Pope of the Peripheries

Elizabeth Young rsm, 26 April 2025

We are mourning the death of Pope Francis, our inspired leader of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome. I had a couple of retreat days after Easter and had the space to write this memorial for him. What first came to mind was his approach – as first priority – to the peripheries, with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. I imagined myself as some of the recipients of his visits. I am not personally among these groups, but have worked in chaplaincy in prisons and detention centres, and have visited Papua New Guinea many times as a Sister of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea. I hope they don’t mind my speaking from their perspective. So I share from the Pope’s visits to prisons, PNG and the Island of Lampedusa; his own extraordinary ministry of liturgy on the margins.

Pope of the Peripheries

What are you doing here, O Leader of the Church?
Our prison block does not deserve
    your clean-souled odour
and, what a nerve
    to speak of mercy without fear,
to look a tragic free-loader in the face
    and stoop to my ever-fleeing feet.
But a feat you chose
    And a grace you smuggled through the gates.
I felt it! As you rose
    and we were level, there was something about us,
brothers, mates, the Pope and I.
    You were Him to me, upon the cross
and, about to die; I heard those words:
    You will be with me in Paradise.

What are you doing here, O Leader of the Church?
Rome is such a long way away, as is Argentina.
    Yet you picked these islands in our patch
that we call home.
    Papua New Guinea is a greener paradise,
but not a likely match for you.
    We have our own religious ways,
which might surprise your European retinue.
    With colourful dance and clothes,
 we’ll bring millions travelling in by foot
    and who knows how it will all work out,
yet God is good and we believe
    that He put you here for us,
and don’t our Hosannas also leave
    you breathless - if we were quiet, the stones would shout!

What are you doing here, O Leader of the Church?
Our island has lately been a grave
    for many fleeing a scarred paradise
for one made of dreams.
    Will you save a soul or two
or first ensure a nice state visit?
    I doubt it. What seems to us a miracle - 
to be graced with the face of the Pope - 
    makes sense to few, but didn’t God choose
Bethlehem and occupied Galilee
    to sound that note of hope
in our bruised and broken lives.
    I see! The Good News flashed on every screen:
you break the bread of life on an altar-boat - 
    His life, His death; our lives are seen.