Pope Francis: a man who made the underdog feel seen
Few pontiffs can lay claim to having the ability to tip-toe out a Strictly Come Dancing-worthy tango, but the late Pope Francis could. Fewer still can hold their hand up as having stood guard over the nightclub dancefloors, upon which he could have held his own with the best of them, as a bouncer. Francis I could.
Fewer even than that have been as attentive to modern society; as willing to listen to marginalised voices; as intent on rejuvenating and refreshing the church through humility. Primary schools around the country have modelled their educational ethos on his philosophy, focusing on children who need the most help.
Pope Francis, famously, rejected the trappings of papal elitism for a more modest life; he once said of himself ‘I am a Pope of the streets. My people are poor and I am one of them.’ He saw the riches of Vatican City as anathema to the purpose of the church.
As inspirational as he was to the liberal, progressive left - Sir Elton John once declared him his hero, owing to his comparative warmth for the LGBT community - Francis irked the conservative right. On occasion, his bluntness caused traditional conservatives discomfort and embarrassment the like of which might have made the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, blush.
As well as his humility, it was his unpredictability and his imperfections that endeared him to so many who had previously seen the church drifting away from their own sense of self. On climate change, he showed the church was cognisant of the existential threat posed to the planet, and exuded a sincere concern that endeared his faith to those with none in particular. Pope Francis made underdogs feel seen; those with the least in life were his priority. He demonstrably understood how modern times require a modern church, in tune with the zeitgeist of life. His successor has big, if a little tatty, shoes to fill.