“He leaves us at a time when we seem to need him even more, the only firm voice of brotherhood and peace.” Christian Carlassare, bishop of Bentiu, in South Sudan, remembers Pope Francis.
The Pope has shown us God’s merciful love from the very beginning and has become a witness to it not only with his teaching but also with his actions.
From the beginning of his pontificate, he has taken to heart the situation in South Sudan and that of many other human peripheries. In the silence that surrounds these realities, because they count for relatively little in the interests of power and the market, Francis has listened and has become their spokesperson, both in prayer and in remembrance in his Angelus messages, both in the invitation to Rome of the political leaders of South Sudan and in the visit to Juba which took place in 2023 as an ecumenical pilgrimage of peace.
For him, every situation of injustice and conflict does not simply represent a social issue to be tackled according to the logic of the Gospel: his gaze goes much further. It goes to those brothers and sisters who suffer injustice, are denied life, and cry out to God night and day and for whom the Lord sends witnesses to indicate the only possible way, that of conversion and reconciliation.
His gaze also fell on me to ask me to serve the diocese of Rumbek and now the new diocese of Bentiu. In the days when I was attacked in 2021, he made himself present through his prayers. His attention towards me strengthened me given recovering the use of my legs and confirmed my desire to return to be a witness of peace and reconciliation.
In a meeting, he asked me if I was afraid of returning. I replied that the only fear would be that of not being able to serve the people of Rumbek and South Sudan because their needs are great. And he, as a good father, simply told me, “Know that there is the Lord. It is not so much yourself. It is He who leads His Church. You alone bear witness to His Word. He enlightened and greatly comforted me.”
Francis carried out his ministry as a pastor precisely with this great faith in the Lord. He was a witness to a lived faith, of a spirituality incarnate in the Galilee of our world that becomes a commitment in history. He was an example of fraternal love, of dialogue, of attention to the most vulnerable people and the most marginalised groups.
He opened up roads and a wonderful journey to be undertaken in ecclesial unity towards that new land and those new heavens promised by Jesus, where we will all recognise ourselves as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. It is painful to receive the news of his unexpected death because, although weak, he seemed to have overcome the most critical moment and was recovering. He leaves us at a time when we seem to need him even more, the only firm voice of brotherhood and peace, while everyone talks about rearmament and power.
Here too, the situation in South Sudan is very delicate, because political tensions that had remained dormant in recent years are rekindling and can spark further violence, partly already begun in some regions of the country. But this pain also comes mixed with the joy of Easter and faith in the resurrection. So even more, Pope Francis invites us to continue on this path that he has traced, a path where the Church – at long last a supportive and synodal family – opens its doors and goes to meet our brothers and sisters, proclaiming the beauty, authenticity and joy of the Gospel, and working to build a reconciled community that bears witness to peace. We will not forget him, Pope Francis, indeed, perhaps we will meet him a little further along the path, where he is already in the company of the Master. (Anna Pozzi/MM)
