26/04/2025
I rarely post about politics or religion, but today I want to mark the passing of Pope Francis.
I’m not Catholic, even though I was raised in a deeply Catholic country—and especially in Rome, where the Pope is not just a religious leader but a cultural figure, a presence that shapes everything around us. Living in the UK now, it feels similar to how people relate to the monarchy: symbolic, powerful, hard to ignore because embodied within the social fabric.
Pope Francis, for all the weight of the institution he represented, chose to use his voice for empathy. He spoke out against far-right governments policies. He acknowledged the atrocities happening in Palestine. He stood up—quietly, sometimes imperfectly—but he did speak when silence would’ve been easier.
I’m afraid that whoever comes next may not carry that same courage. That we’ll slide even further into a world where institutions—religious or political—stop speaking truth to power and just comply.
So no, this isn’t about faith for me. It’s about using your platform for something human. And today, I’m grieving the loss of someone who did that.
4 d
