The death and funeral of Pope Francis have attracted a great deal of attention worldwide. Pope Francis has been an unmistakable, much-noticed voice of Christianity, extraordinarily rich in theological and spiritual insights, offering orientation in a world threatened by self-destruction. It is worthwhile and inspiring for Protestant Christians, too, to take a closer look at the thinking and work of Pope Francis. Thus, we would like to give an ecumenically interested Lutheran audience the opportunity to take a closer look at the theology and ministry of the deceased Pope. To this end, we have asked Hauptpastor Dr. Jens-Martin Kruse (Hamburg) to give a comprehensive presentation of Pope Francis’ work. Dr. Kruse was a pastor at the Evangelical-Lutheran Christuskirche in Rome for many years and accompanied many ecumenical delegations to audiences with Pope Francis. This has resulted in a friendly relationship between the Pope and the Protestant pastor; Pastor Kruse has continued to follow the Pope's work closely even after his move to Hamburg (Germany).
The study, which you can find at this link (|The Pontificate of Pope Francis), shows how comprehensive and consistent Pope Francis’ theology was, even if he sometimes acted very impulsively and spontaneously. It is highly impressive how closely Francis’ faith and his profound and wide-ranging theology, spirituality and ministry, lifestyle and personality are intertwined. Dr. Kruse’s study presents the complexity and coherence of Pope Francis’ work in 11 chapters. It allows him to speak for himself in many quotations. I recommend reading these chapters slowly and allowing yourself to be inspired, criticized and challenged to get involved by the Pope’s thoughts!
I hope you enjoy reading and reflecting! Theodor Dieter
Director emeritus Dr. Dres. h.c. Theodor Dieter
Institute for Ecumenical Researh Strasbourg