He was the son of immigrant parents. Fleeing Mussolini’s fascism, Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s parents sailed from Italy to Argentina in early 1929. He was born just before Christmas in 1936. Raised as a first generation immigrant, Jorge returned to his familial homeland in Italy in March 2013 as Pope Francis I. Throughout his 12-year papacy, Pope Francis had a special place in his heart for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers—whose numbers reached a record 120 million people displaced by war and poverty during his time of leadership.
By the time of his death on April 21, Pope Francis had become the world’s greatest justice advocate for the poor—especially those living on our streets, trapped in our prisons, and struggling to establish future hope in countries torn in two by war, poverty and violence. Because of this, he was often in the crosshairs of some in his own church, President Donald Trump and other world leaders who had built walls and exclusionary policies closing doors of opportunity to those same forsaken people.
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In 2016, Pope Francis told a gathering of Christians, “It’s hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help.” Who among us want to live our lives as hypocrites?
Pope Francis was a blessing to every person on earth—whether they acknowledged that or not. He was the champion of Just Love. He became this way by following the Gospel call of Jesus Christ to love our neighbors and, most of all, to love our enemies. Let us remember, his last act was to give all his personal savings to poor prisoners and their families—people he visited often in as pope.
By the time you read this, “Franciscus” will be a past-tense memory in our fast-moving times. Pope Leo XIV was elected pontiff on May 8. I pray that Francis’ spirit of love for all will live on in each of us. From Francis, we in Columbus and beyond can learn how to pray and care for and love those who are struggling most in our midst.
This is not just a Christian message. This is a human message. Take time to stand with refugees and immigrants in our community. Someone in your family’s history likely defended your right to be here. Stand with the homeless and poor in Central Ohio. Someone stood up for you when you were down and out. Stand with the captives who are locked away and forgotten in Ohio.
It is time for us to stand up and speak out for others with the same loving veracity that we witnessed in Pope Francis. In this present moment, where you stand will determine what you see. What you see will determine what will say and do. And what you say and do will determine who you really are.
Tim Ahrens is retired pastor of First Congregational Church in Columbus.
This story appeared in the July 2025 issue of Columbus Monthly. Subscribe here.
This article originally appeared on Columbus Monthly: Pope Francis’ Legacy of Compassion for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers
Reporting by Tim Ahrens / Columbus Monthly
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