Yesterday morning, I read a report that Pope Francis had passed away at 88 years old.
I am not Catholic, but I feel great fealty and respect for Catholicism. And yet, I felt a good amount of sadness through the morning and I found myself frequently looking at the news for any updates.
Argentina has called for a seven-day, nationwide state of mourning for Pope Francis, who began his ministry in Buenos Aires. Leaders from around the world are commenting on his grounded and humble style.
A few years ago, when he first became Pope, I read a book that was a compiling of 20 or so of his friends, who spoke about what type of person he was.
He used to ride a motorcycle before shifting to public transportation in Buenos Aires. He focused on the poor and the marginalized. He had a Master’s degree in Chemistry. He taught literature and psychology at the college level. He emphasized the importance of care for the environment.
The book I mentioned essentially said, “You think he is like this now because the cameras are on him? He has always been like this!”
When Pope Francis began his tenure, I heard rumblings of things that he did that impressed me. He would sneak out of the Vatican at night in ordinary clothes to give money to the poor. He refused to stay anywhere else than the guesthouse. He frequently visited the confessional before he did any formal activity. He washed the feet of marginalized and imprisoned people of other faiths on Maundy Thursday. He allowed children to come up to him in the middle of speaking. He embraced a man with a terrible skin disease. He would make comments while in transit to places that sounded to me like the words of someone with a pastoral heart, rather than a person of heirarchical authority.
As a Jesuit, seeking a promotion or rising in power is forbidden. In fact, to ask for it seems to disqualify someone for a promotion immediately. This means Pope Francis rose from being an ordinary man of the Catholic faith to being Pope because he truly embodied all the best of the tradition, and did so from a posture that was endearing.
When we lament that people are leaving the church, we do so at the expense of paying attention to those among us doing it well.
From all accounts and what I have seen or heard, I believe Jorge Bergoglio did it well.