Pope Francis: The people’s pope, according to his people
The late pope’s love for people was evident. You could tell by the way he smiled at the crowds on the regular Wednesday General Audiences. You could see it in the way he waved from his window at the Apostolic Palace every Sunday while praying the Angelus. You could hear it in his words: soft but firm, challenging but loving.
Photographs courtesy of AFP and Vatican news
By now it seems that everyone believes it is as if he held on just long enough for Easter.
The Church lost a light on Easter Monday, just one day after giving his final Urbi et Orbi blessing from the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis — Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Latin American and Jesuit Pope — died at the age of 88.
His last public words? “Happy Easter.” Perhaps, it’s not a coincidence but a grace. As if he needed to hear the Halleluia of the Church one last time before he allowed himself to go. Before he could enter the promise he had proclaimed his entire life, it seemed as though he needed to witness that “He is risen” and “the stone rolled away.”
His desire to be near others drove him to complete 47 apostolic missions, touching the lives of individuals all around the world.
The People’s Pope
Pope Francis has served as more than just the leader of the Catholic Church since his election in 2013. He became the people’s Pope. The one who walked beside those in need, the forgotten, and the marginalized, reminding many that the Church might also provide a place to breathe.
He carried wounds throughout his papal career. Not only his own, but the world’s: an unstable Church, a hurting Earth, displaced families, and weary souls. Throughout it all, he led with presence rather than power.
“Pope Francis made being Catholic less morally suffocating,” said sociologist Ash Presto. “Less burdened by contradiction. This is heartbreaking news for the faithful, and for those like me who slowly found their way to faith because someone at the helm reminded us that the Church could also be a place to breathe.”
Pope Francis broadened the boundaries of the dome. His papacy was founded on mercy. His lessons on climate change, economic inequality, migration, and inclusivity challenged the privileged while providing hope to the marginalized.
A leader who walked with us
The late pope’s love for people was evident. You could tell by the way he smiled at the crowds on the regular Wednesday General Audiences. You could see it in the way he waved from his window at the Apostolic Palace every Sunday while praying the Angelus. You could hear it in his words: Soft but firm, challenging but loving.
His desire to be near others drove him to complete 47 apostolic missions, touching the lives of individuals all around the world. I, too, saw him once with my family. And in that brief instant, I experienced something I can only describe as divine. A holy presence that touched into my soul and stayed.
Even when a pandemic shut down the Vatican, Francis found a means to communicate with the faithful around the world. In the rain-soaked quiet of an empty Saint Peter’s Square in March 2020, he stood alone — praying for the world, blessing us through screens. In that loneliness, he felt closest.
