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Reflection on the Life of Pope Francis

Reflection on the Life of Pope Francis

Last updated on: April 21, 2025 at 8:21 pm by Billy Kangas

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Reflection on the Life of Pope Francis 2025-04-21T20:21:42-04:00 Billy Kangas

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I wanted to share a reflection on the life of Pope Francis, as well as a significant personal update.

After a wonderful Easter, I woke this morning to the news that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, had passed away. I immediately went to tell my wife, Joan, just as I had twelve years ago when Pope Benedict XVI resigned. But this time, I found myself weeping. Pope Francis was the only pope I had ever known as a Catholic. I entered the Church just days after his election in 2013, and his ministry has shaped so much of my faith.

I was deeply moved by the way he left office, blessing the faithful in Rome just hours before his passing. It reminded me of the many ways his presence in St. Peter’s Square had touched my life. I will never forget the joy and hope I felt when he was elected and appeared on the balcony, humbly asking us to pray for him.

Equally unforgettable was the hope he gave me in the midst of the pandemic. I gathered my family around me as he stood, a lone and solemn figure, offering prayers—a testament to the enduring hope of the Gospel. His image in the Statio Orbis, standing at the feet of Jesus, is forever etched in my memory as a profound grace of his pontificate.

His ministry has inspired my own journey as a Catholic, guiding me as I sought to serve in a Church I so deeply desired to be part of but wasn’t sure how. As a former Protestant clergyman now living as a lay Catholic, I found great inspiration in his example—his care for the poor and forgotten, his writings, and his call to seek Christ in the vulnerable.

Just months after joining the Church, I began working at the intersection of faith and service, supporting hungry, sick, and homeless people. That calling eventually led me to serve as the executive director of the Pope Francis Center, an agency named in honor of his life and example. I have worked there since 2023, completing my tenure just hours before his passing on Good Friday.

Remarkably, his death coincided with the first day of my new role as vice president of mission at Ave Maria Communications—a transition inspired in part by his final encyclical, Delexit Nos. In it, Pope Francis wrote:

“To be able to speak of Christ by witness or by word in such a way that others seek to love him is the greatest desire of every missionary of souls.”

I remember reading that passage months ago, feeling deeply convicted. My work had been rooted in love, but was it a witness that truly drew people to Jesus? That question ultimately led me to begin a new chapter—one focused on explicitly proclaiming Christ and drawing others to His Sacred Heart.

As I embark on this next phase, I pray that Pope Francis’ words will continue to inspire me. His leadership and example have been profound blessings throughout this past decade of my life, shaping the work I hope has, in some way, helped others grow in love for the Jesus he so faithfully served.

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