(Photo Courtesy of NPR) “Pope Francis giving the Urbi et Orbi at his last public appearance on Easter Sunday.”
Tristin Henson
Connector Editor
Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, died last week on Easter Monday at 88 years old. The first Latin American pontiff and second non-European Bishop, he was elected in 2013 and known by many as a humanitarian and more progressive Pope. According to officials, he died at his residence at Casa Santa Marta due to a stroke and heart failure. Many think that he led a reform in the Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion worldwide followers, advocating that climate change is a moral issue, denouncing unrestrained capitalism, and increasing financial transparency within the Vatican.
Pope Francis was last seen on Easter Sunday to give the traditional Easter blessing and speech from St. Peter’s balcony. In his speech, sticking to his humanitarian values, he listed countries in wars (including the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan) and called for a peaceful resolution to stop these conflicts: “What a great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of our world!… How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!”
Of course, Pope Francis’ death has left many in the Catholic community grieving. Here in Lowell, a Mass of Remembrance was held for the late Pope last Thursday at the Immaculate Conception Parish. Fr. Jeremy St. Martin, one of the Chaplains of the Catholic Student Union at UMass Lowell, mentioned how he and students from the Union went to the Mass. When asked what it was like at the Mass, he said that everyone “came together to pray”.
“It’s something that brings us together and gives us a sense of…unity. Coming together and being one, even for people who aren’t religious, Christian, or Catholic, there is that worldwide recognition for unity and peace at the moment. It’s comforting to see,” Fr. Jeremy St. Martin stated.
That sense of community Fr. Jeremy St. Martin mentioned is something many are feeling at the moment, as Masses of Remembrance are being held across the globe, national days of mourning being declared, and at Pope Francis’ funeral being held at St. Peter’s Square this past Saturday. Hundreds of thousands of mourners and many world leaders arrived for his funeral, and many more watched the stream online, crowds of people watching as his coffin was transported to a burial site outside the Vatican.
With Pope Francis’ death, there is also now the lingering question of who will be elected the next Pope. There are many different candidates from all over the world, all with many different views and values. This is very important as the next Pope will decide where the Catholic Church is headed in the future.
When asked his views on who he might want the next Pope to be, and what values he would like the Pope to hold, Fr. Jeremy St. Martin stated, “Many people are looking forward to pope to be clear in a time where there is so many distinctions made… someone who has answers to real life…someone who has the art of not over simplifying but also clarifying difficult questions; a strong leader.”
Fr. Jeremy St. Martin also mentioned that he would hope to see another Pope from a country that hasn’t had a Pope come from it before. He said that he personally has had a longtime hope of “a pope from Africa, and there are many reasons why that would be a great expression…I know a lot of Ugandan Catholic community members, and I admire their strong divine Catholic faith, strong commitment to family, the poor, and the elderly…There are many faithful members of the Catholic Church, and not everyone is aware of that…the Church has been too long associated with Europe, but the Catholic Church is all over the world.”
Many agree with Fr. Jeremy St. Martin’s viewpoint of more representation in the Church and for a strong leader. One thing is for certain, though: whoever becomes the next Pope will decide the next direction the Catholic Church will go in.
