Adiós, Papa Francisco!

I still am processing the passing of Pope Francis. I admired him so much, and I can’t believe he’s gone. I feel that my heart is aching not just because we have lost a wise, loving, and holy man but knowing we may never have so strong an advocate for the poor and marginalized in the Vatican again. I know he is with God now-in eternal rest-and I am thankful for that. Yet, without Pope Francis, who will advocate for those on the fringes, and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, pursing social justice, asking for mercy, and trying to do good in our society?

Watching the Pope’s funeral was a surreal experience: because of the 4AM start time; that it was on TV; and the scale of the Mass was immense. At first, I was questioning why the altar was so big but quickly realized that it needed to be that large to hold all the Eucharist that would be distributed later. Yet, as different as the experience was, it still was the same Catholic funeral Mass I know. It was comforting to know that this immensely revered man had the same service as did my beloved husband. This consistency within the rites and sacraments of the faith is consolation to me in my grief. It is part of the beauty and solemnity of our religion.

After the Pope’s release from the hospital and especially seeing him attend events during Holy Week and Easter, I thought he would fully recover and be with us here on earth for even a little more time. Although I had noticed that for some reason, the last few weeks of my daily prayer for him, I also had been praying that the Pope’s successor be a liberal one.

In my opinion, Francis was the most Christ-like Pope. It seemed like it was Jesus and the poor-not the administrative institution of the Catholic Church-that was at the forefront of Francis’s mind during his tenure as Pope. Even starting with the name he chose for his pontificate, he made his priorities known. By choosing Francis, an homage to St. Francis of Assisi, he chose a path of humility and helping the poor. His dedication to the poor started in Argentina, where I imagine he encountered the needy on a daily basis. His inspiration for the name was likely his friend, Cardinal Hummes who right after his election, asked him to “Always remember the poor”.

When he became Pope, Francis decided to live modestly, in a guest house, rather than in the opulence of the Vatican. It’s not surprising though, as his residence in Buenos Aires was a humble apartment, rather than the more ornate official residence of an Archbishop. The Pope’s whole lifestyle was one of humility and ‘normalcy’ rather than the grandeur expected of the Bishop of Rome.

Having visited Buenos Aires last year, I can see how the poor were a part of the Pope’s everyday life when he was in Argentina. During my trip, I felt lucky to visit the Metropolitan Cathedral where Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio oversaw his flock for 15 years. Outside on the steps of the Cathedral, there were people sitting asking for money. Of all the Cathedrals I have visited, I had never seen this occur anywhere I traveled. The tumultuous political history of Argentina begat a society where there was (and still is) a great divide between the rich and the poor. And during his time there, the Pope doted on the poor, much as Jesus did in his time.

I’m thinking perhaps some of my affinity for Pope Francis comes from the fact that he was the first Pope from Latin America. As a Latina, I love that this Pope represented all Hispanics. I am a third generation (half) Mexican here in the US, but I do not speak Spanish. For years, I have been wanting to learn it and after my Argentina trip I started the process and kept it up for several months (which for me is a good run!). As a result of remembering the Pope’s work and influence, I’m feeling that call again now to pick up where I left off.

Especially, since the most targeted people in the US now seem to be immigrants of Hispanic origin. I almost feel like as an act of solidarity to them, I want to be able to understand them in their own tongue, as I try to learn how to support and serve this population. How our US government is treating people of Hispanic origin truly is upsetting to me, as it was to Pope Francis. The vast majority of these immigrants (legal or not) are coming from a place that is so much worse than the US. Most of these immigrants are law-abiding, hard-working people who deserve to be embraced by this country, not deported or disappeared by the anti-DEI people running our government.

Another reason Pope Francis has my respect is that he was a Jesuit, and I greatly admire the Society of Jesus and the work the Jesuits pursue. The order, based on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s teachings, tends to prioritize education, helping the marginalized, pursing social justice, and other more ‘liberal’ pursuits that help people who need assistance. I applaud the work the Jesuits, and Pope Francis have accomplished. Boston College (a Jesuit institution) is dear to my heart (having worked and attended grad school there). Also, I have an interest in Ignatian Spirituality (having completed the Spiritual Exercises).

With all the noise and busy-ness of the modern, secular world I find that one of the biggest failings in my faith is letting my devotion to Jesus and service to helping others, fall to the wayside too much of the time. My devotion to Pope Francis was similar: I believed in his message, and I wanted to ‘follow in his footsteps’ when it came to his biggest areas of focus: the poor & marginalized, immigrants, and environmental issues.

However, I found that ‘everyday life’ always came in the way of me making a difference. Although, the loss of Pope Francis has made me want to be a better Catholic. And that’s what he has inspired in the faithful: for us to better ourselves as humans, and specifically to be better Catholics.

Remember when I asked, “who will advocate for those on the fringes, and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, pursing social justice, asking for mercy, and trying to do good in our society” now that Pope Francis is gone? I think the answer is us. We need to lead with love, and we need to find the right leaders in our faith to continue Pope Francis’s good works. And hopefully our next Pope will be a liberal one, as I have been praying.

Regardless of the leanings of this next Pope I think this is the time, for all of us faithful Catholics, to ‘step up’ and develop large-scale leadership with our lay men and women. I know that amazing work is being done on a weekly and daily basis in parishes all over the world. Yet, we may want to be more planful and think of the bigger picture of our religion. We need to focus on the world we want to leave to future generations of Catholics-and of course all people! We, as a Faith, can set the example and take St. Ignatius’s inspirational words to heart: “Go forth and set the world aflame”.