What next after Pope Francis Transition?
…from ‘The two Popes’ to the next
Amb. Anthony Mukwita wrote:
25th April 25.
Sir Anthony Hopkins is just a remarkable artiste or theatre luminary in my view.
He breathes life into every character he plays in a movie starting from ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ right up to ‘Meet Joe Black’ to name but a few.
Sir Anthony Hopkins, however, out-did himself in ‘The Two Pope’s where he starred alongside another accomplished actor Jonathan Pryce, that’s just me.
The two acted as Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins), and one Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergogolio (Pope Francis) in this ‘Behind The Vatican Walls’ auto-bio movie that revealed a lot of what we never knew before behind papal walls.
The flick shows how poles apart the two Popes were in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the largest Christian faith or religion on earth, their personal convictions including the traditions of the church I personally am proud to belong to. Spoiler alert!
If you have not watched this academy nominated flick that hit Netflix in November 2019, today is your chance, its only 2.5hrs, you need the proverbial glass of red wine, you can get to know Pope Francis better after a bottle, mark my words.
Cardinal Bergogolio became Pope Francis in 2013 after the German born Benedict XVI, becoming not just the first Latin American Pope (from Argentina) of the biggest church on earth but also the first Jesuit priest Pope in the thousand (s) years old influential church.
Away from The Two Popes the movie to reality below!
THE STORY OF THE LAST EASTER
On a Monday Easter, Pope Francis breathed his last after a heart failure and battling a debilitating respiratory condition for years coupled with old age.
He will be laid to rest tomorrow 26th April 2025 after serving as The Holy Father, the head of the Catholic Church since 2013 aged 88 at d£ath in the Vatican, the smallest city state on earth.
Pope Francis’s ‘rise and rise’ is told better in the movie I have just told you about ‘The Two popes’ but nevertheless a myriad of obituaries from various credible media institutions abound on-line if you can read anything beyond 1000 words; knock yourself out.
In life just like in d£ath as far as I can recall, Pope Francis was a focal figure on issues of equality or lack of it, justice for all and love for everyone, terr0rism, gender etc. including love and marriage.
It was an emotional roller-coaster.
HOW THE POPE BROKE TRADITION
For instance, the Pope opened up a communication line talking every night to Christians in the ‘under siege Gaza’ every night since October 2023 until the day before he di£d, encouraging them to stay strong and asking them how they spent their day in Gaza as b0mbs rained above them to what they ate for dinner.
They loved him for that and made them feel someone in direct contact with God had not forgotten them.
IS BEING POPE AN EASY JOB?
It’s a tough gig being Pope, perhaps that explains why the other one quit and I say this in jest.
Remember the other Pope…Pope John Paul II had to go and visit, hug and forgive the guy that sh0t him twice and tried to k!ll him as he drove into St Peters Sq. 43 years ago? Can you do that?
How big is your forgiving meter right now on a scale of 1-10, Nelson Mandela level or the Pope?
Pope John Paul II is not alone on the list of vi0lence meted on Pope’s in history of thousands of years, as at least some more than 12 Pope’s have been murd£red in the history of the church through, pillow chocking, pois0ning, strangulation, and smothering, clubbing eish.
It’s a tough gig, remember as Pope you are the head of catholic church that has a population equal only to China and India followed by Facebook so when you hold such as job and you fight with love and not missiles, you make powerful enemies.
You don’t even have a monthly salary go figure!
There are 1.4 billion Catholics around the world, they could be more if the ones in China are counted too, China being atheist. It’s the largest and most powerful church on earth.
Anyhow, Pope Francis goes down in history to me as one of the G.O.A.T’s as a pan-Africanists just because he visited Africa, the poorest continent on earth at least 10 times including a cameo in the Congo and south Sudan, also having met both our current President HH and predecessor Edgar Lungu.
Can you believe our neighbour on the northern border DRC has the largest number of Catholics in Africa not us?
Here are the top of the chart above DRC: Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, the United States.
I am a proud catholic, deeply mystified by its elaborate traditions and also cognisant of its influence in politics since time immemorial but I won’t go on forever because better pundits have already penned the story of the Pope and the Church.
I grew up in Mongu, Kasama, Mansa and later Lusaka then Livingstone and in all instances especially the first two, I diligently served as an Altar Boy, serving mass every day, morning, sometimes even during school holidays.
Now you understand my ‘obsessesion’ for the Catholic Church.
I will let you in a secret, I almost became a catholic priest, you would be calling me Fr. Anthony today as we speak, a story for another day.
WHO TAKES OVER FROM POPE FRANCIS?
Many are asking, who is going to be the next Pope after the Pope Francis, the Holy Father?
I don’t know, all I care is that, who over takes over will be a good Pope by heart like Pope Francis was, continents don’t matter.
We leave all in the hands of some 140 wise Cardinals aged strictly about 80 years who will select a padre aged between 65 and 80 years old that has the experience, the blue print already exists this ain’t no monopoly or democracy.
I told you it’s not a job for the weak at heart.
CAN ZAMBIA DRAW INSPIRATION FROM PAPAL LOVE?
My prayer is that the transition of Pope Francis to the other side unites us as a globe amidst wars and poverty raging globally, Zambia is part of the globe.
There’s so much hate and contempt and abject poverty in the world right now, including our country Zambia, its palpable and counterproductive.
Let’s use the Pope’s departure to heal and unite—I would include in my prayers, a reconciliation between sixth President Edgar Lungu and successor President H.E Hakainde Hichilema.
Remember I always say there’s a silver-lining to every dark cloud.
Don’t you think it would be amazing to live in a country where the only living former President wines and dines with the current President, HH et ECL?
Zambians across party lines?
What could possibly go wrong in unity and harmony?
Can you imagine a picture perfect moment of HH and ECL standing together and finish what we call in Lozi ‘lindwa ni masendeo’. Let’s heal the land and make it a better place like the King of pop MJ said.
We could then shift our attention to make love not war, eradicate poverty, not build prisons, sign peace pacts, not cyber bills, industrialise and mechanise agriculture, not amend the constitution.
We could use the Pope’s good spirit for a lot of good things and end the acrimony and friction we have lived in for the past four years, the contempt, hate and friction that could get worse if we continue on this path before the next polls.
I know sixth President Edgar Lungu loves love and hates acrimony and am certain President Hichilema feels the same way too.
I have been consistent about my message for love in Zambia and not w@r because confl!ct is good for nothing. It’s an expensive and destructive emotion. It builds nothing.
It guts everything, it’s a zero sum game, in cold w@r times we could have called it M.A.D.
Are rejected cyber laws and constitutional amendments necessary above the fight against poverty and unity in diversity of religion and or politics?
Happiness and sadness are similar emotions, it just feels better to be happy in my view!
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Amb. Anthony Mukwita is a published author and International Relations analyst whose books are available in Bookworld and Grey Matter.
Source: The Daily Nation Zambia.