I have been watching some videos shared with me about Pope Francis's funeral where a huge gathering of cardinals, nuns, and dignitaries (And Donald, who had to remind everyone that in his opinion he “Won The Catholic Vote” while missing the whole Black Suit thing)said their goodbye's to the Holy Father. More and more beautiful stories about the Pontiff came out: His interactions with nuns, his washing the feet of prisoners, his love of animals and nature, what was in his reading room, etc. It also was no surprise that there was some criticism from both liberal and conservative sides unhappy either way with him doing not enough or too much. It seems even in death, everyone still has an opinion.
I am not a Pope, nor am I in any ways up for sainthood. When I die, there will be no period of official mourning, no holy water, no blessings, no incense. Some people may even be happy I am no longer around..I get that. There was some talk that Francis wanted to be buried with a simple unmarked gravestone as a humble “Servant of Christ”. Francis was humble enough to eschew many of the trappings and luxury of the Papal Residence. While I wouldn't forgo a gravestone marking, there is some attraction to the idea of simply being cremated or buried in a no thrills site. I am, after all, just a normal human being and not a Pontiff.
I am drawn to things that Pope Francis consistently did that we as a society seem to forget. They seem so simple and yet so revolutionary:
Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners and hugged and blessed them, laying hands on them and treating them with great dignity. Unlike most prison volunteers, he didn't come in trying to evangelize them, make them “less sinful”, or tell them they were going to Hell if they didn't repent.
When asked about LGBTQ people, he didn't play into the politics and said “Who am I to judge?”, calling for the Church to treat Queer folks as full persons before God. In the prison chapel, most of the gay men I knew or trans inmates wouldn't come to services for fear of being told they were engaging in sin and evil. My Bible study group was so uncomfortable my closeted gay friend never came back.
The Pope called out injustice, even to powerful leaders themselves. To some extent this was a protected act because nobody is going to lock up the Pope for having an unpopular opinion. Try that as a college professor and see when they knock on your door!
Francis was one of the only big faith leaders to talk openly about ending Solitary Confinement and Life Sentences. In the opposite corner, Evangelical leaders have been more vocal about supporting new prisoners (Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a noted Evangelical and tied to Mike Huckabee has pushed for building megaprisons in her state).
Francis talked about the need for economies to consider and benefit poor and working class people. Nobody called him a Socialist, interestingly enough. If I did, I'd be told I was. Francis simply noted the Gospel idea of economics doesn't look much like our Capitalism nor the atheistic Communism of North Korea or Cuba.
As I consider my own faith, my own actions, and my own courage I am encouraged by what Pope Francis taught me: People will criticize you no matter what you do. This is the nature of who we are as a culture. We have taught ourselves and our children to criticize and point fingers at anyone who we deem as deviating from our idea of proper values, culture, etc. What matters more is who you are NOW, and what you wish to do moving forward. I don't need your praise, I don't care much for your criticism and backbiting, and I'm not here to prove anything that I haven't already proven. The other day I had to deal with an internet troll who seemed to think couching his nasty epithet as a question was going to get a response. Instead I simply blocked him. I've never had to do that before this, but maybe you deal with this regularly because you refuse to censor yourself, or your past is used against you, or you speak up against fascism, or you simply are living your truth as a member of a marginalized community and that pisses off someone. But that? That's the world we live in. A world where sadly your political opinion, your past life, and your race or gender identity are all fair game for hatred.
But what do I NEED?
What I need is what the Pope asked of the world to model to each other-Dignity, Respect, Hope, Love, Faithfulness, Trust, and Community. In a culture that seems to gloat at tearing apart those who we deem to be morally deficient by our own standards, Pope Francis's legacy stands to tell us to take the logs out of our eyes so we can see with the eyes of love.