So, uh, Pope Francis kicked the bucket right after a chit-chat with US Veep JD Vance. Yeah, JD Vance. Could this be a bad omen, or just the universe having a laugh? Meanwhile, our favorite Republican rep, Marjorie Taylor Greene, did her usual thing and kinda cheered the Pope’s demise as some holy triumph over “evil.” Some people’s timelines, huh?
Now, don’t let those clashes with the Trump folks fool ya – Francis wasn’t a total liberal hero. Sure, he didn’t go all judgy-wudgy on the LGBTQ+ folks, but he also wasn’t down with Germany’s progressive vibes, which kinda disappointed all those who thought he might be some savior of the liberal faith.
Speaking of disappointment, let’s chat about Ukraine. Francis babbled something about “Nato barking” which made it sound like he was cozying up to Russia, or at least not totally hating them. Still, he wasn’t a complete cold-hearted dude; I mean, he was all about helping with this sweet Cardinal Zuppi guy, trying to deal with that whole mess about Russia nabbing Ukrainian kids. But really, blaming Nato? Suggesting Ukraine just give up? That didn’t sit well with many.
Francis was a South-American loudspeaker. Latin America’s first pope, sticking it to those US policies, often with this weird sympathy for Russia. And yeah, his take on consumerism and globalization wasn’t exactly a love letter to Wall Street.
Let’s switch gears to the Middle East—Francis was all in for human rights, especially in Gaza. He called the sole Catholic parish there every night, even when he was feeling crappy. Talk about dedication, right?
But wait, there’s more! Francis wasn’t just a chatty Cathy; he was the bridge-builder between faiths, rebounding relations with Muslims muddled by the pope before him. Whether hanging in the Gulf or chatting with Iraq’s big-shot Shia leader, Francis was all about those kumbaya moments.
Even more, the dude was a climate change warrior – remember his 2015 letter “Laudato Si’”? This was him shouting from the papal rooftop about climate and justice. Covid-19? He addressed the world from a creeptastically empty St Peter’s Square. As a son of migrants himself, Lampedusa’s tragic migrant stories hit him where it hurt, and he wasn’t shy to call out Fortress Europe and Trump’s deportation games. Seriously, he gave Vance a theological slap for twisting Catholic principles into excuses for dodgy migration policies.
He was upfront with the issues, keeping it real both in the Global North’s hypocrisy and Global South’s shortcomings. He stayed true to that Bandung vibe—standing by peeps’ rights and unity, which today seems as rare as a unicorn sighting.
And uh, when the cardinals get together to pick out the next head honcho of the Catholic squad, fingers crossed big changes stick. The next pope might just keep flying Francis’s banner; the world could do with another unapologetically real voice like his right now. So, here’s to hoping the spirit of Francis and his no-nonsense solidarity vibe lives on, because, heaven knows, we need it.
