Follow the example of Pope Francis

Mike Matvey, editor of The Evangelist

After I had found out that Pope Francis had died in the early morning hours of April 21, I knew that we would have a lot of work to do for that week’s section of The Evangelist. Along with designer, Brenda Powell, we got rid of pages that we had edited and designed the previous week and put together a tribute section for “Papa Francesco.”

I had gotten texts from various people saying how shocked  and heartbroken they were — after all, he had just given his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) the day before — that the pope had passed. I didn’t have that immediate reaction probably due to the amount of work that lay ahead.

But as I began to read the stories from OSV News and other sources that we would put in the paper, I started to become emotional. To be honest, I never really had an emotional attachment to a pope before other than the fact that he was the leader of the Church. I vividly remember my grand­mother, we called her “Baba,” beaming with joy after St. John Paul II was named pope, becoming the first non-Italian pope since the 16th century. She was just one generation removed from the old country, in her case Slovakia, which was just a stone’s throw away from Poland, the homeland of Karol Wojtyla, the new pope.

I think I became emotional for a different reason. I thought to myself, you know, we may never see another pope like this. I know that sounds like hyperbole and is always an easy thing to say when people die. Regardless of all of our faults and broken promises, when we pass to the next life, the people remaining rarely are going to say, “Boy, Mike was a real pain.” (Ok, I must admit some people may say that when I die!) 

I am not an expert in church history or canon law, but I believe that Pope Francis was groundbreaking for his constant insistence that we walk with the other, be it the migrant or the poor and downtrodden. That we should get out and “make a mess” as he told young men and women at World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013. 

I love his quote also in the same year when he was talking to priests and said that pastors should be “shepherds with the smell of sheep.” That they should essentially get out and bring Jesus Christ to the marginalized. He asked all Catholics to do the same in “Evangelii Gaudium,” and be constant missionary disciples.

And that we should set aside worldly, material things and care for this earth (‘Laudato Si’) — it’s the only one we got! — and walk with all of our brothers and sisters (“Fratelli Tutti”). And isn’t that what Jesus, who walked with sinners, lepers, the poor and those suffering — not the money changers or powerful — and treated them as equals, has always asked us to do.

His unwavering support for immigrants — this is truly one of the most pressing problems in the world today — up until his dying days put him in conflict with many governments, including our own. He has been called naive and ill-informed by some when it comes to immigration in this country. But for a pope who was such a proponent of God’s mercy, how could he not seek it out for the least among us?

Was he perfect? Of course not. Did he handle the clergy abuse scandal with enough urgency? Did he hold bishops really accountable for how they handled allegations? You can argue that he didn’t. Did he sometimes say things that he regretted? Sure.

But I thank him for being a constant beacon of grace and mercy for us sinners as we struggle to live out Christ’s mission in the world today.

And as he first asked for our prayers when he became pope in 2013, let us continue to pray for Pope Francis as we try to emulate him and bring just a little bit of God’s grace and mercy to those in our everyday lives, especially those on the margins.