Along with millions of others, I mourn the passing of Pope Francis. He was a truly Holy man, despising luxury and with a true concern for the poor and the marginalized. He urged help for refugees fleeing violence and those who were discriminated against. He was critical of the materialism which is so prevalent today, and often spoke out of the dire threat of climate change, much of which is created by greed and unsustainable life styles.
Moreover, he practised what he preached. I shall never forget how he refused to stay in the luxurious Apostolic Palace, the residence of previous Popes. He lived instead in less opulent quarters. And I was so moved to hear how he reacted when he found the guard standing outside his door. On learning that the man stood there all night, he told him he should sit, and when the guard explained that he was instructed to stand, if I remember rightly, the Pope himself fetched a chair.
For me, it was especially meaningful that he chose the name Francis. Because, although I am not a Catholic, Saint Francis of Assisi is for me a truly saintly human being, one who lived a simple life, and cared for nature and animals as well as those despised or shunned by the society he lived in. Like him, Pope Francis did all he could for such people, and even blessed the marriage of gay couples.
It is typical that during his last couple of days, when he must have been feeling weak and tired, he agreed to a meeting with political leaders whose political views so differed from his, and which must have been exhausting. And then there was his last amazing address to the thousands who came to hear him and be blessed from the Vatican balcony. He was even driven around the square which gave the people such enormous delight. And that was just the day before he died.
I am truly sorry that I never got to meet Pope Francis. But perhaps I will, in the place where he is now, his physical problems left behind with his mortal body.
