The teachings and example of Francis will endure
A Pope never leaves
Monday, May 5, 2025
*Jose Antonio Varela Vidal
While Pope Francis has passed away, his brilliance will not fade; this is what his fellow compatriot, singer Palito Ortega, called "A New Light" in a beautiful song dedicated to him at the beginning of his pontificate twelve years ago.
A Pope dies but he never leaves. He remains in his writings, in his actions, in his policies and reforms; in his trips and visits, which are immortalized in squares, streets, and healthcare centers, while leaving an indelible mark on all the information highways: social media, websites, and audiovisual platforms.
Even if we feel like the disciples of Emmaus, deeply saddened and yearning to recover what was lost, we must be certain that a Pope—and someone of Francis's stature—will continue to accompany us on the journey, not only with his intercession, but also in a remarkable and contemporary way with his teachings.
Prescient teaching
He not only explained the Scriptures to us—his hundreds of homilies are there to delve deeper into—he also taught us to be brothers and sisters to all, to touch the flesh of Christ in the poor, to ignite the fire in our hearts. And he even took time to warn us about the ethics of artificial intelligence and the prudent use of social media and cell phones.
Add to this is his firm stance against pedophilia among the clergy, as well as his commitment to a dignified life for the elderly and the necessary attention to young people, whom he mobilized by asking them, in his words, to “speak up!”
It was he who, a decade earlier, invested with the authority of one who serves and wearing his sober white robes of peace, warned the world that if nothing concrete was done, the sea would become a "graveyard for migrants." Just look at it... Also at that time, he sounded the alarm against the depredation of the Amazon and charged us to be "custodians of creation."
Along with this, he called for an end to a "third world war" that was bleeding the different regions of the world to death piecemeal... just as we are now suffering. His calls for peace didn’t stop, nor did his conviction that "every war is a failure."
Brave and rebellious
Since he decisively took the helm of the Boat of Peter on March 19, 2013, he predicted that the only way to reverse bad or outdated outcomes would be with the "Joy of the Gospel" and "universal brotherhood," the two lungs through which his pontificate breathed, while his own were wearing out...
In recent years, he led the Church in a wheelchair—due to a knee condition—but he continued traveling to countries, receiving visitors, and signing new decrees to reform the Vatican—including the necessary financial cleanup—all the while enduring the pain inflicted by his critics, even at home. Because, as he said, "you don't govern with your knees," he continued appointing more women to assist him, catechizing every Wednesday, tweeting every day, while also giving insightful journalistic interviews to outlets with huge audiences and many readers.
It was also he who, in this last decade, "made a stir" with his renowned encyclicals and apostolic exhortations along with other writings. Among these was the long-awaited apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, which has already almost completely reformed the Vatican Curia.
His letters are moving on the protection of minors, on Saint Joseph, the one explaining the meaning of "Bethlehem," and the one incorporating the "Offering of Life" as a new path towards the cause of canonization.
At the same time, he also got it right in writings on divine mercy, the mercy that shortens and facilitates the process of marriage annulment. There is also the apostolic letter Desiderio desideravi on the necessary liturgical formation of the People of God.
In addition, he published very pertinent guidelines for creating the ministry of catechist and granting of lectorate and acolyte roles to women.
The mark, the legacy
The entire world appreciates how over the past twelve years he asked Catholics to be more merciful than just, more fraternal than impenetrable, even with those who "don't pass through the door."
He also left us his very personal and motivating words, words that are already part of a Bergoglian dictionary, with which he insisted on a single message, addressed to every Christian: that we stop "watching from the balcony" and always "put ourselves first."
He didn't want us to be "backward looking" or lazy, but rather to "go out" to evangelize until "the sole of our shoe wears out."
The Pope departed after celebrating Easter with his people and giving the Urbi et Orbi blessing while they read for him—since he was already short of breath—a message of hope for the Holy Jubilee Year, which he had convened with great enthusiasm and wisdom. In other words, he died with his cassock on.
