit. The sun does not shine on itself, and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves.”) is rapidly being made into a social media viral phenomenon as a reminder the purpose of humans lies in humanity and the common good.

Going against a tradition of silence, he openly apologized to victims of sexual abuse in the church and in places like Indian boarding schools, the first pope to ever do so.

He worked very hard up to the end on issues of poverty and justice for the poor. He openly criticized capitalism, framing it as a means to further marginalize people while enriching a limited few. “This economy kills,” he said of global capitalism in 2013.

Pope Francis also fought generations of resistance of women to higher places in the church. He elevated Sister Raffaella Petrini as the first woman to serve as the Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State (the executive of Vatican City State) among other women to positions of authority.

And, he said while he still believed homosexuality was a sin, it was not a mortal one and should not be criminalized.  

There are many, many other examples of his humanity.

In all, Pope Francis was that very rare kind of leader who did not just hold a title and maintain the status quo — he transformed the church and the meaning of his position. As Pope, Francis translated what he read as the gospels into actions of everyday living.

True to his Franciscan roots, he lived with little, selling the cardinal’s home in Buenos Aires opting instead to live in a small apartment where he did his own cooking. As Pope, he shunned the more opulent spaces of the Vatican properties, living in a small apartment instead. All this helped people to focus more on poverty in the world and care for the marginalized.

But to me, the greatest thing Pope Francis did was to guard against any temptation to weaponize faith. It is an easy temptation for any human to go along with power and the powerful; Francis fought against it. Instead, he made faith more accessible and more human.

As the Pope said in 2013, “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”

No one yet knows who will next wear the Pope’s ring and apparel. Hopefully it will be someone who can continue the work of Pope Francis, who truly filled the shoes of the fisherman with compassion and humility, bringing good news to all who can hear, Christian or not.

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.