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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
'Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff, has been called the 'People’s Pope' who shared in the pain of the poor and the marginalized, even child victims of sexual abuse by the clergy'
It’s been three days since 88-year-old Pope Francis died on April 21, and those whose lives he touched continue to be amazed by his simplicity, humility, and fervent desire to bring change to a disorderly, atomized world. He died of a stroke and irreversible cardiovascular collapse a day after Easter — as if determined to share and celebrate for one last time its powerful message: the triumph of everlasting life over evil and death. (Monitor here LIVE UPDATES: Death and funeral of Pope Francis)
Other Pope Francis-related stories you should not miss:
- [OPINION] Pope Francis: ‘A moral giant in a world gone crazy’
- [Pope Watch] The four final acts of Pope Francis
- WATCH: Pope Francis’ last public appearance
- Thousands honor Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica
- Pope Francis remembered in the Philippines as defender of environment, poor
Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff, has been called the “People’s Pope” who shared in the pain of the poor and the marginalized, even child victims of sexual abuse by the clergy. In his Belgian tour in September 2024, he apologized for these abuses, declaring that the Church “must be ashamed and ask for forgiveness.” He categorically said there is “no place for abuse” and that “there is no place for the cover-up of abuse.”
For years, the Catholic Church denied, if not spoke only in whispers, of sexual abuse by priests, treating it like a well-guarded secret that could not be openly acknowledged because of the harm it could do to the institution’s integrity and credibility. For years, too, child victims who eventually became adults suffered in silence — their lives destroyed because of a sense of betrayal of the trust they placed in what they believed to be holy hands.
I have not forgotten a 2015 story very close to home about an ex-Jesuit seminarian accused of sexual abuse. I had spoken with the victim himself, at the time already 46 years old, and got to understand how an encounter of trust and betrayal could ruin a person’s life. The case marked the first time that a formal complaint about sexual abuse was put on record in the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. Read about the story of “Lucas” here.
“Lucas” sought retribution for the abuse he endured, but unfortunately his abuser died before he could be compensated. The case went through negotiation and led to some changes in guidelines, procedures, and protocol. Were these sufficient? For “Lucas,” perhaps not.
Even former president Rodrigo Duterte claimed in 2015 that he had been the victim of sexual abuse by a Jesuit, Mark Falvey, when he was in high school at the Ateneo de Davao. He was 14 or 15 years old at the time, he recalled. Falvey was reportedly ordered to pay P16 million in damages; he died in 1975.
The former Davao mayor said he was “afraid” to file a complaint back then. He also declared, “I will not file a case against the priest because I belong to the Catholic Church.”
It’s worth reminding ourselves of related stories and scandals about sexual abuse that rocked not just the Jesuits — the society to which Pope Francis belonged — but also the Catholic Church hierarchy, because these should be confronted, examined, openly discussed, and brought to justice. (READ: The fall of the rising star from Aries Rufo’s Altar of Secrets)
During a historic, first sex abuse Vatican summit in 2019, our own Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (then Manila Archbishop) declared: “Our lack of response to the suffering of victims, even to the point of rejecting them and covering up the scandal to protect perpetrators and the institution, has injured our people, leaving a deep wound in our relationship with those we are sent to serve.”
REFORMIST. The death of Pope Francis highlights his legacy, his reformist and progressive bent. Michelle Abad tracks some of his important pronouncements on gender — An inclusive papacy: Pope Francis’ gender equality legacy. Leaving a lasting impression is his memorable quote: “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?”
SEDE VACANTE. The final departure of the first Jesuit pope brings us to a period known as the “Apostolica Sedes Vacans,” the interregnum between the death or resignation of a pontiff and the choice of a new one. During this time, the camerlengo — a cardinal nominated by the pope and eventually chosen to oversee the revenues of the Holy See — temporarily takes over the mantle of leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
It was the Irish-born American Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell who was named camerlengo by Francis on February 14, 2019. It is also Cardinal Farrell who will preside over the election of a new pontiff after the declaration of sede vacante (vacant seat).
Researcher Patrick Cruz explains what happens from the time the pope is officially declared dead by the camerlengo in his story: What is sede vacante? He also walks us through what happens during the process of selecting a new pope, or what is known as the conclave.
BURIAL. Francis had been known to shun the usual trappings of power associated with the papacy. This was pronounced more so in death when he requested a break from tradition — he preferred a more modest single, zinc-lined wooden coffin to the usual “three interlocking caskets made of cypress, lead, and oak.”
He also chose to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major instead of St. Peter’s Basilica, where most popes have been laid to rest. Read more here about the burial of Francis, who follows in the footsteps of Leo XIII, also buried outside the Vatican in 1903.
Beyond Pope Francis, here are other equally important stories you may want to read as we approach the midterm elections this May:
– Rappler.com
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