Since the death of Pope Francis on 21^st April, I’ve been very moved by the tributes paid to him around the world. Not only world leaders but folk on the street have been calling him ‘The People’s Pope’, and speaking so warmly about him. He’s touched the hearts of not only the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, but all kinds of people of good will.

Thinking about how we at Catholic Care might pay tribute to the late Holy Father, it struck me that he embodied all of our Charity’s six values:

Care: From the moment of his election as Bishop of Rome in 2013, Pope Francis put the disadvantaged, vulnerable, and marginalised at the heart of his ministry, regardless of their faith. He highlighted the plight of refugees, opened up a service for the homeless in the Vatican, and said that care for the poor must also extend to care for our fragile planet.

Community: Instead of living in the papal apartments of his predecessors, Pope Francis chose to live in the Casa Santa Marta, a residence for clergy and others visiting Rome. He did this so that he would be in regular contact with ‘ordinary people’, and enjoying a simpler lifestyle more in keeping with Jesus. Francis loved being with people, and it’s typical of him that his last public act was to bless the crowds gathered in Rome on Easter Sunday.

Compassion: So many of the photos of Pope Francis show that when it came to compassion, he walked the walk as well as talking the talk. He embraced people with disabilities. He kissed the feet of prisoners, the sick, and migrants. He hugged those who were mourning. He called on governments and societies to put people first, not profit or power. He emphasised mercy, and the need for reconciliation and forgiveness. During the Covid pandemic, alone in St. Peter’s Square he prayed for the whole world, and praised those who cared for the sick and dying.

Dignity: Everyone who met Francis in person speaks of how he paid attention to them, really wanting to hear what mattered to them. His care for the poor and marginalised showed that dignity is something all human beings have, simply by virtue of being human, not because of their status. He stressed that all people should live as brothers, sisters, siblings, regardless of religion or race. He said that divorced and remarried people should be cared for pastorally, not excluded from the Church.

Equality: Pope Francis began breaking down barriers within the Church. He said that LGBT+ people should be respected and protected, not judged, and approved same sex blessings. He promoted women to lead Vatican departments for the first time. He revived the ‘synodal’ process within the Church, in which everyone has a voice and people can come together to discuss important issues without fear of criticism or reprisal. He said that the world’s resources belong to everybody, not just the super-rich. He appointed cardinals from countries that had never had such recognition before.

Justice: In reforming the Holy See (the bureaucracy of the Vatican), Francis wanted more transparency and honest working practices. He put in place new systems to address the abuse crisis within the Church, giving a voice to victims. He called on world leaders to promote justice in matters such as trade, migration, and care for the environment. He denounced war as always a failure.

No one is perfect, and Pope Francis himself recognised his failings and limits, but he believed in a God who always forgives, and who always loves. Francis showed that love, as much by the way he was with people as by what he wrote and said. I sincerely miss him, but thank him for inspiring people to live the values of the Gospel. May Pope Francis rest in peace, and rise in glory.