Pope Francis: Pastor, peace maker, environmentalist, reformer

____________________

OPINION

By Fr Fred Jenga

The world woke up to the sad early morning news of the death of Pope Francis. Just the day before on Easter Sunday, he addressed the crowd in St Peter’s Square and imparted his apostolic blessing, in all senses bidding his farewell to the world.

Saint Paul (1 Thessalonians 4:13) taught us that concerning those who have passed away, “do not mourn like those who have no hope” – in other words, those who don’t believe in the resurrection. Let us pray that God gives Pope Francis peaceful rest. 

As a country, Uganda enjoyed a special place in the heart of Pope Francis. It was one of the very first countries in sub-Saharan Africa that he visited. Many Ugandans and people in neighbouring countries got to see him up close in 2015. I was invited as one of the writers for the official magazine that marked his visit. I wrote about Pope Francis’ “Ugandan speaking style”, where he employed earthy, ordinary images or expressions, similar to those used by ordinary Ugandans. For instance, he framed the Church as a “field hospital after battle”, and he exhorted us priests to be “shepherds who smell like their sheep.”

For a Ugandan audience that had known war and had different pastoralist communities, the images struck a chord. His folksy style belonged to what St Augustine termed as the “sermo humilis” or the “low style” that is simple as contrasted to the “high style” used in contexts such as palaces or parliaments. 

Pope Francis was a media attraction, giving many off-the-cuff interviews to many journalists. He preferred to “speak from the heart,” many times abandoning notes prepared by his handlers. The approach created challenges as his remarks were scrutinised by journalists and theologians in light of long-held theological positions of the Church. Clarification after clarifications had to be made after his remarks by the Vatican media team. Underneath Francis’ approach, however, was simply a desire to speak like a regular shepherd.

Years back, I wrote a conference paper - “Framing Pope”- that explored what major US American newspapers such as The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal chose to highlight about Pope Francis. My analysis of the news articles brought to the fore the themes of the Environment, Global Conflicts, Violence, Peace, Solidarity, and Reform. On the environment, he addressed global warming, urging countries and all people of goodwill to take care of “our common home.”

He addressed the global conflicts of Israel-Palestine, the DRC, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the US-Cuba, and invited leaders and groups on different sides of the conflicts to engage and talk to each other. He condemned all forms of violence done in the name of religion, politics or the pursuit of wealth. He particularly addressed terrorism, the mafia, genocide, economic exclusion and oppression of people on the margins of society. He was a great advocate for solidarity with refugees, immigrants, the poor, women and children.

More spectacularly in the media world, Pope Francis was known for his push for reforms in the way the Church operated. He called for a humble style of leadership and pushed for greater accountability and transparency in Church institutions such as the Vatican Bank. All the above left us with a Pope who was a Pastor, an Environmentalist, a Global Peace Maker, A Reformer, and an Advocate of Global Solidarity.

Proud of our Latin heritage, we Catholics say, “Requiescat in Pace”- Rest in Peace, Pope Francis!

The writer is a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross