NEWT GINGRICH: Here’s the best way to honor Pope Francis

Karista and I attended the cathedral of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Concept in Washington, DC, three times during this past Holy Week.

The Cathedral is America’s largest Catholic church and is one of the 10 largest churches in the world. Over 3,500 people sat there, and on Easter Sunday there was only a standing room.

While watching people receive communion, I was impressed by the extraordinary diversity of the people in the cathedral. All three days, various outfits and ethnicities were a tribute to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is truly universal.

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As the Cathedral points out on its website with more than 80 chapels and oratori, the diversity of Catholic faith around the world is well represented.

“Nationalities and ethnicities that are represented throughout the cathedral are Africa, Austria, China, Cuba, Czech, Filipino, French, German, Guamanian, Hungarian, Indian, Irish, Italian, Korean, Latin American, Lebanese, Lithuanian, Martese, Poland, Slovakia, Sloven and Vitnam.”

The late Pope Francis focused on helping and loving everyone, dramatically promoting the appeal and growth of the Catholic Church. There has been a dramatic increase in Catholic people, particularly in Africa and South Asia. This was reflected during Easter week at the Cathedral.

When Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergolio chose Francis as his Pope’s name in 2013, it was a clear signal of his commitment to the Pope, focusing on the poor and devotion. Like St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis decided to rekindle the spirit of Christ’s passion in order to help those who were underprivileged, oppressed and alienated. Last Thursday, just four days after his death, Pope Francis went to Regina Caeri, the central prison in Rome, to meet 70 prisoners. He washed 12 feet in the tradition of Christ washing the feet of the apostles. Pope Francis’ commitment to reach out to everyone was a powerful signal of compassion and inclusion that opened the doors of the Church to those of spiritual and physical needs across the planet.

This openness was on display at the cathedral last week.

Pope Francis died at the age of 88.

I have long asserted that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was “giving a dream speech” at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. He said, “It’s one of the tragedy – I think it’s one of the shameful tragedies – 11am on Sunday morning is one of the most separated, if not the most separated times in Christian America.”

Rev. King has given us a strong test of moving beyond the baseline of legal separation into a truly integrated society for all Americans. I think Pastor King and Pope Francis were proud of the unity, integrity and friendliness I witnessed last week.

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America’s most united time could be happening in cathedrals and other great churches. When Karista and I attended the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, we gathered to worship in our community of faith and had the sense of people from all backgrounds.

We experienced the same sense of universality during the three and a half years when Calista served as U.S. Ambassador to Sacred Sea. The second-largest diplomatic representative of the world (next to Washington, DC) sitting in the diplomatic corps at St. Peter’s Basilica’s Christmas Eve Mass reminded us of how diverse the world is and how diversity is gained in the Catholic Church.

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Despite the worsening health challenges, Pope Francis visited countries such as Mongolia and Timor Leste. He continued the tradition of constant outreach pioneered by Pope John Paul II. Nowadays, it is common to take the Pope far beyond the Vatican walls.

We must continue to reach out to everyone from all backgrounds. Together we can seek salvation through faith at the heart of our Christian tradition. This would be a worthy respect for Pope Francis’ memory.

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