Dan Morris: Faith and farewell

Head of a church that represents over 1.4 billion souls across the globe, Francis was well liked by his flock as well as other leaders on the world stage.

In his 12 years as Pontiff, he was noted for his humility, his international visibility, and his commitment to interreligious dialogue.

Famously more informal in his approach to his office than the majority of his predecessors had been, Francis has been consistently heralded as an accomplished diplomat, and a forward thinking church leader whose stances on the international abolition of the death penalty and the decriminalisation of homosexuality were among the many hallmarks of a noble career.

As the thousands of mourners who have flocked to St Peter’s this week will doubtlessly attest, it is a monstrous understatement to say that he will be missed.

I remember visiting Rome not too long after Pope Francis’s inauguration. I’m not religious myself, though I have always been fascinated by religion and the history that comes with it.

I had been cynically told many times that Catholics were a people who mourned their faith rather than celebrated it, but in their church’s heartland, this isn’t what I found at all. 

Rather than perpetuating any glum picture of misery through abstinence and self-punishment, the many pilgrims I saw in and around Vatican City were elated individuals who clearly derived a great deal of joy from their religion. 

Their church made them happy, as did its new leader. 

All I could see around me were smiling faces created by the good things their owners’ faith had brought them. I remembered seeing the same thing over 10 years earlier when visiting mosques in Cairo. It's funny how similar the Muslim faithful looked, and I have since been resolved to keep these two pictures in my mind whenever I think about religion.

Sadly, the pages of history have been stained by certain atrocities committed in the name of faith. This is the few having spoiled things for the many. As a general rule, it seems to me that whatever a person’s religion may be, the point of their faith is to help them be happy. From what I’ve seen, it seems to succeed; how can that be a bad thing?

Occasionally my daughter and I will pay a visit to our local church. As I say, I’m not religious, but this beautiful building never fails to take my breath away – a supremely intriguing bastion of both craftsmanship and historical wonder.

When she is older, my daughter will be allowed to make up her own mind about God, religion and faith, but for now is very content to simply pore through the church’s wonderful collection of picture books that allow young children to feel relaxed and at home.

My father took her on a memorable visit there, and for the first time she became enamoured with its stunning stained glass windows. When he explained to her who the certain long-haired, bearded figure was in one of the centrepiece panes, sproglet looked Jesus square in the face, and with a big floppy wave simply exclaimed “hiya!” at her usual one million decibels.

The nearby church warden apparently laughed, touched by the charming informality of the greeting she had witnessed her saviour’s visage receive. 

This welcoming and encouraging attitude is always something I’ve noticed about my local church, especially as a youngster myself when making regular visits there for school events.

All seem to have always been welcome, regardless of their personal beliefs or commitment to the flock, and I would commend this light approach as a great way to ensure that that flock continues to grow.

I don’t believe in people forcing their beliefs on others, or in ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choices when it comes to faith. But I think if people are allowed to explore the options without pressure, they are probably more likely to find the happiness that faith should bring.

Though – as I say for a third time – I am not a religious man, faith and the idea of faith have brought me a lot of strength over the years, and I have had faith in many things – namely my family, my friends and myself. This has made me a better person.

As the Catholic church says goodbye to its father, a new leader will soon be chosen to be the caretaker of the faith of more than one in eight people on the planet.

Now that’s what I call a responsibility. Let’s hope the new Pontiff is up to it and never forgets the importance of the precious thing he cradles. To be able to have faith is quite simply a lot of what it is to be human.