I am a Protestant/UCCP. So most of my immediate friends on social media are members of the ecumenical community largely composed of Protestants, here and elsewhere.
As a theologian, I also do not frequently follow Roman Catholic news as much as I want to, or much as my profession requires me to. But the news of the passing of Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, easily flooded my Facebook wall, coming from almost everyone in my social media community, almost immediately after the news broke out, and even a day after it was announced, expressing a collective and universal acute sense of loss and profound sadness, at the same time, a shared great admiration and deep respect for a religious leader whom they have not met in person but whose testament and witness reverberated and impressed upon their lives.
This universal demonstration of outpouring of emotions and sentiments only tells me that Pope Francis transcends religious and denominational boundaries. He is not only the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. To many, including non-Christians, he is a global spiritual leader.
I do not believe this is only because of the stature of his office nor to the place of Vatican in the current world order.
More than anything else, this is because Pope Francis demonstrated to many of us that caring for people, especially the least amongst us (the migrants, the poor, sexual minorities, the Earth) is infinitely more important than concerning ourselves with doctrinal purity and superiority.
That extending compassion and kindness is holy. It is not just simply a good human virtue. It is the radiance and glory of God’s holiness.
Thus, while many are still dissatisfied with his doctrinal and institutional response to the incalculable sexual trauma committed by religious leaders, and mostly perpetuated by the Church hierarchy, and his non-committal to a more inclusive Church dogma, the gentleness of his character from which emanates the truth of the indispensability of love and service to the oppressed and marginalized touched and convinced many, including myself, that in the end, it is in and through this kind of life that the power of love of God made manifest becomes a seed of transformation that redeems us and the world.
It is to this gospel that the life of Pope Francis witnessed, and for which we are all now, I believe, as he always never failed to do in his life, invited to participate.
Dr. Karl Villarmea
Silliman University
