Tribute to Pope Francis: 'His papacy was joyful, irreverent and fallible'
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The first pontiff from Latin America, his papacy was joyful, irreverent and fallible. Fully human, and a passionate proponent of peace and social justice, Pope Francis was a pope like no other. Words by Mary Creagh
As an imperfect Catholic, I was shocked but not surprised by Pope Francis’ death. Shocked because he had already been so close to death in February, and yet he summoned the strength to live on – for one final Easter Sunday, one final blessing, one final tour of St Peter’s Square, to die on Easter Monday.
What a death! What a life!
The first pope from Latin America, formed in the dictatorship of the Argentinian generals and moulded by liberation theology, his was a papacy that was joyful, irreverent and fallible. He was fully human. He loved people and was even more beloved because of that.
Pope Francis’ simple coffin at his funeral last month was another example of the profound change in direction the Catholic church took during his 12 years as its spiritual leader. So was his final resting place. Not for him a monumental tomb in the vastness of St Peter’s. Instead, he chose a simple spot bearing only his chosen name “Franciscus”, in the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a church right next to Rome’s central train station, Termini, where generations of immigrants have arrived seeking sanctuary. His coffin was welcomed there by ex-prisoners, trans and homeless people.
He loved people and was even more beloved because of that
Francis began his papacy by appointing a council of women economists, including former Labour cabinet minister Ruth Kelly, to delve into the dusty corners of the Vatican finances. He created pathways for women to lead and be heard in the church that had been denied them for 2,000 years. He welcomed the LGBTQ+ community. He apologised for the church’s sexual abuse scandal and brought in changes to ensure such allegations would be professionally dealt with.
He halted and reversed the changes his predecessor Pope Benedict had brought in, attempting to go back to the traditional Latin mass. Pope Francis understood that the Latin mass was a way of particularly excluding the poor and newer Catholic communities – and that priests who literally turn their backs on congregations were likely to find their worshippers doing the same. He enraged the conservatives in the church, yet even those whom he infuriated knew that he was good, and good for Catholicism.
Pope Francis also took his namesake’s commitment to nature seriously. His landmark encyclical, Laudato Si’ (‘Praise Be to You’), published in 2015, called for urgent action to protect the Earth, our only home. He insisted that we must listen and respond to “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor”. He understood that the poor are always the first to suffer the terrible effects of any food or water shortage, any mudslide, flood, plague or hurricane. He channelled a moment of optimism, ahead of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, where the world came together to agree the need for ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
That same year, the UN developed a new set of sustainable development goals, which applied to everyone, in every country. He brought a moral lens to the work of politicians through his emphasis on the interconnectedness of all living beings.
But 2015 also saw the war in Syria, the war in South Sudan. Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis was a passionate proponent of peace. He consistently urged leaders to pursue dialogue over conflict. The incredible photograph of him kissing the feet of South Sudanese leaders to end the violence, which has blighted the newest nation on earth, is as shockingly iconoclastic, as it is moving.
His faith was all about showing not telling. He preached the gospel of Jesus, of humility, mercy and charity. He stated that God was to be found in a dew drop, a leaf, a mountain path. As the church meets to appoint his successor, we hope for a person who will build on the legacy of pope of the marginalised, the people’s pope. May he rest in peace.
Mary Creagh is Labour MP for Coventry East
