📍 Saturday 6PM Mass
✍️ Written by Raphael Kweku Darko Commeh
🎓 Economics & Finance student, MSU (Tema, Ghana)
The media likes to call him ‘The Pope of the people’, but to me, he was a father for all.
Good evening. My name is Raphael Kweku Darko Commeh. I am studying Economics and Finance at MSU. I come from Ghana, specifically the port city of Tema. I am 22 years old.
Pope Francis was a source of inspiration for me in so many ways. He was a symbolic leader not just for the Catholic Church but for the whole world. I love his unorthodox approach, how he sought to present a deeply traditional church in a more compassionate light in today’s modern world.
He was different. He chose to live in a simple suite at Casa Santa Martha, closer to the people. He was often seen carrying or doing everyday tasks like paying his electric bill. He had an Instagram account! On Holy Thursday, he washed the feet of inmates, migrants, refugees and people of other faiths.
He was outspoken on issues of marginalisation. At a climate change conference, he said “if no one is to be blamed, then everyone is to be blamed”, stressing our shared responsibility towards the planet. On the Eucharist, he said, it “is not a prize of the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” In these ways, Pope Francis made the Church feel human – like God reaching out to mankind, rather than just a religious institution. For me, he was an exemplary leader in every sense, urging us to be uniquely different, yet positively impactful.
His life of simplicity and humility often reminded me of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, he was not perfect. He was heavily criticised at times, just like any of us. But it dawned on me that imperfections often get over-highlighted when we are alive, and only in passing do we realise the impact someone had.
The media likes to call him ‘The Pope of the people’, but to me, he was a father for all. What I will remember most is his unwavering advocacy for love, mercy and hope. In this Jubilee Year of Hope, he has given us many reasons to have hope. I hope that one day he will be canonised as a saint.
May he continue to rest in the hands of the Father.