Newt Gingrich: The Best Way To Pay Tribute To Pope Francis

Callista and I attended nan Basilica of nan National Shrine of nan Immaculate Conception successful Washington, D.C., 3 times this past Holy Week.

The Basilica is nan largest Catholic Church successful America – and 1 of nan 10 largest churches successful nan world. It seats much than 3,500 people, and connected Easter Sunday it was opinionated room only.

While watching group person communion, I was struck by nan bonzer diverseness of group astatine nan Basilica. On each 1 of nan 3 days, nan assortment of dress and ethnicities was a tribute to nan truth that nan Roman Catholic Church is genuinely universal.

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As nan Basilica points retired connected its website, pinch much than 80 chapels and oratories, nan diverseness of nan Catholic religion astir nan world is good represented:

"Among nan nationalities and ethnicities represented passim nan Basilica are African, Austrian, Chinese, Cuban, Czech, Filipino, French, German, Guamanian, Hungarian, Indian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Latin American, Lebanese, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, and Vietnamese."

Pope Francis waves during an assemblage pinch Hungarian pilgrims successful Paul VI hallway astatine nan Vatican connected April 25, 2024. (Fillipo Monteforte/AFP via Getty)

The precocious Pope Francis’s accent connected helping and loving everyone dramatically furthered nan attractiveness and maturation of nan Catholic Church. In Africa and South Asia especially, location has been a melodramatic summation successful those who adopt Catholicism. This was reflected during Easter Week astatine nan Basilica.

When Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose Francis arsenic his papal sanction successful 2013, it was a clear awesome of committedness to a papacy focused connected and dedicated to serving nan poor. Just for illustration Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis was wished to rekindle nan tone of Christ’s passion to thief nan little fortunate, downtrodden, and marginalized. Just past Thursday, profoundly ailing and only 4 days from his death, Pope Francis went to Regina Caeli, Rome’s cardinal prison, to meet pinch 70 inmates. He washed nan feet of 12 of them successful nan contented of Christ washing nan feet of nan Apostles. Pope Francis’s committedness to scope retired to everyone was a powerful awesome of caring and inclusion that opened nan doors of nan Church to those successful belief and beingness request crossed nan full planet.

This openness to everyone was connected show astatine nan Basilica past week.

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I person agelong been haunted by thing Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. asserted successful his awesome Aug. 28, 1963, "I person a Dream Speech" astatine nan Lincoln Memorial. He said, "I deliberation it is 1 of nan tragedies –– one of nan shameful tragedies –– that 11 o’clock connected Sunday greeting is 1 of nan astir segregated hours, if not nan astir segregated hour, successful Christian America."

Rev. King gave america a powerful trial for moving beyond nan baseline of ineligible desegregation toward a genuinely integrated nine for each Americans. I deliberation Rev. King and Pope Francis would person been proud of nan unity, sincerity, and friendliness I witnessed astatine nan Basilica past week.

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It whitethorn now beryllium that nan astir agreed hr successful America happens astatine nan Basilica and different awesome churches. When Callista and I attended Mass astatine Saint Patrick’s Cathedral successful New York City, we had nan aforesaid consciousness of group from each inheritance coming together to believe successful a organization of faith. 

We knowledgeable nan aforesaid consciousness of universality for nan 3 and a half years Callista served arsenic U.S. Ambassador to nan Holy See. With nan second-largest negotiated practice of immoderate state successful nan world (next to Washington, D.C.) sitting successful nan negotiated corps for Christmas Eve Mass astatine Saint Peter’s Basilica reminded america really divers nan world is – and really overmuch that diverseness is captured successful nan Catholic Church. 

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Despite his worsening wellness challenges, Pope Francis visited countries specified arsenic Mongolia and Timor-Leste. He continued nan contented of changeless outreach that Saint Pope John Paul II pioneered. It is now regular to return nan papacy acold beyond nan Vatican’s walls.

We must proceed to scope retired to each personification of each background. Together we tin activity salvation done religion astatine nan bosom of nan Christian tradition. This would beryllium a fitting tribute to nan representation of Pope Francis.

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