Lynn Zovighian No tribute, obituary or testament can do justice to one of the greatest leaders of our time. Pope Francis has passed, but his embodiment of Saint Francis of Assisi’s humility, service and tireless calls for peace must stand the test of time. Remembering him in the context of our devastated Middle East is indispensable. His values and spirit are an essential blueprint for how our region must be enabled to thrive. I chose to mourn on Easter Monday by reflecting upon eight of his brilliant lessons. Lesson 1: Be a lighthouse; give light to darkness. Lesson 2: Discard colonialism and bring back dignity. Consistently engaging in his humble self, leaving no room for pomp or self-importance, Pope Francis in 2021 visited Iraq, including areas devastated by Daesh, such as Mosul, to mourn with Iraqis and all Christians and communities of the Middle East. His presence reinstated our right to dignity and reaffirmed our collective fight for justice and a life worth living. In an address at Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, he said: “It is up to us to remind the world that human life has value for what it is and not for what it has.” During his general audience upon his return from Iraq, he declared: “The Iraqi people have the right to live in peace; they have the right to rediscover the dignity that belongs to them.” His vision and language of human dignity was not about saving others but about being with them, restoring agency and holding space for healing. Lesson 3: Humbly learn from those fighting and surviving. Lesson 4: Offer hope in abundance. In his nightly video calls with Fathers Gabriel Romanelli and Youssef Asaad in Gaza since October 2023, Pope Francis joined their suffering and lived experiences, saying: “I am with you, don’t be afraid.” By connecting so compassionately with survivors of conflict, he instilled the hope they needed to survive another day. And in doing so, at a time when the world was facing the greatest leadership trust crisis in history, he embraced Gaza, elevating the voices bearing the truth. By receiving, he could also authentically give back: Pope Francis relentlessly demanded an end to the “cruelty” of the Gaza War, up to his last Easter sermon: “I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.” His theology was not abstract, but rather a living system of thinking and acting in empathy and deeply listening to those who are marginalized, invisible or forcibly forgotten. Lesson 5: When power fails to do right, never lose your moral compass. Lesson 6: Return to the essence of politics. During his historic visit to the Arabian Peninsula in 2019, Pope Francis co-signed with Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” underscoring the necessity for world leaders to work together to end conflict and achieve peace. He knew the Middle East’s narrative needed reclaiming and ensured our wisdom of fraternity and tenderness was shared with the world. The document stated: “We call upon ourselves, upon the leaders of the world as well as the architects of international policy and world economy, to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood and bring an end to wars, conflicts, environmental decay and the moral and cultural decline that the world is presently experiencing.” By rejecting geopolitics and enforcing the rightful space for moral diplomacy, Pope Francis reimagined human dignity as deeply political: a commitment to the shared well-being of our planet, our people. Lesson 7: Have courage; do not yield to collective indifference and elusiveness. Lesson 8: Inhumanity is the loss of civilization. Despite his weakened health, the clarity, energy and truth of his words moved mountains. Whether in his sermons, moments with worshippers and citizens or meetings with political leaders, his critical thinking taught us the power of having the courage to say and do the right thing. He understood the Middle East was being neglected by political convenience and he refused to normalize injustice by speaking up and saying no to what had become acceptable. During an ecumenical prayer meeting in Italy in 2018 with leaders of Christian churches from the Middle East, Pope Francis stated: “Indifference kills and we desire to lift up our voices in opposition to this murderous indifference.” He taught us never to abandon humanity, especially when the world thinks it can move on in collective indifference. He knew that to lose communities, humanity and human life was not a tragedy of the Middle East, but a defeat of worldly civilization. The loss of a life in this region or any part of the world must matter to everyone; no one was entitled to avoid responsibility. As an Armenian Catholic philanthropist who calls Riyadh her second home, the moral compass of Pope Francis has profoundly shaped my giving, diplomacy and fearless fight for justice and truth. His passing is a sacred calling to relearn what it means to be human and to honor the region where Jesus was born. The responsibility of love and justice must continue to be shouldered and shared. By doing so, our region stands a real chance of not only surviving but flourishing. Courtesy: arabnews