PASTORAL IMPERATIVE, SOLEMN VICTORY
Remembering the life and ministry of His Holiness, Francis, Bishop of Rome
Christians everywhere are mourning the death of our brother in Christ, Francis, Bishop of Rome. As Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, he was the preeminent religious leader in the world and his death leaves an emptiness that is uncharacteristically quiet. As a Jesuit, he was well aware of doctrine but always willing to translate that theological doctrine through the human lens of compassion and hope, mercy and simplicity.
His humanity and humility were intertwined while his pastoral care and leadership shouted out God’s message of salvation in Jesus Christ. With Francis, pastoral leadership was paramount and deliberate, by example, whether in parish ministry, as a Bishop of the Church in Argentina, or even upon serving as Pope. He was beloved for showing care to little children, to outcasts, to non-Christians, for seeking peace among nations in Ukraine or Gaza, advocating for justice to the oppressed or homeless or immigrants, and seeking openness in the face of scandals that still confront the Church. He championed the Mass in the language of the people, and made changes to many long-standing traditions, bringing simplicity, integrity, and a concern for the world’s resources.
Unafraid of change, his ecumenical and cultural tolerance was tempered by his trying not to get too far ahead of the people he was trying to lead. He deliberately and clearly sought out those who were disadvantaged by the Church and the world, including women, gay and lesbian and transsexual people, not as labels but as persons. This often led to internal disagreements within the hierarchy and concern among those who try to report on issues within the Church. His confrontations with Church and political leaders often got more attention than did the pastoral issues he was espousing, and the perceived slowness in making other decisions caused some of his detractors to take unfair advantage for their own causes. But, steadfast even to the end of his life, the pastoral imperative was his driving force.
But for Francis, as a Roman Catholic, whether layman, priest, Bishop or Pope, his faith was boldly proclaimed through the incarnational presence of Jesus Christ in the Triune God revealed among God’s People in the Sacraments and in the worship and devotion of the Church, uniting the divine and the human in every aspect of life. In his personal devotion, Francis reinforced his compassionate strength through his love for Christ and for the divinely appointed role of Mary, the Holy Mother of Jesus.
The Church and the world are better because of his ministry. Francis brought about no earth-shaking changes to the Church; but he helped the Church to listen to the world, and leaders of the world listened to him. “Synodality” was an expression he used for coming together and listening to each other. Listening is the foundation for understanding. Even the profound mysteries of peace amid disorder he expressed with the simplicity of faith. Francis paraphrased the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12): what we want let us give. “If we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities.”
God gave Francis many opportunities, despite ill health from childhood and later infirmities of age. We can all thank God for sustaining him throughout these eighty-eight years of his life. He brought the message of God’s eternal love; he proclaimed the victory of Christ over the evils of sin. He lived that Easter Victory of Christ’s Resurrection, now to rise with Christ. To GOD be all glory and thanksgiving!
–The Rt. Rev. Richard W. Horn April 22, 2025
Bishop Horn is a Missionary Bishop in the Lutheran Church – International, living in the United States.
