Editorial
The Pope didn’t Sulk or Shun
Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 22-Apr-2025
The Vatican News released a video of Pope Francis extending Easter greetings to a multitude of people at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, which was one day before his final journey to the eternal world. A close look at that video reveals that the Holy Father was not at all in his usual cheerful best. His face drooping, eyes he could barely open, hands not fully lifted while blessing the crowd, and his voice hardly audible as he pronounced his greetings to people that turned out to be his last. All of these were signs of discomfort, or even pain, which he endured.
People who watched him live from the square as well as the millions across the world through the telecast perhaps took it for granted that the unusual look on the Holy Father’s face was a sign of recuperation, having very lately returned from the hospital, where he spent a good thirty-plus days. The fact is, Pope Francis was indeed experiencing significant discomfort. Therefore, he had the option to opt out of such discomfort. But he, being a man with a heart that melts when it comes to people, didn’t sulk or shun. He decided to come out and fulfil the tradition of extending his greetings.
Pope Francis is a revolutionary in the true sense. He boldly introduced some of the most radical policies into the Catholic Church, a highly dogmatic institution where reform was often equated with noncompliance. He began by creating a new body within the Vatican to coordinate economic and administrative affairs. His first papal document was dedicated to the environment (Laudato Si), urging world leaders to hear "the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor." In a document on family life, the Holy Father urges priests to be more accepting of divorced or remarried people and welcome single parents and LGBT people, though he didn’t approve of same-sex marriage.
One other area where he never compromised was on the issue of child sexual abuse. He insisted on showing zero tolerance to the clergy involved in the crime, calling it a sin that shames us. In this regard, he even went a step further to expel Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was found guilty of sexually abusing a minor. He lowered himself to kiss the feet of warring leaders in Sudan and pleaded with them to never again engage in civil war. Within the Vatican administration, Pope Francis appointed women to key positions for the first time.
Pope Francis prioritized world peace so much that he broke all protocol by making a private visit to the Russian Embassy in the Vatican to express his concern following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which resulted in a full-scale war. Though detractors accused him of toning down his words on Israel and the Israel-Palestine conflict, he had condemned all forms of violence inflicted on the human race. The list goes on.
At times, the human in him showed signs of succumbing to the conservative pressure, particularly when the Pope reverted to the proposal to allow married men to be ordained in remote areas of the Amazon. However, instances of him standing up against the conservative lobby were very much visible when he dismissed Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, one of his fiercest critics among U.S. Catholic conservatives. Likewise, Pope Francis also punished a U.S. cardinal, Raymond Burke, by evicting him from a large Vatican apartment and revoking his salary. The Vatican court also convicted Angelo Caloia, a former head of the Vatican bank, on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, making him the highest-ranking Vatican official to be convicted of financial irregularity.
When one looks back, the Pope had indeed taken several good steps not only for the Catholic Church but for the world at large. No doubt there were disappointments. For example, in 2024, when he undertook a 12-day trip to Southeast Asian nations and Oceania, the longest in his tenure in office, Indian Catholics were heartbroken to discover that India was not part of his itinerary, nor did the Pope ever set foot on Indian soil despite the Prime Minister meeting him twice, once in 2021 and another time in 2024. However, the Catholic faithful should express their gratitude to the Government of India for announcing a two-day mourning period during which the tricolor will be flown at half-mast.
As the world bids farewell to this extraordinary human being, the Catholic Church will do well to steadfastly uphold his ideals and keep the light burning. That would comfort his departed soul as he looks down from heaven. It will be the greatest parting gift to him.
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