Former Health Minister Adalberto Matos Fernandes, speaking on Monday evening on CNN Portugal, asserted that Pope Francis will be remembered as the pontiff who reconciled the Church with its faithful and presented the Church in a novel light.
“He consistently sought to balance faith with social commitment. Many accused him, especially from the more conservative sectors of the Church, of being a leftist pope or challenging some interests or leaders. Note the cold reactions from Donald Trump and Javier Milei in Argentina to the Pope’s passing. Some even went so far as to label him a communist pope,” the doctor recounted.
However, according to Adalberto Matos Fernandes, in essence, Francis was “a simple man who bridged the gap between the Church and its faithful, and notably extended its reach to the young. The youth greatly admired this Pope. He spoke a language of detachment. He is the first Jesuit pope in the papacy’s history. Consequently, he showed us all that it is possible to uphold justice for the poor, to bring environmental issues to the forefront, and to challenge the U.S., specifically regarding the Paris accords.”
“Nowadays, Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and non-believers, faithful or unfaithful look to Francis as an individual who embodies what each of us—in politics too—would like to say and do,” he emphasized, highlighting the “hypocritical exploitation by certain political sectors.”
“They demonized him not long ago, mistreated him, claimed this wasn’t their Church, and now they laud his ministry almost piously. The Pope deserves respect, consideration, and deserves recognition that the Church is more than an idea of faith and mysticism, it is an idea of life that should be embraced by those on both the Left and the Right who find motivation in social responsibility, justice, and equality,” he expressed, delivering an appeal.
“In times of electoral campaigns, like now, politics should remain in the realm of politics, allowing people to grasp Francis’s message more directly and naturally, without the mediation of politics, specifically by parties,” he concluded.
