Church, quo vadis?

SKETCHES

- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN

That's the question on many people's minds following the passing of the most popular pope I have seen in my lifetime.

Pope Francis made the Roman Catholic Church accessible, a refuge for those suffering from the myriad pains of existence. He represented a God who is loving in the purest form of the word, compassionate and merciful.

I know lapsed Catholics who were drawn back to the faith after Jorge Mario Bergoglio became pope. That was no small feat in this age of pleasure-seeking, self-indulgent materialism.

President Marcos is not alone in considering Francis as "the best pope."

Seeing the global outpouring of grief and sympathy over Pope Francis' death should make the Church think carefully about veering away from the progressive path through which he had led the faith during his 12-year papacy.

Staying on the path that Francis chose is not as simple as it seems. Even in global politics, we can see a shift in public preference for a return to conservatism. Will the Church hold on to the faithful who were won back by Pope Francis, or aim for what may seem like a bigger flock of traditionalists?

The selection of the reformist Argentine Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope was seen as a call for change as the doctrinal rigidity of his predecessor, German theologian Benedict XVI, alienated the faithful who thought the Church was becoming an anachronism.