After battling with his health for sometime, the Catholic Pontiff and head of over one billion Roman Catholics worldwide, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) died on Easter Monday.
Pope Francis, who was laid to rest last Saturday, was an embodiment of humility, simplicity, love and deep faith in God. His love and service for humanity knew no limit and were genuine. He welcomed and embraced all. He identified with all and never discriminated against any. The very reason why some initially misinterpreted his call for his priests to bless all who approach them, including gay couples, for recognition of gay union.
Recall how very animated a lot of people were at that time claiming that the Roman Catholic Church would suffer the fate of the Anglican Church.
When in December 2023, Pope Francis said priests should be permitted to bless same-sex and “irregular” couples, under certain circumstances, many saw it as a significant advance for LGBT people and eventual acceptance of the union by the church.
Not even the Vatican’s explanation that such blessings should not be part of regular Church rituals or related to civil unions or weddings or that it continues to view marriage as between a man and a woman, would assuage naysayers and those who have continued to hope against hope that they will live to see the disintegration or collapse of the church: A pipe dream that is over 1000 years old.
Instead, the church has continued to grow from strength to strength while those who wish her ill have been vanishing one after the other.
The document by the Vatican announcing the change said it should be a sign that “God welcomes all”, explaining, however, that priests must decide on a case-by-case basis.
Pray, is God blessing not for all? Why should any cleric deny whoever approaches him for blessing? Or are we saying all those who congregate on Sundays or those receiving blessings from men of God are without sins themselves? Are the men of God themselves without sins? Do we deny them blessings because their ‘sins’ are known to us and are there for all to see, while those of others are not public knowledge?
As the church undergoes the process of electing another Pope, there is need to draw some examples of Pope Francis’s approach to the faith, especially given our peculiar circumstances where Christianity especially in Nigerian has completely deviated from the original plan of the church and Christ himself, whose examples no longer influence or inform the decisions and theology of present day church leaders.
Pope Francis’s personal wealth at the time of his death, we are told, was just $100, or less than 90 euros.
He had no property, no personal bank accounts, and no investments.
According to the British newspaper Mirror, Pope Francis was entitled to an annual salary of about 340,000 euros since he was elected Supreme Pontiff in 2013. However, as a member of the Society of Jesus, he had taken a vow of poverty and decided never to receive that salary during his entire pontificate.
Instead of living in the luxurious papal apartments used by his predecessors, Francis chose to reside in the Casa Santa Marta, a small residence within the Vatican, where he led a much simpler life.
During his pontificate, he rejected many luxuries and maintained a modest routine, despite having all necessary expenses covered by the Vatican, such as food, travel, security, and accommodation.
Even a day old Christian would agree that these are examples that Christ himself represented throughout his ministry. He sent his Apostles out asking them to carry nothing with them. Why? Because Christ himself knows how much of an impediment the quest for materialism could be to the propagation of the faith.
Today, our clerics say Jesus hates the poor and never associated with them. They insist that the Bible is wrong in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13. Jesus, in the context of the Sermon on the Mount and the parable of the dishonest manager, Matthew 6:24: said; “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 16:13: “No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
These verses highlight that a person cannot be truly devoted to both God and the pursuit of wealth, as they are inherently conflicting loyalties. One must choose which to prioritise and serve with their whole being.
Our men of God, including some Catholic priests, have elevated pursuits for materialism over and above the spirituality of their flocks. They are not the least bothered about how their members make their money. What is important is regular hefty donations to the church.
Today’s so-called men of God are in a frenzy competition against one another to be listed by Forbes and others. Is it not ironic that in spite of the presumed growth in the number of churches the spirituality of members is at an all time low?
Nobody is advocating poverty or condemning riches but what cannot be contested is that it cannot be at the expense of one’s soul. That is all too clear. What level of spirituality do you expect from a congregation where from January to December, year in and year out, all our so-called men of God talk about and exemplify are money and materialism?
Perhaps to illustrate how hollow the evangelism of some so-called men of God are, one David Ibiyeomie, the founder and presiding pastor of Salvation Ministries, during one of his sermons, which went viral, claimed that Jesus had never associated with poor people during His lifetime.
Mr. Ibiyeomie, who anchors the ‘Hour of Salvation’ live services broadcast on over 40 local and international television stations, said Jesus’ apparent refusal to associate with people experiencing poverty meant He hated poverty.
Obviously reeling from an overdose of his overrated sense of self-worth and importance, he arrogantly repeated this scandalous sermon with a claim that God revealed to him that his assertions were right.
What such fallacies do is that they simply encourage the feeble-minded to seek wealth by whatever means possible, even when this so-called man of God depends on the congregation and money derived from his church to sustain himself and to live large.
Whatever happened to that era when we were taught that a good name is better than silver or gold? What happened to that era when making money by devious means was frowned at?
So, what future will we bequeath to our children if our clerics are making us believe that the end justifies the means?
Perhaps, this example of Pope Francis should serve as a lesson for us as a society and more so, as a church. We must direct our efforts to those things that last and not those that are ephemeral and ultimately deny us of our salvation at the end of time.
His simplicity, his humility and easygoingness; these virtues he exhibited all through his life and even in death. His burial rite is a further confirmation that his total detachment from materialism and ostentatious lifestyle was a choice he made and lived by all through his life.
Adieu, Pope Francis and may the shining examples of modesty, love for the rich and the poor, selflessness, detachment from pursuit of materialism, spirit of forgiveness and empathy, be a source of inspiration for us as Christians and non-Christians alike.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. Amen.
