One of Francis’ Greatest Legacies: He Was Respected by Both Sides of Many Theological and Political Divides
By Peter Anderson
Patriarch Krill of Russia and Pope Francis embrace during their 2016 meeting in Havana. (Photo – L’Osservatore Romano)
As the world knows, Pope Francis died on “Bright Monday,” April 21, the day after the unusual event of Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants celebrating Easter on the same day.
The Pope died suddenly on Monday morning from a cerebral stroke followed by a cardiocirculatory failure. It is almost as if Our Lord had delayed the Pope’s death so that the Pope could experience this last very symbolic Easter.
He did not want to be buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, but rather Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, asccording to his final testament.
The Basilica was consecrated in the year 434, a few years after Mary was declared the Mother of God at the Council of Ephesus in 431, and has a close association with this great Council in Asia Minor. The nave and the arch in the Basilica are decorated with magnificent fifth-century mosaics of the Byzantine tradition.
The most famous icon in the Basilica, Salus Populi Romani, before which Pope Francis always prayed before and after his trips, is said to have been brought from Crete in the year 590. It was in the Basilica that Pope Adrian II in 867 solemnly blessed the liturgical books used by Saints Cyril and Methodius in their missionary work among the Slavic peoples.
Thus, the final resting place of Pope Francis has a strong connection with the Christian East.
Various Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Churches posted statements concerning the death of Pope Francis on the internet, among them:
Patriarch Kirill of Russia: “For Christians worldwide, His Holiness’s commitment to standing in solidarity with the suffering and the marginalized held particular significance… May the All-Merciful Lord grant rest to the soul of His departed servant, who passed away on the second day of the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection by Christians worldwide, in the abode of the righteous.”
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: “Throughout these twelve years of his Papacy, he stood as a faithful friend, a fellow pilgrim and supporter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a genuine friend of Orthodoxy, a true friend of the least of the Lord’s brethren, on whose behalf he often spoke, acted, and even washed their feet in an example of true humility and brotherly love.”
Patriarch John of Antioch: “The passing of Pope Francis is a loss for all humanity ….In this holy season of Pascha, divine providence has willed that Pope Francis return to the house of the Heavenly Father.”
Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem: “Pope Francis’ life was a luminous testament to the Gospel, a tireless witness to Christ’s boundless mercy, a steadfast champion for the poor, and a beacon of peace and reconciliation among all peoples….We entrust his noble soul to the infinite compassion of our Lord, and pray: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:23).”
Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia: “I had the opportunity to meet the late Pope personally several times during his pontificate, so I feel obliged to testify today that he was a man who built peace and understanding between people and nations, with a special desire to develop cooperation with the Orthodox Churches.
Archbishop Ieronymos of Greece: “He was a powerful personality, who spent himself for the prevalence of all that is good and of the values of the human being as God’s creature. Throughout his ministry as Bishop of Rome, every lowliest brother, the poor, the migrant, the refugees, in particular, occupied a central place in it.”
Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Church: “The departure of this man, who served the entire world with genuine, heartfelt service to every person, is a great loss…. What brings comfort is that he left us a wonderful role model and example in the service of humanity everywhere.”
Patriarch and Catholicos Karekin II of the Armenian Apostolic Church: “The late Pope Francis of blessed memory was a humble, courageous and kind shepherd who faithfully walked in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ… He bore witness to the Gospel—consistently standing for justice and peace, offering special attention and care to those in need, and contributing significantly to strengthening interchurch relations.”
Improving relations with the Orthodox was a great priority for Pope Francis. He made a point of visiting early in his pontificate countries where Orthodoxy predominates or where Orthodox primates reside, such as:
2014 – Israel (Jerusalem), Albania, Turkey
2015 – Bosnia and Herzegovina
2016 – Greece, Armenia, Poland, Georgia
2017 – Egypt
2019 – Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania
2021 – Cyprus, Greece
In fact, kissing the panagia (icon of Mary) of an Orthodox bishop became a tradition for Pope Francis.
In contrast, there were many predominantly Catholic countries that were never visited by Francis, such as Spain, Croatia and his home country of Argentina.
With respect to relations with the Orthodox, two matters are particularly noteworthy in the Francis pontificate.
First, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, developed a closer personal friendship than has ever existed between the holders of these two extremely important offices — at least for the last one thousand years.
As just one indication of their friendship, Pope Francis always kept at the corner of his office desk a photograph of Bartholomew. One of the great hopes of the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Pope was to celebrate together the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, to be held at Nicaea (Iznik), Turkey, apparently on May 24-25. (Hopefully, the new Pope will be there.)
The second matter was the meeting between Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Pope Francis in Havana on February 12, 2016 — the first such meeting of Pope and Moscow Patriarch in history.
On April 22, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow met with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. At one point, the discussion touched on Pope Francis.
November 11, 2013 – Vatican. Audience of Pope Francis with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin in the Private Library of the Apostolic Palace. (Photo – Grzegorz Galazka)
The following is a Google translation:
Vladimir Putin: Your Holiness [to Kirill], you mentioned what is happening to the west of us. We all know this well, we all saw it, we witnessed your meeting with the Pope of Rome, who left us during these Easter days.
This, it seems to me, also shows that in the West there are still people, there are forces, and spiritual forces, who strive to restore relations and to revive spiritual principles.
Patriarch Kirill: Absolutely right.
Putin: Western culture – no matter what and who says – is based on Christian principles.
Kirill: You very correctly re-called the late Pope.
He was a man of fairly strong views and convictions, despite the fact that he was under great pressure – also in terms of cooling relations with the Russian Church. He is already in another world, so I can boldly, without asking his permission, quote him.
When he was strongly pressed, forgive me for the rude word, he said only a short phrase: “Do not set me against Kirill.”
He turned and left. And those who influenced him were his close associates: [saying] that it was necessary to change course, that [the situation] was impossible — it was, so to speak, connected with Russian politics.
This phrase — “Do not set me against Kirill” — was always in my memory and consciousness while he was alive.
Our relations were good. Now the Lord has called him to another world, but the memories of him are the kindest in terms of attitudes towards both Russia and the Russian Church.
Putin: I have the same. We met many times. It is quite obvious — I can say this — that he had a good attitude towards Russia. Considering his Latin American origin and the attitude among the overwhelming majority of citizens of Latin American countries, he probably felt this too and built relations with Russia in the most benevolent way. [end, Putin quote]
Perhaps one of the greatest legacies of Pope Francis is that he was respected by people in “opposing camps” on important political (President Putin and western political leaders) or church (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Kirill) issues.
May the next Pontiff act with holiness and wisdom to bring greater unity within the Catholic Church and greater unity for Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants.
Facebook Comments