With the passing of Pope Francis, I feel sadness but also gratitude for what he contributed not only to the Church but also to humanity more widely. They are gifts of peace, simplicity, and solidarity with the poor.
Peace
Pope Francis was a proponent of peace, often working to encourage it both in world events and between individuals. In his message for the 2025 World Day of Peace, he spoke of the need for “disarming” our hearts. We can sometimes be defensive and build up ways to protect ourselves such that we do not do what is needed to achieve peace. If I feel afraid of what you might do to me and react defensively to feel safe, then the chance for peace is lessened. But if I can disarm my heart, and the other person can as well, then we can connect in a shared sense of vulnerability, a shared sense that we are all human and all in need of a little generosity.
Perhaps this concept hearkens back to St. Ignatius’s action of laying down his sword at Manresa, as he put away the life of a soldier and took up a life of study and service. Ignatius gave away the weapon that protected him and led a life more dependent on others. Francis asked us to disarm ourselves from hostility, fear, and self-centeredness as a path to peace.
Simplicity
Pope Francis practiced intentional simplicity. We might remember when he first became pope and refused the more elaborate mozetta, or embroidered stole, and instead chose to wear a simple white cassock to greet the faithful at St. Peter’s for the first time. He insisted on carrying his own luggage and riding the bus with all his brethren cardinals rather than receiving special treatment after his election.
At his funeral, he was not placed in a traditional three-coffin arrangement but in a simple open coffin, as he had requested. He chose to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, near a favorite icon of the Madonna. His wish reflected his attitude of simplicity throughout his papacy, one that we are invited to share, whether we resist consumerism to care for the planet or just resist making ourselves the center of attention. From beginning to end, Francis’s papacy reflected the idea of the Principle and Foundation not to care too much about honor or dishonor, but to place God at the center.
Solidarity
Pope Francis also reminded us that Jesus stood in solidarity with those who are poor and marginalized, and we should too. Both early in his papacy and in his last days, Francis visited prisons and consoled those living in war zones. He urged us to care for the poor and to stand with them, not forgetting their needs in developing policies. With Laudato Si’, he reminded us that the earth is our “common home” and that it, too—indeed all living things—needs our solidarity.
As we await the election of a new pope, I am grateful for the ways that Pope Francis modeled peacefulness, simplicity, and solidarity for us all.
