The pope with the Midas touch

I was nine-year-old when Pope John Paul II came to Karachi in 1981. At the time I attended a Catholic school that housed a hostel for nuns belonging to various other missionary schools in Pakistan, which meant that we were let out for a week. Needless to say that was great news for all students who went to my school, and there were a lot of warm thoughts towards Pope Paul who made it all happen.

Being raised in a Muslim household and attending a Catholic school, I had some knowledge of Christianity. We sang Christmas songs come December, got a half-day holiday on Sunday when it was still a working day, were given a week off at Easter; but it was not until my recent trip to the Vatican, and my recent viewing of the documentary Finding Jesus, and finally, my recent introduction to Pope Francis (through the media), that I truly understood that all religions teach the same thing — kindness and humanity above all.

The pope landed in the US recently to a warm welcome and some scepticism amidst sexual abuse scandals that the Catholic Church had faced in recent years. However, upon viewing the pope’s persona, engagement and demeanour, the scepticism melted away.

Everyone in the US — Christian, Jewish, Muslim — was completely mesmerised by Pope Francis. His visit coincided with Eidul Azha, and hence became a topic of discussion at the scheduled Eid events held to celebrate the three days. I listened as all talked about Pope Francis with utmost respect and focused on his spirit of inclusion in these divisive times. Yes, that was the talking point, inclusion and kindness towards all regardless of race, religion, culture, language and gender.

One saw in Pope Francis humility and wisdom, and his philosophy and ideology appeared very humane, and I could not help but be inspired. He travelled in a Fiat, out of choice; he preached inclusion, out of choice; he did not condemn any other religion, out of choice; he stopped his car to hug and kiss people, out of choice; he genuinely seemed to care, out of choice; he truly seemed to understand that with great power comes great responsibility, and that too out of choice.

And then I ask myself, what’s so different about Pope Francis that makes him ‘The Peoples’ Pope’. Why is he so likable? In simple words, he’s just a good man and appears humane, tolerant, inclusive and genuine. Isn’t that what a spiritual leader is supposed to do? In a world, where of late religious clergy combined with a divisive politics — whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish or Hindu — is busy banning beef and stereotyping people belonging to other faiths, comes a soft-spoken gentleman who talks about kindness. Is that not what all religions and all messengers of God have taught their followers? Hence, when an ordinary person hears a man in the modern times talk about bringing people together and shunning divisiveness, it strikes a chord.

I am a Muslim, a practising Muslim, and I was impressed with Pope Francis and his ways. He seemed to give humanity priority, and since his message was one of hope, it made sense at a very basic level.

I look at the likes of young Malala, Mother Teresa and Abdul Sattar Edhi and ponder at the wonders of the world. In a world filled with those thriving on hateful rhetoric, the messengers of hope and goodness never cease to inspire. They lead with their message of hope like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and humanity is willing to listen to their tune and hum along with them, and slowly and gradually their song becomes louder and louder. It’s that melody that keeps humanity going through all the chaos and pathos. There is always a song to be sung, and that is our hope.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2015.

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