Like Jesus, Pope Francis was a witness to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. Jesus didn’t have a political program and neither did Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’ time as leader of the Catholic church was striking for his humility, compassion, commitment to the poor, and leadership on international concerns. His encyclicals advocated for care and generosity, for our fellow citizens, for our environment, and for the common good. He travelled to some of the most troubled spaces on the planet, including a ground-breaking visit to Canada to issue a long-awaited papal apology to Indigenous peoples on Canadian soil.