Is the Catholic Church breaking God’s heart?

The Catholic Church is failing in its mission. Pope Francis knew it

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The internet is full of memes blaming American Vice-President JD Vance for killing Pope Francis. While such speculation is ridiculous, the image of the two men meeting only hours before Francis took his last breath gives cause to examine the deep divide within the Catholic Church—and the hypocrisy it often fosters.

I have spent my whole life as a member of the Catholic Church. In my early years, I was trained and prepared to take on leadership roles within the institution. I am thankful that my conscience moved me in a different direction, but I am also grateful that people like Pope Francis worked from within to challenge the Church to live up to God’s ideals.

Many do not realize that there are very different types of Catholics, and in many ways, Francis was the exception, not the rule. Catholics like Joe Biden and JD Vance attend weekly Mass while supporting policies that betray the faith’s commitment to human dignity—a contradiction the Church refuses to confront.

Although Pope Francis regularly spoke out on behalf of the Palestinian people, the leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States, Canada and other Western countries have shown little objection to the active role their nations are playing in this carnage. While some leaders have spoken out against injustices such as the Vance and Trump administrations’ immigration policies, which harmed many Catholic immigrants, their words have rarely translated into meaningful action.

The vision of Catholicism embraced by Pope Francis can best be summarized by the criticism it received. A 1967 papal document, Populorum Progressio (The Development of Peoples), a call for global economic justice and solidarity with the poor, was famously dismissed by the Wall Street Journal as “warmed-over Marxism.” It is just one of many progressive encyclicals the Church has produced, including several under Francis’s leadership, focusing on environmental justice, social justice and respect for all people, especially the marginalized. I can attest firsthand: embracing such humane ideals within an institution dominated by the values of figures like Vance and Biden is not an easy task.

Pope Francis remained in regular contact with Catholic institutions in Gaza, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents and even implying that Israeli military actions could be considered terrorism. Yet many have lamented that he did not fully use his moral authority to hold accountable those—especially Catholics—responsible for the suffering. Sadly, this is consistent with the institutional Church’s silence during other genocides throughout history.

Nonetheless, Francis had a heart for the poor and the suffering of the world, and he was far more progressive and loving than the institution he led. In many ways, however, his life was a failure. He could not stop powerful forces from destroying the environment. He could not stop the persecution of migrants and refugees. He could not halt the exploitation and death in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or what now appears to be a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. JD Vance represents much of what is broken within the Catholic Church and the broader world—and Francis knew it.

If a person can die of a broken heart, perhaps meeting Vance was more than the frail body of Pope Francis could endure. Perhaps we are all breaking God’s heart through our cruelty to one another. And perhaps our greatest sin is the way we use religion to justify our evil deeds.

Today, the Catholic Church stands at a crossroads. As her all-male leadership gathers in Rome to choose the next pope, the world is watching and asking:
Will the Church continue to turn a blind eye to death and suffering, or will she finally become an instrument of justice and peace?

Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.