Pope Francis

 Under my usual diatribe that the wrong people keep dying, I suppose I should comment on the passing of Pope Francis.

At 88 years old and suffering from numerous ailments (including a visit from J D Vance right before he died), perhaps it was his time to go.  

Still, there is one less decent man in a world filled with indecent people. 

Pope Francis did not completely upend Catholic doctrine. A lot of the church's traditions and policies from way back when remain in place. 

But Pope Francis was by all accounts who he seemed to be, a kind man of gentle humor, wisdom and compassion. 

Against a rising tide of hatred for immigrants, Pope Francis emphasized mercy.  

The Catholic Church's official position on the LGBTQ+ community didn't change but Pope Francis called for treating this community with kindness and respect.   

Pope Francis demonstrated his humility by choosing to living in a spare modest apartment instead of the more ornate quarters reserved for the pope.  

Somehow Pope Francis was your friend even if the church he led was not. 

Even the Pope can only push so hard against centuries of Catholic policy.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump who is very old and subsists on a diet of chicken nuggets, decided it wouldn't hurt to suck up to God with the passing of the Pope.

"I just signed an executive order putting the flags of our country, all of them, all federal flags and state flags, at half-mast in honor of Pope Francis.So, he was a good man, worked hard.
He loved the world and it's an honor to do that."

Yes, Donald Trump issued that solemn statement standing next to the Easter Bunny.  

Easter Bunny: "Damn! I'm never gonna get that $50 Frankie owes me!"   

While Donald Trump was sucking up to God, the rest of the MAGA movement did not hold back on their contempt for Pope Francis.

Megyn Kelly went on a rant about Pope Francis and his compassion for immigrants.  "Do you know who deserved compassion? Laken Riley!"  

Trump and his MAGA faithful are always telling us the immigrants are engaged in wholesale slaughter of American citizens, just hacking and slashing and shooting and stabbing and raping (Oh, do not forget the raping!) and pillaging a massive swath across America. 

And their proof that all this is happening? Laken Riley. 

Laken Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia who was murdered in February 2024 by a Venezuelan man who was an undocumented immigrant.   

What happened to Laken is a tragedy, a travesty and the bastard who killed her deserves his own special corner of Hell where he will be rammed up the ass for eternity by demons with flaming red hot pokers.  

But....

What about the thousands of undocumented immigrants who have NOT murdered anyone? All those people who came to the United States in fearful desperation clinging to the small chance at hope for a better life? What about them?

It was for those that Pope Francis would plead for mercy.

Sadly, from American conservatives who profess to be Christians, the answer is "Fuck them!"

There are alas so many of those people with the attitude of hate and contempt. 

And Pope Francis was only one man.

And alas he is gone.