By Stanislaus Alla
New Delhi, Dec 17, 2024: Pope Francis turns 88 on December 17. He is one of the oldest reigning popes ever.
Turning the wheel-chair into the ‘cathedra,’ he continues to lead and guide, exhort and animate, visit and travel, pray and bless, shock and surprise the faithful and the larger world.
History will eventually evaluate him and his papacy but today let us remember him for what he has been, what he has done and what gifts he has brought and continues to bring to the world.
Most popes bring the themes of faith and joy, love and life, justice and truth into their ministry. While Pope Francis reflected on all of these and more, arguably, he will be remembered as a pope of mercy! Mercy has been his lifeline, his signature mark!
With joy and gratitude, across the world we all remember you,
for your life and for your faith,
for your leadership and for the blessings that you impart
You have been a man of freedom and courage, of compassion and justice, of truth and mercy.
You sought prayers and blessings from the balcony before you greeted and blessed the people
You embraced the poor and the disfigured, the children and elderly, and shared meal with the Rome’s homeless
You reminded us all, in your visits and homilies, of the poor and the migrants, of the marginalized and the discriminated
You challenged the world leaders to reach out, to build bridges and care for our common home
You thundered that all are defeated in the wars and appealed for dialogue and for peace
You greeted and invited the world’s religious leaders to promote harmony and wellbeing of all
You instituted World Day of the Poor, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
International Day of Human fraternity, World Day of Children and others
You visited the little flocks, blessed the lesser-known places and picked several cardinals from the peripheries
You challenged the clergy and the religious, especially the ecclesial leaders, to have the ‘smell of the sheep’ and to take care of all, like the way the injured are attended to at a ‘field hospital’
You convened several synods on diverse themes, and, finally, on the way having synod itself, where listening, sharing, learning and discerning take central place
You have initiated several complex ‘processes,’ than merely fill-up the ‘spaces’ so that the good works initiated can get momentum
Dear Pope Francis
May your life and ministry continue to be a blessing for all!
(Jesuit Father Stanislaus Alla teaches Moral Theology at Vidyajyoti College of Theology in Delhi.)