Dresden, GERMANY – Even in death, Pope Francis admonished us to humility and simplicity.
To speak of ‘simplicity’ in the context of a pope might appear ignorant, outrageous, even polarizing.
But ‘polarizing’ is what Pope Francis was for many.
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Francis made the choice of a comparatively simple wooden coffin, which was positioned low and kept open to mourners to bid him farewell, and chose to be buried not inside the Vatican grottoes but in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – a place of prayer he sought out before and after travels.
He was to be laid to rest, as he instructed, “in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus.”
In this way, his funeral was once again an act of breaking pompous and obsolete traditions.
“To be saints is not a privilege for a few, but a vocation for everyone.”
Pope Francis, 2013 in Vatican City, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, as the man behind the pontificate was called by his civil name, showcased his ambitions to be a people’s pope from the very beginning, actively, or just by his very nature.
During his time as the Auxiliary Bishop, and later the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was known to not only preach, but also lead a rather simple existence, by living in a small apartment, taking the tube, cooking for himself or shopping at the supermarket.
Instead of actually going on vacation, he used the trips to give pastors in the places he visited – poor districts and slums – a leave of absence, doing their jobs himself for the duration.
Bergoglio’s self-perception as part of the people remained untouched after accepting the papacy, and the position as the alleged Vicar of Christ, political head of a country (Vatican City) and the Holy See.
Rather than settling into a grand papal apartment in the Apostolic Place, he took the guesthouse ‘Santa Marta’ for his new home.
Rather than decorating himself with opulent cars and glamorous clothing, he opted for a ‘popemobile’ – a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, an SUV, for public appearances, or a humble little black Fiat 500L for travels – a car that might be attributed to Mr. Bean, not a pope.
It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help.
Pope Francis, 2016, according to Reuters
A concern close to his heart was the least fortunate of us.
He celebrated his first Holy Thursday as a Pope in 2013 in the ‘Casal del Marmo’ a youth prison with many minors of the Muslim faith. Overall, the Pope was often found in remote places, with the abandoned, the locked away, the sick and the children.
Franciscus tolerated the homeless in front of the Vatican and had showers built for them. When the ‘Palazzo Migliori’ was to be converted into a luxury hotel, he inaugurated the building as a shelter for the homeless. The house was furnished just like a five-star hotel, with a terrace view of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, frescoes, and pillars adorn the small rooms, which provide accommodation for around 50 homeless people, with whom he dined regularly, with whom the Pope himself felt at home.
His modesty did not seem to be pretense.
For his pontificate, he was the first to choose the name ‘Franciscus,’ after the Italian mendicant monk and founder of the Franciscan order, Francis of Assisi’ (1182 – 1226) – an allegory for modesty and a self-chosen life in complete poverty.
Francis’ story is one of many firsts.
As an Argentinian, he was the first pope from Latin America, the first pope since 1272 years who was not from Europe, the first pontificate of the Jesuit order – an order that Rome did not exactly regard with esteem.
For a great deal of people, he was a beacon of hope, uniting mankind regardless of faith, origin, political views or gender.
His interpretation of faith could be best understood by the following excerpt from the 2018 documentary Pope Francis: A Man of His Word:
God does not see with his eyes, God sees with his heart. And he loves everyone the same – every human. Regardless of religion. Even if they are atheists, his love is the same.When the last day comes and it is so bright on the earth that everything will be seen as it is, we will be amazed. Do you think God loves a Mahatma Gandhi or a Martin Luther King less than a bishop or a nun? [thoughtful headshaking] He loves and sees all with his heart. Maybe that is the only thing that unites all people. Restrains God does not love. In everything else, we are free. We are even free to not love his will.’
Pope Francis, speaking in the 2018 documentary Pope Francis: A Man of His Word.
This attitude allowed Bergoglio to initiate discussions, open a dialogue. A dialogue about sexual abuse, or one between religions – being, again, the first Pope to regard Muslims and Jews as equal partners.
A choir here in Dresden, Germany was invited by Pope Francis a few years ago to perform in Rome at the opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul. The religious background of the choir? Protestant.
Franciscus positioned himself clearly against war, authoritarian policies and state leaders such as U.S. President Donald Trump.
He spoke against the death penalty, capitalism and consumerism, summing it up in the 2018 documentary with,“Either we serve the Lord, or we serve the money.”
He spoke up for the environment in the same film: “If you ask me who is the poorest of the poorest of the poor, I would say Mother Earth. We have plundered her. We have abused her.”
In 2022, for LGBTQ’ and women’s rights, according to Reuters: “The struggle for women’s rights is a continuing struggle. We have to continue struggling for this because women are a gift. God did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with. He created both equal, man and woman.”
He blessed divorced, remarried, and same-sex couples: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?”Frances asked journalists on a plane in 2013, according to Reuters.
“The perfect family doesn’t exist, nor is there a perfect husband or a perfect wife, and let’s not talk about the perfect mother-in-law! It’s just us sinners,”Francis said in 2014 in St. Peter’s Square, according to the website of the Holy See.
Often, several things are true at the same time. And so, it is true that Francis acted as a self-understanding spiritual caregiver, that he spoke truth to power, challenged and drastically changed our perception of the pope’s role.
At the same time, many felt a great deal of frustration about what Francis did not say. He initiated discussions and conversations, but these were not followed by clear instructions. He did little or hardly anything to change the way abuse was dealt with or the role of women within the church.
Rather, he seemed to hope that the conversation itself would lead to the resolution of the problem, or that others would solve it. It was fairly easy to circumvent Catholic regulations and restrictions in the parishes during his papacy, without having to fear any consequences.
Unfortunately, this includes regulations in both directions, human-friendly and human-hating ones.
For me, I can have my very own criticism of Pope Francis but still admire him and see him for what he was elected to be: the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion worshipers worldwide.
He was not called to be a political activist, and so he cannot be pigeonholed. He can show contradictions in his behavior because his community – whose cohesion he is responsible for – is contradictory and diverse in itself.
I observed firsthand with my mother how an (allegedly) politicization of the Catholic Church during the coronavirus pandemic led to a boycott on her part.
Pope Francis was a tightrope walker who drew our attention to urgent issues without causing large conservative sections of the Church to flee. His duty was to act as a role model – a duty which he fulfilled not only for Catholics. To paraphrase Kurt Marti, Catholics only have one pope, but in the editorial offices of cultural sectors, there are many popes who celebrate their infallibility.
Francis was different.
I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars. You have to heal his wounds.Then we can talk about everything else.
Pope Francis in 2013 to America Magazine
Milana Yarychkivskiy is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
