Andrés RM MOTTO, CM
andresmotto@gmail.com
Dear friends, may the peace of Jesus bring joy to our hearts through his resurrection, and may we share it with you.
I'd like to tell you that I spent Holy Week in León, Spain. I was leading a provincial spiritual retreat for a group of Daughters of Charity and, along the way, sharing Holy Week celebrations with them and a group of lay people. As the retreat ended, and I had two days to visit the city, I heard on the radio that Pope Francis had passed away on April 21, 2025.
In light of this event, I present a brief reflection on this Pope who, without being a revolutionary, was a reformer. His contributions were notable: he led us along paths of mercy, integral ecology, hope, peace, fraternity, and synodality, and he especially prioritized work on behalf of the poor. He confronted powerful conservative groups such as the Sodalitium, the Order of Malta, Opus Dei, as well as princely bishops. All these achievements also coexisted with some of his limitations, his stubbornness, and his failure to select several of his collaborators. I believe he had flaws similar to John Paul II's. Let me explain: the Polish pope opted for conservative groups, but often he didn't promote the best of conservatism, but rather several lamentable individuals. The Pope of the end of the world made a more progressive and evangelical choice. But in many cases, he didn't promote the best of progressivism, but rather people far beneath their positions.
In a few days, the Conclave for the election of the new pope will begin. I think it will be a difficult election, as conservative groups, accustomed to holding power, will do everything possible to regain the presidency. For their part, the progressives will have to decide how to continue, deepen, and improve the changes proposed by Francis. Furthermore, in my opinion, there don't seem to be any clear leaders among the cardinals (from either group).
I believe the fundamental thing is to be faithful to the liberating project of Jesus, who came to bring abundant life. He did not come to burden people with guilt, but to help each person achieve their best version, within a world that must include. For now, we must wait, pray, and consider what model of Church we want to build, accepting a healthy diversity, of course. The Conclave will tell us who the new Bishop of Rome will be; in the meantime, let us continue evangelizing with a bold prudence that leads us to intelligently transform structures that do not support life.