In a world that seeks to protect the human person, so much so that, it has lost track of that which really matters, and the right path to this goal, Pope Francis stood as a figure to remind the world of the right and only way to protect the human person in all facets is to place him in the hands of God, the hands of love, whose weapon is mercy and compassion. Pope Francis strived to show this mercy and compassion in action, not just through encyclicals and documents.
Let us remember the acts of mercy of Pope Francis. To show his compassion, he did not stop the little ones from coming to him, playing with him and sharing hugs, while giving speeches. When asked what miracle he would do if he could, he said he would heal children. He frequently visited neonatal units of the hospitals around, and he spoke to each baby. Pope Francis also took children for a ride in the official vehicle of the Pope, the Pope Mobile. Pope Francis had a special care for the poor and marginalised. He worked for a Church that is poor for the sake of the poor. He once called to comfort a woman who was raped. Oftentimes, when strangers write to him, Pope Francis would reply with a direct mobile call. Pope Francis was daring with his outreach, he once embraced a man who had a disfiguring disease. He once invited African refugees to join him on stage at a general audience.
Pope Francis had a special love for prisoners. He visited prisoners often and was very generous towards them. Pope Francis celebrated Holy Thursday Masses at the prisons and washed their feets. In his last act of charity as Pope, he made a donation of 200, 000 Euros for the care of the prisoners from his personal account. As an apostle to the homeless, Pope Francis opened the museums of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel to homeless people and took them on a private tour. For his 77th birthday celebration, he personally invited a group of homeless men. He donated 400 sleeping bags to those in need in Rome for his 78th birthday. Pope Francis spent his 79th birthday with young Catholics who work to welcome migrants. He once visited Lesbos and brought back three Syrian families with him to the Vatican.
Pope Francis cared for the homeless so much so that he built a homeless shelter near the Vatican. Pope Francis urged all to seek the mercy of God, and he was all inclusive in this outreach, he spoke to even mobsters and homosexuals, urging them to pray for God’s forgiveness and repent. In a bid to extend a hand of inclusion and fraternity, he reached out to Muslims, calling for mutual respect between the Christians and Muslims. He made a famous visit to Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Indonesia, in September, 2024. Pope Francis asked the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, to bless him and the Church of Rome. Such was the compassion and mercy of Pope Francis, the Apostle of Mercy.
