“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
– Martin Luther King
I was raised a Catholic but the years have seen me become a not so devout one.I have my reasons. My attention was piqued when the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina was elected as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church in 2013. First of all, he is a Jesuit. You see, Jesuits are just not supposed to be office holders in the Church. They are the intellectuals, the men who evangelize, take care of the poor and the needy. The men who run schools and colleges. Then he choose the name Francis, after St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of the Poor. I was intrigued. I wondered if this Pope would be different.
O, how different he is!
From his humility, his love and care for the poor and needy, the sick and hungry, his openness, his willingness to reach out and dialogue, his inclusive attitude and outreach to those the Church had long forgotten, he has reignited my interest in what the Church is supposed to stand for. And with that, I guess I am not alone. The whole world has taken notice.
Through his actions, he also has won himself a certain moral authority. And with that moral authority, he can speak about issues that pertain to social justice and even the environment. He has won himself the right to be the World’s Conscience, because the World always needs a conscience.
In the last few decades, we have had men like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. These men, in fighting inequality and oppression, used peaceful means and with that won the admiration of the World. (It must be said that Mandela started off as militant).
Martin Luther King
Nelson Mandela
Their strength of resolve and dreams of better lives for all as well as the overarching wish to achieve all through peaceful means awarded them moral authority and with that the ability to be a conscience for their respective countries and the World at large. Since Mandela died, there has been a vacuum and I think Pope Francis fills this vacuum really well. His position as a Man of God lends a hand. More importantly though are his actions – that of a powerful but humble man who cares about the poor and has this wish to achieve peace and understanding in our tumultuous times.
And the world need a conscience. The world needs men and women whose very lives are an example to all. The world needs men and women who have not been corrupted by this world and can speak the truth that needs to be heard.The world needs men and women whose words and deeds are like a moral compass. Political leaders are compromised because politics by it’s very nature demands a give-and-take that can lead to concessions that infringe on one’s beliefs. Moral Authorities do not have that problem. Not unless they decide to wade into the world of politics. However, Gandhi, King and Mandela were all politically active but managed to keep the air of authority the world needs.
The World needs a conscience because of income inequality; because about 795 million people do not have enough to eat; because millions have been displaced by war and strife; because the planet is tethering on a climatic disaster; because preventable diseases still kill children in underdeveloped countries; because things are falling apart.
So even as he speaks, I hope the World listens and recognizes him for what he has become – the Conscience the World sorely needs.