In the previous issue of our newsletter, we began by noting that Pope Francis had issued a papal bull titled Hope Does Not Disappoint, officially proclaiming 2025 as a Jubilee Year. However, just a short while later, in mid-February, the Pope experienced several days of breathing difficulties and was eventually hospitalized. Having had lung problems in his youth, he had previously undergone surgery and been hospitalized multiple times, even during his twelve-year papacy. This time, however, the news was different—reports of his condition being critical spread widely, and many feared he might not survive. I, too, felt an overwhelming heaviness in my heart, worrying that the light of the Jubilee of Hope he had proclaimed might fade or even disappear with his passing.
But as if nothing had happened, the Pope was discharged and has been steadily regaining his health. I am deeply grateful to God. Pope Francis is one of the few world leaders who has illuminated and healed this troubled world like light and salt, and his leadership remains desperately needed in many places. For 2025 to be remembered by many as a year of hope rather than despair, his guidance is more crucial than ever. The “many” here include the poor, the powerless, migrants and refugees, and countless children and women suffering and dying in wars.
Was it a mere coincidence, or a fateful inevitability? In this issue’s Theological & Spiritual section, we feature an article titled What It Costs to Be Pope Francis. It is the latest work of the renowned Asian theologian Felix Wilfred. Fifteen years younger than the Pope, Felix unexpectedly passed away this past January, making this article his final reflection on Pope Francis.
Felix was one of the most frequently invited foreign theologians at Woori Theology Institute and ALL Forum. From the early 2000s to 2023, he was invited to South Korea and various Asian countries around ten times, participating in the practical theology forums and youth education programs. Above all, he was a prophetic voice devocating tirelessly for church reform—especially within the Asian Church and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), to which he belonged.
He sharply criticized the baseless attacks against Pope Francis and fervently defended the Pope’s theology, highlighting how deeply it remains faithful to church tradition while extending that tradition toward the future of all humanity. Perhaps God, in His providence, decided to call Felix before He called the Pope.
In this issue, as we as Asian Christians read Felix’s final reflections, we hope to share in the vision of hope that he saw in Pope Francis.
