By B. Elias Shoniyin
Today, the world is draped in solemn silence as we mourn the passing of a moral titan, a shepherd of peace, and a fierce defender of the forgotten, His Holiness Pope Francis. His departure marks not just the end of a papacy, but the closing of a profoundly transformative chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and the global human family.
I was deeply privileged to meet Pope Francis in 2014 when I accompanied President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on an official visit to the Vatican. That moment remains etched in my memory, not for its grandeur, but for the striking humility witnessed firsthand. As I reached out to shake Pope Francis’ hand, I instinctively began to bow, as protocol and reverence dictate. But Pope Francis, with the firmness of compassion and simplicity that defined his life, quickly raised me up with his steady hand. No words were spoken in that gesture, yet the message thundered through: we are all equal before God.
That moment wasn’t just symbolic. It captured the essence of a man who redefined what it meant to lead—choosing compassion over ceremony, and people over power. From the slums of Buenos Aires to the corridors of the Vatican, he remained a humble servant to the poor, the persecuted, the migrant, and the marginalized.
Pope Francis brought the light of Christ not merely to the pulpit, but to the prison yard, the refugee camp, the homeless shelter, and the war zone. He taught us that faith is not measured by pomp but by presence, by how far we are willing to go for those the world often overlooks. In his papacy, doctrine met dignity, and theology found its hands in the dirt of human suffering.
His legacy will forever echo in his relentless pursuit of justice, his bold calls for environmental stewardship, and his insistence that the Church be a field hospital, not a fortress.
To millions of people, whether Christian or not, Pope Francis was a father, a friend, and a voice of conscience in an increasingly fractured world. He reminded us that mercy is the highest form of strength, and that love, real love, is never neutral in the face of injustice.
We grieve today not only because we have lost a Pope, but because we have lost a rare moral force whose heart beat for the vulnerable of this world.
May the legacy of Pope Francis continue to guide our conscience, challenge our comfort, and awaken within us the courage to serve with humility, love, and unwavering faith.
Requiescat in pace, Holy Father. You will be deeply missed, not just in Rome, but in every corner of the world where pain yearned for compassion.
