Did the pope write a now-viral “letter from the hospital”?

“He was a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone.” This is how Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re described Pope Francis in Saturday morning’s funeral for the deceased pontiff. “The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open,” he added.

To illustrate his point: texts and prayers during the service were offered in English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, German, and for the first time, Mandarin. The program for the funeral mass was published beforehand by the Vatican in English, Italian, and Latin.

Trump and Zelensky met prior to the service

Watching the service on live television was a moving experience for me. It was remarkable to see more than 250,000 people fill St. Peter’s Square from all over the world. They came in such numbers that more than four hundred priests were required to serve communion to all who wanted to receive it.

In addition, more than 250,000 mourners paid their respects to the pope in the previous days as his body lay in state. Among his last visitors were French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. He bowed his head; she made the sign of the cross. Many at the funeral were dressed in formal attire, but many others were in jeans and T-shirts.

Further illustrating the inclusive nature of the event, fifty heads of state and ten reigning monarchs attended the historic service. Among them were US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and United Nations General Secretary António Guterres. A Russian minister, a minister from Iran, and an ambassador from Israel also attended.

President Trump and President Zelensky met prior to the service, their first time to be together following their contentious argument in the Oval Office on February 28.

With Pope Francis’s burial, the church began nine days of official mourning, known as the novemdiales, then the conclave gathers to elect the next pope. (For more, see my explainer: “The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow.”)

“A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar”

The spirit of the funeral mirrored the spirit of the pope being memorialized. Francis was especially beloved for his personal humility and inclusive heart, characteristics he first manifested decades before his election as pope.

In media coverage of his death and funeral, many focused especially on his “Who am I to judge?” statement regarding gay people and his perceived openness toward the LGBTQ community and others whom critics consider to be marginalized by the church. Some are expressing their hope the next pope continues and even accelerates what they are portraying as Francis’s “welcoming” agenda.

Here’s an example: A letter purporting to be written by Pope Francis from the hospital is making the rounds widely on social media these days. It begins: “The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches.” The “letter” continues:

It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor.
A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar. . . .
Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you.
Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere.
Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely!
And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.

However, this “letter” was not written by the pope. It is not found on any official Vatican sources such as the Holy See website, nor in his homilies, encyclicals, or public addresses. Versions of it have been attributed to Pope Francis for many years, but this is not true.

Furthermore, its advice to “walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you” is not just contrary to Catholic doctrine—it is unbiblical and even dangerous. It is Satan who whispers in our ear that we can be our own gods (Genesis 3:5). Scripture warns us against those who “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 4) and are “following their own ungodly passions” (v. 18).

By contrast, we are encouraged to “trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. . . . Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lᴏʀᴅ; and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:5, 7).

Francis himself described as “evil” the “notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless.” Pope St. John Paul II agreed: “Only the freedom which submits to the Truth leads the human person to his true good. The good of the person is to be in the Truth and to do the Truth” (his emphasis).

“Something we have never fully lived before”

All Christians can learn from Pope Francis the urgency of loving every person as Christ loves us. We can wash the feet of sinners in the knowledge that we are sinners as well. We can kiss the faces of the disfigured and reach out to those in despair.

But Francis would agree that we love best when we love in truth.

In his preface to an upcoming book by Cardinal Angelo Scola, the pope wrote: “Life is life, and sugarcoating reality means betraying the truth of things.” Otherwise, as Paul warned us, we are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

It is by “speaking the truth in love” that we “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (v. 15). Jesus taught us: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

As we live biblically and help those we know to live biblically, we prepare for that day when our Lord will “set you free” forever.

In his preface, published by the Vatican after his homegoing, Francis wrote: “Death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something. It is a new beginning . . . because we will live something we have never fully lived before: eternity.”

What if it were today for you?

Quote for the day:

“No authentic progress is possible without respect for the natural and fundamental right to know the truth and live according to that truth.” —Pope St. John Paul II

Our latest website resources:

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Denison Forum

Why an atheist says America needs Christianity

The death of Pope Francis continues to dominate the news, but commentators are beginning to turn their attention to what comes next as well. Of the twelve cardinals thought to be frontrunners to become the next pope, many are considered more conservative than Francis.

On the other hand, Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. Since four out of five votes in the coming conclave will be cast by cardinals elevated by Francis, some believe they will appoint a successor who will follow his pastoral priorities. (For more, see my new website article, “The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow: Who might be the next pope and what else you need to know.”)

The person who becomes the next pope will obviously be vitally significant to America’s seventy-two million Catholics (comprising the largest denomination in the US). But three values Francis emphasized during his pontificate transcend denominations and are crucial to the future of American democracy as well.

“Three things America needs most right now”

Jonathan Rauch describes himself as an atheist, homosexual Jew. Nonetheless, his conversation this week with Bari Weiss of the Free Press makes a point every American Christian needs to understand.

Rauch, a Yale-educated author, journalist, and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, claims that our democracy depends on three pillars: resist fearmongering, care for the rights of the marginalized, and forgive your political opponents. He asserts that they are “the three things America needs most right now.”

According to Rauch, these values are especially central to the Christian faith. (To illustrate his point, all three were repeatedly emphasized by Pope Francis in his messages and ministry.) Rauch, therefore, urges Christians to “teach how to be like Jesus in public life” by discipling people around politics and social media. He notes: “If Christians—especially white evangelicals—could bring the tone and behavior of Jesus into politics instead of mimicking the worst of social media, it could help heal both the church and the country.”

He adds: “Christianity has run aground before—indulgences, corruption, power. But the gospel endures: A God in human form who suffers and dies not to dominate but to redeem. It’s the most powerful story in human history. Maybe it’s not done yet.”

“What it is like to live separated from God”

Like Jonathan Rauch, Bari Weiss is Jewish. What neither of them seems to understand is that the incarnational love of God is not just a “story” but a living Reality. Frederick Buechner writes:

The proclamation of Easter Day is that all is well. And as a Christian, I say this not with the easy optimism of one who has never known a time when all was not well but as one who has faced the Cross in all its obscenity as well as in all its glory, who has known one way or another what it is like to live separated from God.

Like Buechner, I have known “what it is like to live separated from God.”

As far back as I have memory, I have believed that God exists. In my darkest days—the early death of my father, the cancer diagnoses of our oldest son and youngest grandson, the inevitable discouragements that come to pastors (and everyone else)—my faith in God’s reality persisted.

But I have known what it is like not to experience the joy of his presence, that visceral sense of fulfillment and significance that comes to those who are living in his leading and power. I have felt the absence of his presence when my sins grieved and quenched his Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). I have known days when serving him felt more like an obligation than a privilege, times when Christianity was more a transactional religion about Jesus than a transforming relationship with him.

“Death is not the end. The end is life.”

The good news is that such days are not the whole story. Buechner continues:

In the end, his will, not ours, is done. Love is the victor. Death is not the end. The end is life. His life and our lives through him, in him. Existence has greater depths of beauty, mystery, and benediction than the wildest visionary has ever dared to dream. Christ our Lord has risen.

I have experienced this risen Lord personally. I have known what it is to feel the intimacy of his presence, the joy of his grace, the power of being led by his Spirit.

Experiencing Jesus in this way is vital not just for our souls but for our nation. The three Christian pillars Rauch identifies as essential to democracy are empowered not by our religion but by our living Lord:

• We cannot truly refuse to fear others unless we have the courage of Christ infusing our minds and spirits.
• We cannot truly care for the marginalized unless we have the compassion of Jesus beating in our hearts.
• We cannot truly forgive our opponents unless we experience and share his forgiving mercy.

These gifts of grace are extended in nail-scarred hands to each of us, even now.

“He can heal us and help us move forward”

As the world marks the death of Pope Francis, I have been quoting all week from his latest book, published just two months before his homegoing. In it he writes:

How often we have felt the need for a change that would affect our entire person! How often we have said to ourselves, “I need to change; I can’t keep on like this. My life is leading nowhere, it will never bear fruit, it’s all pointless, I’ll never be happy.” How often have we had these thoughts! And Jesus, who is nearby, always reaches out to us and says, “Come, come to me. I will do the work: I will change your heart, I will change your life, I will make you happy.”

Jesus, who is with us, invites us to change our life. It is he, with the Holy Spirit, who sows in us this restlessness to change our lives and become better people.

Let us accept the Lord’s invitation without resistance. Only by opening ourselves to his mercy will we find true life and true joy. All we have to do is open the door—he will do the rest. He does everything; we just have to open our hearts. He can heal us and help us move forward.

Will you find “true life and true joy” today?

Quote for the day:

“I am a dreamer, dazzled by the light of the gospel; I stare into the night for visions with hope. And when I fall, thanks to Jesus, I always rediscover the courage to keep fighting, hoping, and dreaming.” —Pope Francis

Our latest website resources:

• “The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow: Who might be the next pope and what else you need to know.”
• Why should the death of Pope Francis matter to Protestants?

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Denison Forum

Why the biggest story is not always the most important story

When Hurricane Helene swept through much of the East Coast six months ago, it left a trail of destruction that has continued to haunt those caught in its path. While some have been able to rebuild what was lost, the relative isolation of many western North Carolina towns slowed such progress. And, as Jesse Pierre reports, “Few places were hit as hard as Chimney Rock Village.”

Fortunately, they’re on their way back, thanks in part to a rather unexpected source.

Great Needs Trust is one of the groups that has been on the ground to help rebuild the town, and their workers are easy to spot both for the effectiveness of their work and … for other reasons.

You see, the men and women from Great Needs Trust hail from the Amish country of Lancaster, PA, a fact made evident by their dress and approach to the work that needs to be done in Chimney Rock. As Amanda Zook described, “We wanted to help the people with the disaster. Our hearts just felt drawn to come help the people in this area.”

Amos Stoltzfus, another volunteer, added, “It just fills my heart with joy, watching people get their life back again.”

In addition to their work in Chimney Rock, volunteers from the organization have also helped build tiny homes for those displaced by the hurricane throughout much of western North Carolina. And, as Pierre points out, “The volunteers are not just restoring buildings, they’re also restoring a sense of community.”

The true significance of breaking news

You may be wondering why I would start today’s article by highlighting the work of Amish volunteers in hurricane-ravaged North Carolina when the war in Ukraine, tariffs, and the Pope’s passing continue to dominate the news. Those are genuinely important stories and worth following. However, just because something is making headlines doesn’t mean that anything has really changed.

The latest updates on the war in Ukraine, for example, essentially mean that we’re still at the same place as when I wrote about it back in February, with the most significant shift that Trump’s threats to end support for Ukraine may be closer to coming to fruition should the peace process continue to bear little to no fruit.

Likewise, while the trade war in China has shown signs of shifting in recent days—and the stock market has responded well to that hope—the reality is that nothing of substance is all that different than it was last week or last month. There is still a massive amount of uncertainty regarding what the future will bring, and most of the market movements are based more on hopes and fears than reality.

And that is equally true for the reported ninety-plus nations trying to negotiate new trade deals with the US. Even as those deals start to be made, their actual implications for the global economy will remain all but impossible to determine until they are given time to go into effect.

Pope Francis’s funeral will be held at the Vatican tomorrow, with leaders from around the world in attendance and millions—if not billions—of others watching from home. But it will likely be weeks or months before the papal conclave chooses the Catholic Church’s next leader. And, if the past is any indication, there will be at least a few significant surprises in that process along the way.

The truth is, most of these news stories will play out in ways that will impact us, but we have little ability to impact them. Yet, as the story of the Amish volunteers demonstrates, the best way to advance God’s kingdom on earth is to keep our focus and energy on the parts of our lives where we can make a difference.

What is your Chimney Rock?

Our inability to influence the outcome doesn’t mean God wants us to ignore what’s going on with Ukraine, tariffs, the pope, or any of the other headlines out there today. However, it is crucial that we don’t allow the news—and, more specifically, the fear and angst it can generate—to make us ignore God, either.

Toward the end of Christ’s ministry, his disciples pulled him aside and asked what signs would precede the end times (Matthew 24:5–9). Across the nearly two millennia since, Jesus’s response has resulted in far too many attempts to find evidence of his return in the news of the day. But Jesus didn’t tell us what signs to look for so that we could then spend all our time focused on seeking them out.

Instead, he shared that teaching about false prophets, wars and rumors of war, famine, and natural disasters to give them—and, by extension, us—hope and encouragement that there are really only two ways such troubling events can end. Either they will pass, or they will result in his return, and both outcomes are good news for us.

As I wrote in Between Compromise and Courage, “God’s goal is that when the world seems like it’s falling apart, his people won’t. Instead, we should continue to share the gospel and proclaim Jesus is Lord as we prepare for the day when Christ will return and remove all doubt as to the truth of that statement.”

So where is God calling you to make a difference today? What is your Chimney Rock?

How you answer those questions will have a far more significant impact on your life and the lives of those around you than any of the stories dominating headlines today, and our priorities need to reflect that reality.

Do yours?

Quote of the day:

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” —Francis Chan

Our latest website resources:

• Church rededicated after Good Friday graffiti attack
• The Age of the Corporate Church: An excerpt from “What If Jesus was Serious About the Church?” by Skye Jethani
• The Pope’s death, Big Tech monopolies, NFL draft & a coffee hot take | Ep. 16
• The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow
• Why should the death of Pope Francis matter to Protestants?

Denison Forum