Pope Francis, voice of sanity and humility

He has been ailing for some time. He was in hospital for nearly two months because of an attack of double pneumonia. Though the doctors had advised bedrest for two months, Pope Francis would not rest. He spoke out against the violence against civilians in Gaza even till the last.

It is this willingness to speak out against violence anywhere, and plead for peace and harmony everywhere is what has endeared him to people across the world, beyond his own flock of Roman Catholics spread across continents.

People respected the man of conscience. His courage came from his inner resources. He apologised and sought forgiveness from people who had been hurt and victimised by the Roman Catholic Church. He apologised to the First People in Canada because the Roman Catholic Church had abducted their children and brought them up away from their families.

And when he apologised, he did it with humility and in full view of the world. It is not surprising that leaders from all over the world, people from different ideologies and faiths, are mourning the death of the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has been called a radical for the progressive decisions he took to clean up the cobwebs that had accumulated in the Church. There was opposition from the conservative quarters from within the church. But he went about his job with intense faith that the corrections have to be made, forgiveness sought and penance done.

It was because he was not willing to overlook the problems of omission and commission within the Church, that he had won the respect of political leaders across the world. Of course, he could not stop the wars, nor provide economic support for the poor in the world. But the fact that he spoke for the poor in the world was a great solace to the suffering millions. It was indeed a moral voice in the wilderness, but it has not gone unheeded. There was a sense of shame among the political leaders.

The more important thing that Pope Francis had done as the head of the Roman Catholic Church was his openness to other religions. Earlier popes had tried to reconcile the many sects of Christianity. But Pope Francis was the one who reached out to Muslims, Buddhists. He was the first Pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula when was in the UAE in 2019 for three days, and he had a private meeting with the Muslim Council of Elders. He had also signed a joint statement about inter-religious fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al Tayyeb.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, paying tributes to Pope Francis, said, “He worked with the UAE for years to promote these values for the benefit of humanity.” Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said on X, “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis @Pontifex, a great leader whose compassion and commitment to peace touched countless lives.”

It was through the sheer personal force of his moral courage that Pope Francis commanded the respect and affection of people in so many countries, and he did it through disarming simplicity and sense of piety.

He did not ever forget that his calling is that of a humble priest risen to the highest office in the Roman Catholic Church. It was through his humility that he won hearts and minds among people of all nationalities and all faiths.