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Observations by a Reformed Christian
By J. Jeff Toler for Shenandoah Christian Alliance j.toler@sca4christ.org
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For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit. —1 Corinthians 12:13
The death of Pope Francis at the age of 88 was certainly not a shock. The Roman Catholic leader had experienced a number of increasingly serious health issues in recent years—particularly the last few months.
CBS reported that “Francis died at 7:35 a.m. Monday at his residence, the Vatican said. In a statement released Monday, the Vatican said Francis died of a cerebral stroke, coma, and subsequent irreversible heart failure.” [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-death-health-challenges/]
He developed double pneumonia earlier last winter. His compromised respiratory condition began when one part of his lung was removed as a young man. His recent troubles started in July of 2021, following intestinal surgery for a “bowel narrowing,” followed by another surgery to repair a hernia and remove intestinal scar tissue.
In February of this year, his health issues became increasingly grave. He contracted bronchitis in February and was hospitalized for treatment. It was then he developed a respiratory tract infection, double bilateral pneumonia, and signs of early kidney failure. Ultimately, the stroke was followed by irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
Vice President JD Vance
Late in day, and only hours before his death, Vice President Vance had a very brief meeting with the Pope.
On April 20, Vance met briefly with Pope Francis in Vatican City on Easter Sunday as the pontiff was recovering from pneumonia. But, just hours later, the vice president shared his condolences after learning that the Pope had died.
“I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis.” Vance said, “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.” [Daily Wire Article]
The Pope’s health was in decline after several years of increasingly serious ailments and illnesses.
Not every Christian is a Roman Catholic, but all Christians do belong to the Catholic Church.
This was something of a puzzle to me shortly after I became saved and was introduced to the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate.
was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven.
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit.
the holy Catholic* Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places
This creed forms the basis for Christian orthodoxy.
It’s fascinating, if not amusing, to see and hear the pundits and the commenter class with their harping about Vance being somehow responsible for the death of Pope Francis owing to the timing of his visit.
Critics of Vance immediately posted slurs and insults referring to it. But one commentator pointed out the obvious: somebody has to be the last to see someone. Absent the cruel politicization, such visits can be, and often are, considered a privilege.
The papal line has seen 216 Popes since, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the Apostle Peter was the first Pope. Their reason for this belief emerges from this passage found in John 21:15-17:
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
I happened to come across, in my research, an interesting historical figure. His name was St. Malachy, (Pronounced MAH-lah-kee) who made prophecies or predictions, purportedly written in 1139 AD (CE for some) concerning the future Popes.
In a series of 112 cryptic Latin phrases, St. Malachy formulated predictions of the Roman Catholic popes, but in doing so he predicted there would only be one more pope after Benedict, who stepped down in 2013 to be replaced by Francis. If this prophecy proves to be true, things are about to get very interesting indeed.
To be clear, they are anything but reliable. Most were highly improbable.
One thing can be said of the day and times we live in now: more people seem to be increasingly aware of the things that politics alone can’t and won’t address—namely the significance of the higher things life can impress on us if we are willing to see and hear. All but for the committed atheist among us, faith is essential for spiritual comfort.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” —Hebrews 11:1-3
As for the passing of Pope Francis, including those who preceded him and his successors, Roman Catholic tradition has it that the Pope is considered to be the Vicar of Christ. On this issue Protestants differ sharply.
Vicarious is derived from the word vicar, and vicarious can mean vice, as in vice president. It can also mean “instead of.” This is what struck me coincidentally about Vance’s meeting with Francis. There can possibly be a situation where Vice President Vance can fill the office of the president in certain extraordinary situations. This simply can’t be true of filling the office of the King of Creation.
Scripture provides the understanding of who our High Priest really is. He is on the order of Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:18-20)
This is what GotQuestions, the online site I rely on for explaining important topics of our faith, had to say:
This makes Jesus superior to the priests, and more importantly, the high priests. This is the key text: “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:23-25). [https://www.gotquestions.org/vicar-of-Christ.html]
Pope Francis lived a long time by most standards. That he suffered before his death is sadly evident. Now comes the time for choosing his successor. My hope is that my Catholic friends and readers of this column will find comfort in the hope that he is now with his Lord—who cannot die because He conquered death once and for all.
