Read as part of CBR17 bingo: white cover
Will preface this by saying I know a lot of people have suffered religious trauma, especially at the hands of the Catholic Church. This review is not meant to convert or convince you that your pain is not real. I also know that faith is not for everyone. This is not meant to be an evangelizing post.
Despite my frustrations with the Roman Catholic Church, I had always been a fan of Pope Francis. I believed he was a man truly after God’s heart because he cared about others. I remember how excited me and my pastoral colleagues were the day he got elected, believing that he would be someone who would lead the church out of its doldrums and myopic focus on doctrine and dogma to a place of a better witness.
I’m not sure if that’s true for the institution itself, which still struggles and of which many are leaving. But you can’t say Francis didn’t do his best. From booting out money-hungry intransigent Cardinals to welcoming LGBTIA+ persons in the faith (admittedly, not far enough but still), he really did practice what he preached.
I was moved by Francis speaking on his life as he neared the end of it. He spoke more often about the people he encountered than about God, which I appreciated. He always gave credit where it was due. And he always kept a deep spirit of love and empathy for others.
The man wasn’t perfect and there are definitely some musings I could have lived without, especially his view on women having children. Nevertheless, this is a guy who kept his focus on where it needed to be and the church is better for it. May he rest in peace.