A Tribute: Pope Francis

When Pope Francis first became pope in 2013, his first message to the Universal Church was a request: “pray for me.” It was a moment that showed the world who Pope Francis was, and what the heart of his papacy would be focused on – a papacy marked by humility, mercy, and service to the poor.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis is the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to become the Pope. Before entering seminary, he worked as a janitor and a chemist, lived through intense political turmoil in his home country, and eventually became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He was known for riding the bus (and avoiding the chauffeur), while maintaining simple and austere living quarters. He also became a frequent visitor of the poorest neighborhoods in Argentina. People quickly realized that he had a heart for the poor.

In looking back on his life and his leadership, he lived out the motto of his papacy faithfully: Miserando atque eligendo (Latin for “by having mercy and by choosing”). That was his motto, and that’s what he lived.

From his earliest days as pope, Francis tended to return to one message more than any other: Godnever tires of showing us mercy. It’s only us who tire of asking for it. This was clear when, in 2016, he declared an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, inviting the whole world to experience the profound mercy of God in their lives. He would go on to declare 2025 as an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, as well. Pope Francis desired strongly for his flock to experience God’s abundant mercy.

Pope Francis didn’t just speak talk the talk though, he walked the walk of mercy. Just weeks after his election as Pope, on Holy Thursday night, Pope Francis decided to wash the feet of prisoners—which included men, women, Christians, and Muslims—in a powerful gesture of humility towards our neighbor, regardless of their gender, status, or religion. It’s worth pointing out that, in the Gospels, Jesus instructs us, too, to love our neighbor – regardless of their state in life. Pope Francis lived this.

In the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, where our communities know hardship all too well, Pope Francis’s constant invitation to receive God’s mercy was a reminder that God never abandons us, and He is always ready to give us as much mercy and love as we’re capable of receiving. We have only to ask.

Of course, Pope Francis also encouraged us to spread that mercy as well.
The Gospel demands that we care for the least among us – the impoverished, the vulnerable, and the forgotten, and Pope Francis lived that out too. Early in his pontificate, he visited the Italian island of Lampedusa to mourn the loss migrants who drowned at sea in their attempt to flee from their home country so they could live a better life. It saddened him that the world had forgotten them and that they had no one to grieve their loss from the world. He condemned the “globalization of indifference,” an admonishment that encourages us all to be present to those who surround us on a daily basis.

In his first encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis called on Catholics to rediscover the joy of knowing Jesus and to share that joy with others. He encouraged us to resist the tendency to become joyless rule keeper, and instead, invited all in the Church to become transformed by the personal love of Jesus Christ with us, and to share that joy with others. 

Pope Francis’ papacy showed us that God never tires of giving us his mercy, that we should care for the poor, the impoverished, and the vulnerable, and that no one ever walks alone.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may he rest in peace.