There are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world—many of whom are mourning the recent death of Pope Francis. I am not a Catholic, but I am also saddened by the Pope’s death. Why? Because he was a world leader who cared and spoke about the important issues of migration, poverty, environmental concerns and treating each other with respect.
I am not a Catholic, but I admire this world leader. I am also challenged by him; for example: two months ago, Pope Francis was in a hospital for five weeks and while in the hospital he observed that the church should be more like a hospital:
Pope Francis
“Hospitals walls have heard more honest prayers than churches…
They have witnessed far more sincere kisses than at airports…
It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor…
A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar…
In intensive care, you see a Jew taking care of a racist…
A police officer and a prisoner in the same room receiving the same care…
A wealthy patient waiting for a liver transplant, ready to receive the organ from a poor donor…”
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all churches were like this hospital?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our lives outside the hospital and back in our neighborhoods were characterized by being kind to everyone and caring for one another—places where differences didn’t divide us but enhanced our lives?
I am not a Roman Catholic*, but I am a catholic, a part of the universal and sacred community of believers in Jesus Christ. Pope Francis and I belong to the same sacred community. Thank you, Pope Francis, for being an inspiration and for being my teacher.
*Note: When the word “Catholic” has a capital “C” it refers to the Roman Catholic church. When the word “catholic” has a small “c” it refers to the church universal.
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