The world benefited from Pope Francis's leadership, tolerance and empathy
Editor's note: This editorial was written by the USA TODAY Network Northeast Editorial Board, a sister network to the USA TODAY Network Tennessee.
We mourn the death of Pope Francis, a leader whose humility and compassion brought kindness, welcome and courage to our increasingly conflicted world.
Francis, the first Latin American pope, led the Roman Catholic Church into a new era marked by compassion, inclusion and commitment to global community. A champion of the poor, his voice of tolerance constantly sought empathy for migrants and those in need or danger.
In his final public remarks, delivered by an aide to a crowd gathered at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Easter, Francis summoned those virtues, which together were the defining themes of his papacy.
'How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!' the late pope wrote.
In recent months, even as he struggled to maintain a slipping grip on his own health, Francis was a sharp critic of the second administration of President Donald Trump and its immigration policy, which he said disregarded the 'dignity of many men and women, and of entire families.'
Francis' humility and devotion to the idea that the church should be a global leader whose example should be marked by grace was evident in his final address.
'On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas!' he wrote on Easter.
Francis' election as Bishop of Rome in 2013 was a massive shift for the Holy See. The Argentinian Cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who had served as archbishop of Buenos Aries, was a progressive in the politics of the Catholic Church. His elevation as pontiff was a break from the doctrinaire, conservative emphasis brought by his predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II.
Francis quickly set a new tone — he eschewed the much of the formality and pageantry of the papacy; he instead brought humility, empathy and even humor. He happily waded into the global politics of the day and was a constant advocate for mercy, encouraging world leaders to err on the side of peace and tolerance.
Despite some early stumbles, Francis' example brought welcome relief to a church that had been rocked by a decades-long sexual abuse scandal — an episode that was especially painful in the American Catholic Church, which is still reeling from the impact of thousands upon thousands of victims.
The divisions that have marked global politics for much of the last two decades were present in Francis' church, despite his best efforts to sew unity and quell critics. Here in the United States, his more inclusive posture was often met with reluctance and some resistance by conservative Catholics who remain reluctant to yield on social debates around reproductive, women's and LGBTQIA+ rights. He pushed back on the revival of dated liturgical practices, including the Latin Mass, which has grown in popularity in the United States over the last decade. Still, a Pew Research Center poll found that his critics were loud — but not a majority; as many as 75% of American Catholics had a favorable view of the pope in 2024.
The day before his death, Pope Francis met with Vice President J.D. Vance, a convert to Catholicism who has used the Church's teachings to justify the administration's policy on migrants, to share Easter greetings. Francis, who penned a letter to American bishops on migration in the aftermath of some of Vance's remarks in February, appeared to offer warm welcome summoning a warm and strategic diplomacy that we think sets a remarkable example in our increasingly fractious world.
Opinion: Kindness is at the center of Easter's joy. Remember that amid fears of Trump
Ultimately, Francis saw himself and his papacy as instruments of mercy and peace. In his final remarks on Easter, he condemned the unresolved conflict in Gaza, and called for a new cease-fire and for the release of Hamas-held hostages.
Easter, he commendably reminded the faithful, should be a moment to break down the divides that stir human conflict.
'The light of Easter impels us to break down the barriers that create division and are fraught with grave political and economic consequences,' he wrote. 'It impels us to care for one another, to increase our mutual solidarity, and to work for the integral development of each human person.'
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Pope Francis leaves a legacy of tolerance and empathy | Opinion
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