By Sister Ana Siufi
A friend of mine, who is not very sympathetic to the Church, wrote to me this Easter Monday, “Today we are a little more alone in our search for justice.”
Francis you have departed, but as a simple and humble Latin American man who will be remembered by many with affection and gratitude. But for others, you were undesirable as pope for being an ecclesiastic reformer and for being critical of the market system and the business of war.
I don’t have much to add to all that has been said about your life, and in any case your encyclicals will continue to proclaim the Gospel with your voice. But I want to thank you for doing your best to thaw Vatican II so that the Church can be more transparent, poor, inclusive, defender of the impoverished, indigenous, migrants …, respectful of diversity, caring for Mother Earth, less clerical, and more synodal.
Thank you for seeking a more just world and for warning us about the dehumanization and desensitization that prevent us from feeling the pain of others and acting to restore their rights to the many who have been discarded by a system that kills.
Thank you for denouncing the business of wars, the extractivism that is devastating to ecosystems, and the enduring colonialism. Thank you for building channels of dialogue and peace, and for sowing hope, although you did not see much of a harvest.
Thank you for being so Argentine: a lover of soccer, mate, tango, literature, humor, coffee chats, for walking the streets as one of us, for the devotion to Mary.
Francis, rest in love and pray for us, who are called to continue this long journey of transformation of the Church and the world with courage and compassion. I embrace you from your land of Argentina.