What Pope Francis' life and legacy can teach us about the importance of compassion, open mindedness, and moral courage.

In the wake of Pope Francis' recent passing, I felt compelled write something in his remembrance. Like many around the world, I was deeply moved by the loss of this phenomenal human being despite not being a person of religious faith. And that itself speaks to the point I want to make in this post. His profound impact not just in the lives of Christians, but every human- and how he managed to do so.

Many Popes have come and gone in the 2000 years papacy has been alive. But two specific names come to mind when we think of the word "Pope"- Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope John Paul II, both of whom have irreversibly changed the world and the perception of the Catholic Church for the better in ways never seen before.

Pope Francis' efforts and their impact.

Efforts to combat climate change.

The Pope wrote a book titled Laudato si', which called for climate change action. He criticized consumerism and irresponsible economic development. This lead to an increase in Catholic environmental activism and a broader public awareness on an often dangerously ignored issue.

Advocacy for the marginalized.

The Pope decriminalized homosexuality and emphasized the need to normalize it. His "Who am I to judge?" statement in acceptance of homosexuality was something he got major backlash for by Catholic traditionalists. The Pope also advocated to protect refugees of war and to "not chase away those in need of help".

Interfaith dialogue.

The Pope famously said "All religions are pathways to reach God". He met with the grand Imam of Al-Azhar Abu Dhabi and Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Iraq to emphasize interfaith friendship and preach against religion based divisions. He also publicly stated that he viewed atheists as allies and not enemies.

Apologizing for the Church's past wrongs.

Pope Francis published Letter to the People of God, where he apologized to the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the members of the clergy. He also apologized for the “grave sins” of colonialism against Indigenous Peoples of America and the Church's role in it.

Calling for peace.

The Pope has publicly condemned war in South Sudan as well as the recent war in Gaza.

What we can learn from the Pope.

Being the head of the Catholic Church means being the supreme leader of one the largest faiths in the world, which does not place itself as an easy job. Especially when you are a reformer like Pope Francis was, with an aim to challenge the norms that have been followed world wide for thousands of years. It's also a sensitive job. For many, religion is the foundation of life and any stance against even a single aspect of their belief can feel offensive or hurtful. Challenging deep rooted values is an act of rebellion that requires both courage and grace, which is why very few in power (whether in the context of religion or otherwise) have managed to do so. Pope Francis was one of those special people who openly challenged traditional ideas and became hated by his own congregation in the process, even being labelled by some with the cruelest insult imaginable in Christianity- the Anti-Christ.

But he kept using his power and privilege for the common good and continued being a reformer, calling out wrong when he saw it. And today as he left the world, he left it in a better shape than it was before him. If someone who held such a traditional role can learn to be so open to new ideas, despite the criticism, despite the hate, then surely we can find a way too. We may not hold the kind of power he did, but there's a lot that can be learned from his life. We can all make small changes in ourselves, which can in turn create small changes in society through our actions- these can then amount to something bigger.

Pope Francis was born in a conservative family, instilled with strict Catholic values. When he became a priest, he was once again surrounded by people with traditional ideas. Challenging anything regarding the church, in his time, was not only disapproved of- it was condemned. He wasn't born with modern ideas and he certainly wasn't surrounded by them. Yet, today he's considered to be one of the most influential Popes in history and a symbol of modernity and reform. The only way he achieved this was by keeping an open mind, challenging his own ideas and most importantly- by having the moral courage to challenge other people's ideas. His compassion was a direct product of these qualities.

For many of us, our minds are shaped and often limited by beliefs that were influenced by our parents, our religion or the surroundings we grew up in. We might go to school, get a masters degree, even a PhD. But our level of education does not matter, as it does not guarantee emotional intelligence or maturity. These are things we need to work on ourselves. If we do not, we will never really grow. We will have a one-dimensional perception in every area of life. We will never be able to understand people with opposing beliefs or experiences. If we never evaluate our ideas of right and wrong, we will take the things that were taught to us as the ultimate truth. We will never truly begin to live our lives until we stop and take a really close look at ourselves and try to understand what we believe in, and question the right or wrongs of it without any external bias or prejudice. If we want to be as compassionate and loving as Pope Francis, or live life truly on our own terms with complete authenticity, then we must start with an open mind and question everything we believe in before we decide our ultimate set of morals. Otherwise, we will simply remain a product of things that happen to us and not who we consciously choose to be.