EDITORIAL: Pope Francis: Love over hatred, light over darkness

Flags flew at half staff Monday, honoring the memory of Pope Francis. The 88-year-old pontiff died Monday at the Vatican, just hours after delivering a message of peace and aspiration during an address for Easter, the holiest of Christian holidays. He had been in ill health for weeks after a respiratory crisis before succumbing to a stroke.

“His tireless efforts to promote peace, dignity and love for all of God’s children serve as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of finding God in all things,” read a statement from the Archdiocese of Las Vegas.

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, led the Catholic Church for 12 years after the sudden resignation of Benedict XVI. He vexed many conservative Catholics by attempting to expand the reach of the church and welcoming constituencies that had traditionally been marginalized.

But while he was an agent for reform, he was reluctant to radically overhaul the direction of the church, drawing the wrath of some on the left. “We are often chained like Peter in the prison of habit,” he said in 2022. “Scared by change and tied to the chain of our customs.”

Pope Francis was a model of humility and grace who emphasized his support for the downtrodden. He traveled extensively to spread his message of love and acceptance to impoverished areas of the globe. He often forswore the trappings of the job, leading to his reputation among rank-and-file church members as more accessible and a “man of the people.” He was the first pope to select Francis as his name, a reference to Saint Francis of Assisi, who gave up a life of wealth to become a beggar and preacher.

Perhaps his most significant challenge was addressing the ongoing child abuse sex scandals that rocked the church and threatened to permanently stain its mission and legacy. Initially, The New York Times reports, “he instinctively supported his fellow bishops and publicly doubted some victims.” But after talking to many who had been abused, “he enacted meaningful reforms, sought to make the protection of children a priority for bishops around the world and, remarkably, ordered an exhaustive investigation.”

His final speech Sunday emphasized the hope represented by the resurrection of Jesus. “Love has triumphed over hatred,” he said, “light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand.”

For the religious and non-religious alike, his inspiring words provide a light with which to navigate a complicated and increasingly fraught world.