Tears. So moving and heartfelt, wise and true. Deepest gratitude to my friend Faisal Khan for the bright light of truth and love embodied in this beautiful tribute to Pope Francis. 🙏💗 Molly
Today, the world lost a remarkable human being. Pope Francis, the man who held the highest position in the Catholic Church, returned to his Creator. As a Muslim, I believe that no one is given higher reverence than God alone. All prophets are equal in dignity, from Abraham to Moses to Jesus to Muhammad (peace be upon them all), and every human being holds inherent worth in the eyes of God. Yet, in a world plagued by silence, indifference, and moral cowardice, it is important to recognize those who chose courage. Pope Francis was one of them.
He broke barriers. He reached across divides. He brought to life the message of Jesus, peace be upon him—a message of mercy, justice, humility, and radical love.
He was a moral voice on the climate crisis, calling humanity to remember our sacred duty to the Earth and to one another. His encyclical Laudato Si’ urged the world to confront environmental degradation not only as a scientific issue, but as a spiritual and ethical responsibility.
What stood out most to me was his moral clarity and his refusal to stay silent in the face of oppression. Pope Francis spoke out—again and again—on the occupation of Palestine and on the genocide unfolding in Gaza. While many leaders, including Christian pastors and ministers in the United States, have remained silent or chose neutrality, Pope Francis chose humanity.
He also took a moral stand on the Israeli occupation. During his 2014 visit to Bethlehem, he made an unscheduled stop to pray at the Israeli separation wall—an unspoken but undeniable condemnation of the apartheid system that dehumanizes Palestinians. Few religious figures with his stature dared to act with such clarity.
“Let us pray for peace in Palestine and Israel,” he said in October 2023, as bombs rained down on Gaza. “War is always a defeat. Let the weapons be silenced and let us heed the cry for peace.”
He continued, even as his health declined, to raise his voice for the oppressed. In December 2023, he condemned the violence as “terrorism” and called on global leaders to protect innocent lives. “So many innocent dead. Especially among children. This is war. This is terrorism,” he said. Few dared to speak with such clarity, such moral urgency.
And in one of his most recent public prayers, he extended his voice across continents—to Ukraine, to Myanmar, to South Sudan, and to the Middle East. He lamented the 153 women and children massacred in Gaza, calling war “ignoble… the triumph of lies and falsehood, seeking maximum gain for oneself and maximum harm for the adversary, trampling on human lives, the environment, infrastructure—everything; and all masked by lies.” With every word, he laid bare the inhumanity of war.
He did more than speak. He acted. He washed the feet of refugees—including Muslims—on Holy Thursday, showing the humility that Jesus exemplified. In a world obsessed with hierarchy and power, Pope Francis bent down and honored the most vulnerable. He made interfaith dialogue a priority—not as a token gesture, but as a spiritual commitment to building peace with Muslim communities around the world.
In October 2016, addressing the faithful at the Vatican, he boldly declared:
“It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help.”
He embraced the marginalized, not in word alone but in action. He reached out to the LGBTQ+ community with compassion and dignity. He reminded the world that God’s love cannot be confined by dogma, borders, or politics. When so many religious figures chased popularity or feared backlash, Pope Francis kept his eyes on something far greater.
He once said, “You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.” He believed in a living faith—one rooted in justice.
Let us not forget: Jesus walked on the soil of Palestine as a Palestinian Jew. The silence of many Christian leaders in America as that land is soaked in blood is an indictment of our time. But Pope Francis stood apart. He showed what it means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus—not through pomp, but through prophetic courage.
In his historic 2015 address to the U.S. Congress, he did not flatter or entertain. He challenged the soul of the nation:
“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money—money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood.”
“In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”
These were not empty words. He was calling out a system—one that feeds war while preaching peace, one that props up occupation while invoking God. In his measured but prophetic tone, Pope Francis confronted the very structures of power that enable mass suffering, including U.S. militarism and its support for violent regimes.
May you rest in peace, Pope Francis. Thank you for the light you brought into the world. Thank you for standing with the oppressed, for speaking out when it mattered, and for living a life of moral conviction.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
May your soul return to the One who made you, in peace and in love.
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Faisal R. Khan: https://carolinapeacecenter.com/about-us
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