He did not come to Goa, but Pope Francis touched hearts here

St John Paul II was the first pope to set foot in Goa. Celebrating the eucharist at the Campal ground, with the as the backdrop, he addressed the hundreds of thousands who had gathered for the mass in Konkani, back in the 1980s.

Goa was green back then; the waters were blue, and the spirit vibrant during the four-day visit of the pope. For many of us who were there, it was a spiritual high, whose legacy can be felt to this day and reconnects even more with the passing of Pope Francis.

The movement of Pope John Paul II's motorcades through parts of the State's capital, standing on his popemobile in Altinho, and his visit to Old Goa, trigger memories of a smile that painted goodness.

Now, 39 years down the line, we had been told that Pope Francis would be invited for the of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier. A few believed this, not realising that there exists something called 'protocol' for the pontiff, and it truly ended as a distant dream for them.

St John Paul II was the first pope to set foot in Goa. Celebrating the eucharist at the Campal ground, with the Mandovi River as the backdrop, he addressed the hundreds of thousands who had gathered for the mass in Konkani, back in the 1980s.

Pope Francis’ understanding of God transcended goodness. Coming from the streets of Argentina, the underprivileged were his spirit and it is through their suffering that he drew his foresight.

When alive, he was liked by many and despised too, for the manner in which he shepherded the Church, and all along, he showed that being a Pope does not mean a disconnect with its people and that is why as the news of his death trickled in, hearts began to hurt.

During his 47 trips outside Italy, Pope Francis touched the hearts of those for whom his presence was a healing by itself, just as many felt when Pope John Paul II visited Goa.

Popes have a divinity that can be felt from different levels of physical closeness, and Pope Francis did it by reaching as far as he could despite the health problems he had to endure during the later years of his . He never seemed to tire.

Pope FrancisGod did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with. He created both equal, man and woman. A society that is not capable of (allowing women to have greater roles) does not move forward

Pope Francis, during a tour of Ur in Iraq in March 2021, said, “Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion.” These few words changed many souls.

He also stood for the women of the world like no other pope did. “The struggle for women’s rights is a continuing struggle. We have to continue struggling for this because are a gift. God did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with. He created both equal, man and woman. A society that is not capable of (allowing women to have greater roles) does not move forward,” he told scribes in 2022.

“I have noticed that every time a woman is given a position (of responsibility) in the Vatican, things improve,” he added.

Pope Francis has left us all to go Home, but whilst doing so, his message that the least one can do — of trying to be good to others — will remain.

“May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions. In the face of the cruelty of conflicts that involve defenceless civilians and attacks schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity,” was what he said in his last Sunday sermon. A day later, he was no more.