Editor’s note: Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, the editors of Where Peter Is received many tributes to his life and reflections on his influence from past and current contributors, as well as podcast guests and friends of the site from all over the world. We will publish a few of these reflections every day leading up to the conclave. —ML
Pope Francis’s vision for a Church that includes everyone
By Bishop Richard Umbers, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney
Pope Francis had a knack for making faith feel real and grounded. At the 2019 ad limina visit to Rome, I really felt like he was someone who would be at ease chatting and preparing the sausages at a BBQ. Since becoming a bishop in 2016, I’ve felt encouraged myself to bring something of that same kind of warmth and openness to my own work. The “bureaucratic challenge” of leadership is not to lose your humanity in the “process.” Think about how Pope Francis could speak to children, like the boy worried about his dad’s unbelief, with such genuine care and clarity. It’s the kind of moment that sticks with you, reminding us all to listen with empathy and speak to their own situation — whether they’re doubting, searching, or just trying to get through the day. His recent calls for peace, particularly in places like Ukraine and Gaza, reflect that same heartfelt outreach —even as he was dying.
Pope Francis’s perspective on synodality — listening and walking together — has deeply influenced how I approach ministry, especially in parish visitations where I always go with a team or the way in which I entrust young clergy with responsibility and give them room to move. As we prepare for the International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028, I am literally walking with them in taking the Gospel beyond the pews and out into the streets.
Whatever the future may hold, Pope Francis’s vision for a Church that includes everyone, that goes out to those who are often overlooked, will remain a powerful example to all Christians in the way we seek to share the Good News.
“Father, I think we have a pope!”
By Dawn Eden Goldstein
At two in the afternoon of March 13, 2013, I popped into the office of a Dominican priest-professor at the Dominican House of Studies to make confession. From where I sat, facing Father’s desk, I could see the bell tower of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, just across Michigan Avenue.
After Father absolved me, we chatted a bit. Suddenly, as the priest was speaking, the Basilica’s bells started pealing as though summoning the faithful for Mass. But I knew it wasn’t the time for Mass.
“Father!” I interrupted. “I think we have a pope!”
I have never seen a Dominican run so fast as that priest dashed out the door, sputtering an excuse as he headed to watch the TV in the cloister, his white scapular trailing him in the breeze. Just over an hour later, gathered with students in a nearby classroom, I watched Pope Francis emerge in his own white habit, as one of the Dominican student brothers wondered aloud about the consequences for his religious order of having a son of Ignatius as pope. (“A Jesuit? Are we done?”)
During the years since that momentous day, I have come to feel that it was a special grace for me to enter into Francis’s papacy in a state of grace. It enabled me to submit my will and intellect to Francis’s teachings in a way that I might not have otherwise, letting myself be challenged by him. Through absorbing his teachings, which are inseparable from his personal witness — a witness of outstanding holiness — I have become a better Catholic and a better human being.
I really cannot calculate the impact that Pope Francis has had on my spiritual and intellectual life. It is because of him that, no matter who is elected pope, I am confident that I will continue to grow in my Catholic faith under his leadership.
And now I need to schedule my next confession, before the white smoke goes up, to start the new papacy once again with a clean soul.
If you would like to add your own reflection to this series, please send it via email by clicking on the “Article Submissions” tab above, with the subject line “Reflection.” The recommended length is 200-300 words. Longer submissions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to editing. We may not be able to publish all submissions.
Image: By Tomaz Silva/ABr – Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27433423
Bishop Richard Umbers, a New Zealand native, was ordained a priest of Opus Dei in Spain in 2002, and has been based in Sydney since 2003. As a priest, he served as the chaplain of several educational institutions. He was ordained a bishop in 2016 and now serves as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney. Bishop Richard is widely published in the area of philosophy, regularly addresses youth gatherings, has a large social media presence, and is the host of The Episcopal Podcast. He is proficient in Spanish, Italian, and Latin.
Dawn Eden Goldstein, JCL, STD, wrote on Pope Francis's spirituality for healing of trauma in Remembering God's Mercy. Her latest book is The Sacred Heart: A Love for All Times. Follow her on BlueSky @dawnofmercy.
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