It can be a shock when any global religious leader dies, even if you aren’t part of that denomination.
Pope Francis, 88, died the morning of April 21. Earlier this year, his health was rocky due to a case of pneumonia but was able to recover enough to return to the Vatican. He gave the Easter blessing over St. Peter’s square before his death. Whether you are Catholic, Christian, religious or otherwise, Pope Francis left behind lessons all of us can follow.
The main quality Pope Francis was known for was humility. The pope can have access to many luxuries if they choose to. However, Pope Francis broke many of these traditions. He lived in a modest apartment rather than in the Papal Palace. He turned down the pope’s salary, a six-figure compensation.
“The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service and love,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis was also one for acceptance. While the Catholic Church has a long history of being exclusionary, Pope Francis worked to make it be a place of unity and love.
"I believe in God, not in a Catholic God; there is no Catholic God,” he said. “There is God, and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation. Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being."
Pope Francis’ teachings went against the grain but he, himself, also came from ordinary circumstances. He grew up working class in Buenos Aires from an immigrant family. He was the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit pope. In many ways, he carved his own path and worked to bring a simple love. Humility, acceptance and love are all things we can model from Pope Francis whether we are religious or not.
