Rector’s Note: Between Easter and Earth Day-4.24.25

Pope Francis slipped away from us this week between Easter and Earth Day at a most ironic and bewildering moment.

He died as social goods are being actively dismantled; as vulnerable people are losing human rights and legal protections in alarming ways and rates; as work to stave off the worst effects of climate change is being dismantled, as wars rage. These things are not new of course, they were waiting for him when he assumed his pontificate 12 years ago, and he preached and wrote about all of them extensively during that time.

To have had such a gentle, consistent, courageous, outspoken and merciful world leader during this last decade has been a tremendous gift to all people. And for that reason, people of all faith traditions looked to him for an example and mourn his passing now. I think of him washing and kissing the feet of homeless people. Of bringing 12 Muslim refugees from Syria to live in the Vatican residence. Of saying "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?" when asked by reporters about whether there was a “gay lobby” in the Vatican.

As a former Catholic who left the church not long before Francis became pope, I have watched him from somewhat of a remove. I have loved his many examples of love and justice, and have also been deeply saddened by pernicious views such as his condemnation of women’s ordination and his resistance to blessing LGBTQ people fully in their rights and expressions.

Pope Francis was not perfect, though I would not argue against his beatification. His death leaves me a bit disoriented, not unlike Jesus’ followers as they eased into the reality of Easter week without Jesus among them as he had been before. It took a long time for his followers to get their heads and hearts around the resurrected Jesus. It will take some time to get used to a resurrected Francis, who has risen with Christ this week and who has taken his place among the saints in light.

And just as the early church turned to stories of Jesus’ life and a profound memory of his Word, we have the same things at hand for us when it comes to Francis. The internet makes this easier for us in fact, as his example and teaching is a keystroke away. I plan to spend some time reading and reflecting on three of his writings, in particular, as they have so much to say to this moment. I encourage you to do the same. Perhaps we can discuss them together.

The first is the pope’s Easter Message from this past Sunday, Urbi et Orbi. “Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day,” Francis wrote in a sermon that he was too weak to deliver himself. In it he prays for an end to the world’s many conflicts, especially in the Holy Land, calling for the warring parties to enact “a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people.” His last sermon to the world is worth deep reflection this Easter week.

The second is his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, which had a profound effect upon people’s understanding of the earth, our call to protect it and to foster dialogue and common cause in addressing climate change. “I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet,” Francis wrote. “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.” Given that we celebrated Earth Day this past Tuesday, it is a propitious time to return to his Word on our responsibility for the planet.

The third of his writings that I would like to spend more time with is his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship. In this papal letter, written in the near aftermath of the COVID pandemic, Francis called for a return to a community where the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility would certainly find a home. In it, he addresses war, greed, violent rhetoric, racism, immigration, and “shameless aggression.” Less than five years later, his words continue to speak to a moment that has changed little from then to now. His words ring in my ears and jump off the page.

“It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women… [6] Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.” (Fratelli Tutti, 8)

At the end of this inspired reflection, Francis leaves us with a prayer that is worth repeating throughout these great 50 days of Easter.

A Prayer to the Creator

Lord, Father of our human family,

you created all human beings equal in dignity:

pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice and peace.

Move us to create healthier societies

and a more dignified world,

a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war.

May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth.

May we recognize the goodness and beauty

that you have sown in each of us,

and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects,

and shared dreams.

Amen and Amen.