Pope Francis, From an Ex-Catholic Perspective

I don’t even go to Church anymore, but hearing he died hurts.

In a time that feels like worlds away, I was a little girl who would first go to my religious class in one of the old Church-owned buildings, and then Sunday services. It was there that we learned about the new Pope Francis.

His papacy was unusual from the start; never before in Church history has a Pope stepped down as Pope Benedict XVI did. Pope Francis also broke tradition by wearing a small hat as opposed to the giant crown most Popes wore. He rejected the luxury given to his position, and instead opted to remain humble and maintain that he was a human, just like everyone else, not some untouchable holy mouthpiece of God.

I had visited my family for Easter, something I only continue to celebrate culturally. I didn’t get any ashes this year, didn’t go to Church once this entire lent season, ate meat on Fridays, didn’t offer anything up. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone to Church on my own volition, a long time since I discarded that belief.

Yet, when I woke up the next morning to the toiling of the Church bells, I automatically knew something had happened. Sure enough, I learned that Pope Francis had passed. He was old and sick, so I wasn’t surprised, but despite living my best…