Pope Francis was a true servant, and he restored my faith in humanity and the Catholic church in several ways.

               In 2007, I was serving First Presbyterian Church in Sandusky, Ohio, and was part of a vital and vibrant clergy ministry group. We often had 15-25 clergy members from denominations such as ELCA, Catholic, American Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, UCC, and more together, and the regional hospital extended us meeting space, snacks, and even free flu shots yearly. It was a wonderful vision of how community working together could and should be, across Christian denominations.  I loved attending the group and learning together, and I appreciated the collegiality we shared, as well as the partnership with the hospital and medical community.

               In the summer of that year, Pope Benedict gave his approval to a document restating the position of the Catholic church with regard to other Christian denominations. All other Christian churches were declared not to be true churches, because they didn’t have apostolic succession, a pope, and the full and real truth of Christ’s gospel. The Catholic priests of the 3 local parishes and the students studying towards the priesthood were open with us at the next meeting, sharing their struggle with that document. They valued highly our work together as well, not just in caring for the community, but even in worship. Now they would have to choose how to move forward. It divided and disrupted our beloved community.

               I found myself struggling as well. I had respected popes before, understanding that the Catholics handled their denomination in a more hierarchical manner than we Presbyterians do. However, Pope Benedict had already taken the Catholic church into directions I couldn’t respect and honor, while ignoring widespread sexual abuse by priests. This document was the final straw for me.

               Several years later, in 2013, Pope Benedict resigned, and it was a good decision. I watched with skepticism as the world waited for the smoke signal that shares there is a new pope.

               Pope Francis changed my heart. From the first moments out of the gate, it became instantly obvious that he intended to lead the church in a drastically different direction than Benedict did.  He refused to live in opulent luxury because it be so out of touch with the people he served. He refused to surround himself with deep protection because he wanted to be among the people as often as possible. He did for himself rather than have a lot of people serve him. He restored to the Catholic church an emphasis on compassion, love, mercy, and grace, and minimized the rule-creation and rule-following directives that sounded way too reminiscent of the Pharisees, whom Jesus had endlessly criticized as being off the mark and mission. Pope Francis led with empathy, with dynamic sermons, with inspired missives that reminded the church of its Christ-inspired mission. He lived out of Peter’s experience in Acts 10 which taught Peter that God has declared God’s word of hope and salvation to be for ALL people, not just for the ones that we believe should receive it.

               Pope Francis gradually moved the Catholic church to be more welcoming of all people, including the LGBTQ population, to be more accepting of all gifts, including the gifts of women in leadership and ministry, and to be more mindful of how to bring justice to the world. Pope Francis took on world leaders who were abusive or thoughtless of their citizens, including President Trump in both terms of office. He stood up for migrants because Jesus had been one, and he called for focus on eradicating poverty so that all people could live with the basic blessings of life that God ordained. Pope Francis was not perfect; he could have also done more on sexual abuse, and at times he trusted people too much instead of realizing that even priests will lie to get what they want. However, he moved the Catholic church in a much better direction, with much less condemnation, and much more love.

                When I heard of his death the day after Easter, I prayed the prayer I have prayed many times over for saints I love and respect: Well done, good and faithful servant. His life and ministry have truly touched this world. The example he set reminds us that wealth should never take us away from staying in deep connection with the people around us, of all stations and classes. Instead, wealth, power, and all of those advantages should be used to serve others with the positions and power we’ve been given. I was a huge fan of his moral and ethical decisions and his support of social justice. Pope Francis really seemed to stay immersed in the Gospel and live it out, and there’s nothing I respect more.

               I find myself skeptical again as the cardinals from across the world will gather to decide on their next pope. Will Pope Francis’ model and example have been a transforming time for the Catholic church, or will they revert to someone more in the line of Benedict? I will be praying that they choose someone like the man they consider to be their first pope – Simon Peter. Peter had strengths and weaknesses, and he was not afraid to own his weaknesses and mistakes. Peter found the strength and courage to step out and lead, even taking the early church into directions that were new, based on revelations straight from God (see Acts 10 & 15), and Peter stayed humble and merciful, using his power and position to serve all those around him, especially ‘the least of these’ referenced in Matthew 25. This is the path Pope Francis followed, and I’m grateful for his witness. May the Catholic church seek a humble and faithful leader as their next pope.