Interview
When you consider Pope Francis and his legacy, for what are you most grateful?
Dr Shikiya: Thanks be to God for the life and pastoral ministry of Pope Francis—for his prophetic voice for peace, justice, and fraternity. A pope who knew how to be a spiritual leader for the ecumenical and inter-religious world.
And the Pope fulfilled his longing to be present for the Easter Resurrection in the Jubilee Year, proclaiming once again the call for a just and lasting peace for all.
What strikes you most about the many messages of Pope Francis?
Dr Shikiya: Part of his message on Easter Sunday 2025 was: ”I appeal to those with political responsibilities not to give in to the logic of fear that isolates, but to use available resources to help those in need, combat hunger, and promote initiatives that foster development. These are the 'weapons' of peace: those that build the future instead of sowing death."
Pope Francis leaves behind a legacy full of hope and challenges—not only for the global Catholic family but also for other Christian communities, other religions, and spiritual traditions. His messages, gestures, and actions reached even those without any religious or spiritual beliefs or practices.
How did Pope Francis being the first Latin America pope resonate with people’s spirits?
Dr Shikiya: The first Latin American Pope, as he often said, came from the "ends of the earth." That particular expression relates to the idea of the periphery—both geographical and social—and to the importance of bringing love, mercy, and the fullness of life and justice to those who have been forgotten and marginalized.
His encyclicals reaffirmed the call to reach the social and existential peripheries from a synodal church that reflects and acts together—a journey made in unity, even with an ecumenical and inter-religious synodal spirit.
He embodied the Beatitudes with a pastoral, evangelical, and prophetic attitude, marked by the simplicity of heart and the firmness of God's love and mercy toward the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed. He recognized the cries of pain for human dignity as the weeping of Mother Earth. In the encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015) and the apostolic exhortation Beloved Amazon (2020), Pope Francis focused on caring for our common home, showing us the deep connection between the environmental crisis and the socio-economic crisis. For this reason, he emphatically calls us to a profound ecological conversion.
How did you observe Pope Francis speaking truth to power?
Dr Shikiya: Peace was his constant outcry—a just and sustainable peace that would end not only the violence of conflict and war but also the violence rooted in inequality and injustice of all kinds. He stressed the urgent need to transform our relationships and invited us to build a more just and compassionate society in the face of the multiple crises we are living through.
The encyclical Fratelli Tutti (2020) focuses on this, calling us to a new fraternity and social friendship based on a culture of encounter, dialogue, and listening—to promote a Samaritan diaconal and pastoral social practice.
Pope Francis did not mince words in front of the powerful and decision-makers. Like a true prophet, he spoke the truth and inspired real transformations toward another possible world.
Any final reflections?
Dr Shikiya: In short, the legacy of Pope Francis has gone beyond the boundaries of his Catholic flock, rooted in a prophetic pastoral theology born in Latin America, at the “ends of the earth,” alongside the poor and the vulnerable.
Let us, from our own faiths, beliefs, and spiritualities, embrace what he has left us. So be it.
Pope Francis remembered as prophet of encounter and inclusion (WCC feature story, 28 April 2025)
Rome prepares for papal funeral (WCC feature story, 28 April 2025)
WCC leaders to attend funeral of Pope Francis in Rome (WCC news release, 24 April 2025)
Voices from the fellowship: mourning Pope Francis (WCC feature story, 24 April 2025)
Pope Francis, ecumenical prophet of mercy, dies at age 88 (WCC obituary, 21 April 2025)
