"As a lapsed Catholic Pope Francis renewed my faith - I just hope the next pontiff continues to make progress"

As people of all religions and denominations pay tribute to the late Pope Francis, it speaks volumes of a man who truly embodied the spirit of Christianity. Speaking as a lapsed Catholic, I believe the pontiff was a person who anyone, religious or not, could turn to for moral guidance.

He began his papacy as he meant to go on. Just two weeks after his surprise election, Pope Francis broke with tradition, carrying out the Maundy Thursday ritual of washing and kissing the feet of 12 people - replicating Christ’s gesture of humility to his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion - at a youth detention centre on the outskirts of the city, rather than one of Rome’s basilicas.

Causing yet more consternation among traditionalists, two of the detainees were Muslims and two, including one of the Muslims, were female, despite women being previously excluded as the disciples had all been men.

This was a man who was actively demonstrating what love and acceptance looked like and, perhaps more importantly, that he would be practicing what he preached. While acts like this may have ruffled feathers among the more conservative wing of the Catholic church, and perhaps too among some of the congregation, to outsiders it showed the church as progressive and somewhere they would be accepted.

He opened his arms to everyone, his love of all of God’s children was plain to see, a stance peculiarly considered radical by many. I have witnessed in my own life how his calls for greater acceptance for divorcees and gay people has made a difference.

One of my close family members - who divorced after spending almost 20 years in a violent marriage - felt condemned due to the separation. Although a devout Catholic, she previously felt the messages coming from the Vatican meant she had committed an unforgivable sin. Pope Francis’ message made her realise a lifetime of being a good person and a practicing Catholic was enough in the eyes of God’s highest representative.

In his first year as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was reported to have indicated he would not judge priests for their sexual orientation, saying: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

The comment made headlines, standing in stark contrast to his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who signed a document in 2005 that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests.

Anecdotally, an openly gay friend of mine has become increasingly involved in church life during Pope Francis’ papacy and now serves on the altar during mass every week. It may be a coincidence, but I think not.

To me, those five words - “who am I to judge?” - felt like a sledge hammer, not just to those who condemn others for being gay, but to those who look upon others with judgement. Catholicism really became lost on me when I began to look around at the pews, at those people in the congregation who were all too frequently too quick to judge, who believed doing their duty on a Sunday morning gave them the right to cast judgement on others.

This was in contrast to the bible verses I had always felt were the most important teachings to guide a person through daily life. Love thy neighbour as thyself. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Speaking frequently on the plight of migrants fleeing war and poverty, and with an obvious and deep understanding of the plight of the poor and disadvantaged, there is perhaps a cruel irony that Pope Francis’ final official visit would be a meeting with Donald Trump’s Vice President, JD Vance, a man whose political views the Pope appeared to directly condemn. In a letter to US bishops, Francis rejected claims the Catholic doctrine justified policies including plans to deport migrants en masse.

A YouGov survey revealed earlier this month that church attendance in the UK has seen something of a resurgence, and while the Bible Society suggests the increase may be due to young people seeking meaning and community, and finding it within the church, I can’t help but feel this could only be possible if that community is more accepting of different walks of life.

The study revealed the "quiet revival" has seen a 50% rise in church attendance in England and Wales over the past six years. A significant portion of this growth is driven by young adults, particularly those aged 18-24 - would this more liberal section of society really find ‘community’ from a group who was anti-women and anti-gay?

The Catholic church specifically has seen growth of 112% in monthly attendance from 850k to 1.8 million. So, now it remains to be seen whether the Catholic church will continue on its progressive path and see those numbers continue to increase, or if it will regress, potentially ostracising those newcomers.

The church should remember the words of Pope Francis: "In the Church there is room for everyone."