Thoughts on Pope Francis

Pope Francis died early Monday morning, Rome, Italy time. It was surprising news following his Vatican balcony appearance to bless the crowd, the “popemobile” ride around St. Peter’s Square, and his Easter audience with Vice President J.D. Vance. In the photos of these events, Francis looked like death warmed over, which in a few hours proved to be the case.

The pope has been unrecognizable since last year, especially in photos published at the start of his long hospitalization. Having had some firsthand experience seeing up close the slow yet unrelenting progress of a death march, I realized the pope would most likely be gone by summer. So, I certainly was not shocked at the news of his passing.

However, I’m not sad. First of all, the man was very sick and probably suffering. It was time for him to go. Secondly, I haven’t been a fan of Pope Francis for many years. This is unfortunate, as I am a practicing Catholic. But, as my mother might have said, “I just can’t take to the man.”

His papacy seemed promising in the beginning. Francis started off with a humble approach to the papacy. He moved into a modest apartment rather than the lavish Vatican rooms. He wore a simple iron cross and a silver Fisherman’s ring instead of the usual golden accessories. For everyday wear, he appeared in only the pope’s white cassock, not in the additional embroidered robes of past popes. There were no frills, nothing fancy from the start. So far, so good.

Then he opened his mouth and, in my humble opinion, inserted his plainly-shod foot. “Who am I to judge?” was his response to reporters asking about a priest's sexual orientation, igniting a wildfire of speculation that he would “normalize” LGBTQ+ relationships--a doctrinal challenge, to be sure. “All religions are paths to God,” he declared in non-Christian Singapore where he, as Christ’s most visible and prominent representative on Earth, flubbed a perfect opportunity to proclaim Jesus. That would’ve been the only answer a responsible pontiff could provide.

Francis was highly critical of capitalism and the USA. I got tired of his frequent harangues chiding us against building a wall and admonishing us to welcome illegal immigration. As “Border Czar” Tom Homan (a Catholic) pointed out, the Vatican has a wall. Homan added that the pope should “fix the Catholic Church” and let him fix the border. (Go, Tom!)

Pope Francis did some good work. I liked his ministry to prisoners and his attention to the poor. I admired his dedication to his ministry and his determination to work until his painful end. But his politics were too far left for me. Politics is not the pope’s job; saving souls is.

I remember being sad when St. John Paul II died, and I was upset when Pope Benedict XVI resigned. With the passing of Pope Francis, I’m mostly relieved. I’m relieved that his suffering is over, and also that the confusion he sowed within the Church may now be resolved. His successor will need a steady, clean-up attitude--and a lot of courage.

 

The silver Fisherman's ring and iron cross of Pope Francis.

Easter Morning

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ | Last scene in the 2004 Mel Gibson film,

The Passion Of The Christ 

Good Family

Elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park moved to protect

their youngsters during the April 14 earthquake.

History Rhyming

What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun.

~ Ecclesiastes 1:9

I recently finished reading The Black Death: A Personal History by John Hatcher. It was a fictionalized depiction of events in an English town during the plague of the late 1340s. 

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and the Black Death has always held a morbid fascination for me. So, when Hatcher's book popped up in my weekly BookBub offerings, I couldn't resist downloading it.

The book's format was both creative and informative. Hatcher researched an English town that kept good records and wove his story from that foundation. The chapters are written as though by a contemporary narrator, with the town's pastor serving as the main character around whom the panic and trauma of the time swirls. 

The descriptions of the townspeople isolating themselves from their neighbors and being fearful of social interactions reminded me exactly of how people behaved during the Covid lockdowns. 

In the aftermath of the Black Death, the social and economic structures changed. Prior to the plague, farmers who lived on the manors were subservient to the ruling lords and accepted small payments for working the land. Afterwards, with so many dead in the villages, the farmers knew they could charge more money, and the lords had no choice but to pay if they didn't want their large harvests to go to waste. In addition, the peasant classes were trying hard to maintain their own farms and gardens; they were not inclined to prioritize the manor in these circumstances. 

Many of the farmers now enjoying a larger payday languished in the taverns rather than do more work. In response to the pleas of his desperate ruling class, the king issued an edict ordering the farmers to work the lands of what was often called "their betters."

This rapid social change put me in mind of our modern-day vaccine mandates, remote work schedules, dampened work ethic, and companies demanding that employees return to the office.

The Black Death: A Personal History was a sage reminder that times and circumstances do change, but human nature does not.