April 24, 2025

By Jim Towey

I admired Pope Francis and will miss him. He brought the powerless and forgotten poor to centerstage. His preferential love for them gave witness to his Christian faith.

I remember him at an outdoor Mass in St. Peter’s Square’s Square I once attended. When it concluded, he did not go directly to the area where numerous dignitaries had been stationed for a quick handshake and photo. No, he beelined to the area on the other side of the altar where the disabled were assembled. Through a sea of wheelchairs he waded, taking time to greet each individual and caregiver. I believe these connections kept him centered and focused on the Gospel and the joy he spread as its messenger.

Personal touch

But he also was fully aware that all eyes were on him as he took this detour. The symbolism of his personal outreach was lost on no one. He consistently challenged the same norms that led him to choose to live in simple, less ornate quarters at the Vatican. His actions were louder than his words.

The first time I met him was In Philadelphia in 2015. He had come for a summit on family issues. My wife and I met him briefly at the airport hangar from which he departed. During that visit to America, he seemed at times as almost a fish out of water. Perhaps being a priest in the slums of Argentina made him particularly sensitive to the affluence he saw in the West. On that visit, he rode in a tiny blue Fiat and the car was then sold to a woman and the proceeds given to the needy.

Francis’ detractors

Pope Francis sometimes could be a bit thin-skinned. He was stung by some criticisms and unafraid to fire back at his critics. He was aware that many of his brother bishops in the U.S. were more socially conservative than he. This may explain why he did not appoint replacement cardinal archbishops in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Detroit and Philadelphia, but instead chose unconventional leaders in Indianapolis, Newark, and elsewhere.

At times he seemed to relish the head-scratching effect many of his papal pronouncements and appointments had. And I admit, he had me scratching my bald head from time to time. But he still was our pope. I welcomed his reflections on Scripture,  criticisms of clericalism and careerism within the Church, and outreach to people of all faiths or none at all. Even if his opinions on political and social matters didn’t resonate with me, I nonetheless cared about whatever he had to say.

As the years passed, I began to hear whispers of strident opposition to his papacy and the change he was bringing to the Church. It was always, “I like Pope Francis, but…”  When I was president of Ave Maria University, I stood up to some detractors of his, including one who publicly had called for his resignation. As a result, I experienced some of the vitriol that was his daily bread. I grew to admire the courage of his convictions.

Pope of Mercy

In 2015, he declared a “Year of Mercy” that culminated in the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She, too, had a heart for the poor. It is not clear he ever spoke with her but he was seated near her at a gathering of bishops in 1994. He clearly had a deep respect for her even if his Jesuit orientation might have found her too traditional. I had the privilege in September 2022 of presenting to Pope Francis the book I wrote about Mother Teresa. His eyes lit up at the mention of her name. He had praised her on his first papal trip in 2014 when he visited Albania, the country where Mother Teresa’s mother and sister died under the brutal reign of its atheistic dictator. The Holy Father must have felt in his soul the connection between her and his namesake, Saint Francis of Assisi.

The poor, disabled

Pope Francis’ writings and actions inspire me. My work on end-of-life care increasingly centers on the rights of the disabled and poor who are being pushed toward a hastened, “assisted” death. In his final homily, on Easter Sunday, he left us with words that challenge humanity to be vigilant and caring.

He said, “God created us for life and wants the human family to rise again. In his eyes, every life is precious, the life of a child in the mother’s womb, as well as the lives of the elderly and the sick who in more and more countries are looked upon as people to be discarded.” May we heed his words and never forget them – or him.

(The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Aging with Dignity and/or its Board of Directors.)