April 23, 2025 at 15:12 JST
We mourn the death of a leader who continued calling for the resolution of issues that crossed borders, such as global warming and nuclear weapons, by standing with the weak in a world now divided by the logic of power.
Pope Francis has died at 88.
There were serious concerns about the pontiff's health when he came down with pneumonia, but he appeared on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square on April 20 to deliver a message for Easter.
Thinking about the people of Gaza, the pope called on those involved in the fighting there to work toward a cease-fire and the release of hostages.
He also urged all relevant nations to make every effort to bring about a fair and permanent peace to Ukraine.
Francis was chosen in 2013 as pope, heading the Catholic Church with about 1.4 billion followers around the world.
Ever since, he extended a helping hand and empathy to all who were oppressed by armed conflict and poverty.
He was an active pope who went to visit such sites as an island in the Mediterranean where a boat carrying refugees from Africa had anchored.
During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the pope criticized Donald Trump for his calls to restrict immigrants, saying that anyone who thought only of building walls rather than bridges was not a Christian.
He was also aggressive about dialogue with other religions, such as Islam.
The pope was born in Argentina to a family of Italian immigrants. That, as well as his efforts to eradicate poverty in slums after becoming a priest, were likely his starting points.
What must be highlighted are his efforts to create a world without nuclear weapons.
In 2017, the Holy See became one of the first entities to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The distance between the church and Japan came closer when the pope distributed cards containing the photo widely known as “The boy standing by the crematory,” taken in Nagasaki shortly after it was devastated by an atomic bomb on Aug. 9, 1945.
In 2019, the pope visited Nagasaki and Hiroshima and called for the abolition of nuclear weapons, saying in no uncertain terms that the “use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral.”
He also moved toward reform of the church allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.
Such a move might have been made because it was unavoidable for obtaining followers in the current age of diversity in identity and sense of values.
That reform effort was also not pushed to completion as a strong conservative element in the church stood in the way of allowing formal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Fighting continues in the world and poverty continues to be a serious problem. The goal of bringing about world peace has not been realized.
While there were some results due to his religious authority, the ordinary responsibility for dealing with such issues lies within the international community, particularly the leaders of the major powers who should have been at the forefront of dealing with such problems.
We are once again aware of the folly of having such major nations become the cause of the problems, rather than trying to resolve them.
While we hope his successor will carry on Francis’ will, we must also not forget the tremendous responsibility borne by the international community.
--The Asahi Shimbun, April 23
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Pope Francis offers flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during a visit in November 2019. (Pool)
