For the past week I have been praying for the selection of the next pope. While I am not Catholic, I am very clear that the future of Christendom is impacted by the leader of the largest community within our faith tradition.
At times I have been deeply discouraged about the direction of Christianity. In high school, I explored other faith traditions only to arrive at the conclusion that all traditions have their issues. I also discovered the liberation theology tradition in Latin America and in the Black church. It was this way of understanding the life and teaching of Jesus that brought me back to my faith.
In 2013, I felt led to go divinity school and focus on becoming a pastor. I was still concerned about how I would fit into the church and whether I could help others to follow Jesus in a liberative way. But in that same year, Pope Francis was elected and his message inspired me to believe that despite my fears I should trust God and lean into a leadership role in the church.
In this post, I reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis and what it means that the newest pope is the first American to ever hold that office.
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