Pope Francis’ funeral ceremony held a moral mirror to modern politics
Even in death, Pope Francis’ moral voice rang out across the world.
Even in death, Pope Francis’ moral voice rang out across the world.
With 40,000 packed into Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square, another 250,000 in the surrounding streets and millions more watching on TV and online, world leaders, including President Donald Trump, were reminded of Francis’ central messages during his funeral Saturday.
“‘Build bridges, not walls’ was an exhortation he repeated many times,” Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said during the homily for the late pope. “His gestures and exhortations in favor of refugees and displaced persons are countless. His insistence on working on behalf of the poor was constant.”
And war “always leaves the world worse than it was before: It is always a painful and tragic defeat for everyone,” Re said.
Francis often railed against the geopolitical tides. He urged more compassion for immigrants and refugees at a time when the White House and other governments are cracking down. He called for an end to the war in Gaza and denounced climate change and exploitative capitalism — when those crises have only intensified.
Rating: 5