It's the dream of any priest, from the lowliest vicar to the pope, to die (at a ripe old age) on Easter Monday after saying one final post-Lent "Alleluia, he is risen!" I know a lot of us were moved by the news yesterday of Pope Francis' death. We'll remember him this Sunday in the Prayers of the People, and at the Wednesday Eucharist tomorrow morning in the chapel.
As it happened, on Easter evening I excitedly began the second season BBC's Wolf Hall series. I devoured Hilary Mantel's books when they came out, and the series does not disappoint. It features Thomas Cromwell, Lord Privy Seal for King Henry VIII and mastermind behind the 16th-century political break between the Church of England and the Church of Rome. It captures well the way the individual's sometimes conflicting aspirations and ambitions--for freedom and autonomy, but also continuity and tradition--map onto global political conflicts. The English Reformation was tied up with the larger forces that forever changed Europe and paved the way for the Enlightenment, but it was also heavily shaped by the complicated desires of a few men and women--a king, his courtiers, and his wives.
We may have formally separated, the Church of England and the Church of Rome, but we do have a special bond through our common liturgy (which the English Church retained), music, and of course longstanding history beginning with Jesus and the disciples. The Church of England has a beautiful outpost in Rome, where theological dialogues and gatherings continue to unite our two traditions. I was lucky enough to spend some time there almost 20 years ago, though that was during the tenure of the previous pope, Benedict.
As for Pope Francis himself, I know many of us have a tremendous amount of admiration for someone who, within an often rigid system, stepped out and took risks. As I immerse myself in season 2 of Wolf Hall, I'm reminded how proud I am to be an Anglican, and especially Episcopalian (the name for Anglicans in the United States), where we've been free to embrace change at a faster pace than the Roman church. Women priests, an inclusive stance towards our LGBTQ clergy and members, theological diversity and honesty--these are all things that draw me to our church, and also to Pope Francis who tried to hold space for some of this in his own structure.
His greatest concern, throughout his career right up to his final hours, was for the weak and vulnerable around the world, including migrant populations and those seeking refuge from danger. This should be an inspiration and example for all Christians in these times we're in. We may be from separate traditions, but Pope Francis had a gift for keeping his Church focused on what mattered, and the values we share in common.