It is said that when St Francis of Assisi died, the grief his followers felt was gradually transformed into profound gratitude and joy as they gathered to process with his body from the Porziuncola – the little chapel he had renovated at the beginning of his ministry – to the church of San Giorgio in Assisi. 

As one of his biographers puts it, “Throughout the night, the people of Assisi, and large parties from neighboring towns and villages, made their way…by the light of torches and flares. The mood of the friars was so infectious that the whole crowd took up their chants of praise and thanksgiving. Thomas of Celano, much affected by the combilation of lights, jubilation and singing, saw it as a ‘wake of angels.’”[i]

Now, almost 800 years later, the pope who was the first ever to take the Poor One of Asssi’s name has died.  It is shocking to think that Pope Francis has passed from our midst.  While he was the second longest-living pope in the history of the Catholic Church, many of us hoped against hope that he would stay with us even longer, especially in this time of deep, global crisis.

But, like the followers of the saint from Assisi, our sadness at the pope’s death is also interspersed with deep thankfulness and joy at all that he brought as, day after day, year after year, he was the one global moral leader calling us to entirely and courageously embrace the great potential of being fully human.

In this deeply thoughtful reflection for our friends at Campaign Nonviolence, Ken Butigan (Senior Advisor to our Catholic Nonviolence Initiative) reflects on how Pope Francis has paved the way for a renewed commitment to Gospel nonviolence.

Read also: Pope Francis’ legacy on nonviolence – Discover what he shared during his papacy (by Ken Butigan)

Cover Picture via Campaign Nonviolence – Copyright-free photo via Unsplash: Coronel Gonorrea