Pope Francis is dead

Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!

He died by a suspected cerebral stroke Monday morning April 21, 2025. One day after Easter. World leaders are coming to Rome in the next few days for the Pope’s funeral. Everyone already seems to have pronounced their opinion on the matter. Some people on Facebook condemned those who pronounced their negative opinions about the Pope, while others, the vast majority, had very nice things to say about the man who accepted the position of “Vicar of Christ” sixteen years ago. (Pope Francis is dead)

What are we believers supposed to think when a pope dies?

Are we supposed to care? Are we supposed to be sad? Are we supposed to pay attention to what is happening in the Roman Catholic Church? What are we supposed to do?

I was hanging out with some Italian Believers, in Rome, when the news came out. One of the Major Basilica’s of Rome, “Saint Paul outside the City” was in the background as we were discussing the death of Pope Francis together.

Mind you most of these people grew up in the Roman Catholic Church, have been baptized in the RCC and most still have many, family members in the Roman Catholic church.

All these people have been impacted greatly by the Catholic Church.

Perhaps no one on earth is more qualified to speak on the vicar of Rome, than a born-again Christian in Rome.

And several people, in separate conversations all quoted Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Their demeanor was not judgmental. It was somber, maybe even fearful in a certain way. They did not hate Pope Francis, though they hated what he taught, they seemed to genuinely feel sadness for what they thought he certainly was experiencing in that moment. Of course, one or two people quickly pointed out that it was possible, that in his last moments he repented of his sin and was born-again, but that unless that happened that he was almost certainly in hell, awaiting a future moment where Jesus Christ would say the terrifying words to him, “I never knew you”.

How do you feel about their reaction?

Perhaps you’re surprised. Perhaps it makes you angry. Perhaps you agree and might even think they were being too kind!

Some say that when someone dies we are to remain quiet. We are to simply grieve. But I think that death is a blessing, and funerals are a gift of God to all who still have breath in their lungs.

In some ways the death of someone famous, the death especially of a religious leader is even more a gift.

The death of Pope Francis is an opportunity like no other to ask again what does it take to get into heaven?

Pope Francis believed that ultimately all religions were expressions of God and able to lead people to Heaven.

In one of his many controversial speeches he said, “All religions are paths to God. I will use an analogy: they are like different languages that express the divine…There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some are Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”

Quite a few years ago now, I wrote about an answer he gave to a young boy about his atheistic father, that put-on display for all the world to see clearly the heretical nature of Pope Francis’ Theology. (If you don’t feel like reading the whole post I encourage you to at least watch the video that post was critiquing)

Pope Francis, though regarded by people as a kind and humble man, was a man who did not understand the Gospel. He taught a different gospel and led people towards a false gospel while attempting to steer people away from the gospel the apostles taught.

Perhaps you’re wondering how to think about the situation. Perhaps seeing people talk about Pope Francis in this way is scary to you. Surely, you’d be having the same reaction that the Jews might have had reading about, or listening to Jesus’ famous conversation with Nicodemus.

In John chapter 3, Jesus, while looking at this man, who was the “teacher of Israel” (John 3:10), who had fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12), who had paid many tithes, kept the sabbath, was regarded as a holy man who held in his hands the path to God by all Jews, and said, You must be born again!

In other words, “Nicodemus everything you’ve done so far has been useless. It has gained you nothing. You are still in your sin, and you must be born again. You must start over. Like a house whose foundation is off, it must be demolished and it must begin again.”

Pope Francis and Nicodemus, though in the eyes of the world might have accomplished much, in the eyes of Christ accomplished nothing. Why? Because they had never repented of their sin and trusted in Christ alone for their salvation. Any action done before experiencing the new birth is useless, and Paul would say that they should be considered rubbish, or even loss (Phil. 3:8). What Paul needed was not works, but he needed life. He was dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3), and any action done while dead, was useless.

You might think that it is harsh to speak so certainly about the eternal destination of another person. You might think that it is up to God to judge and that we humans cannot know where someone goes after we die.

You might think of my brothers and sisters in Rome, who quickly quoted Matthew 7:21-23 as misguided or judgmental.

But the Bible is clear as to what it takes to get to Heaven, God has already judged and told us exactly how someone must enter the kingdom. It has also already pronounced judgment on those who seek to teach a different gospel. (Galatians 1:9)

Obviously, it is possible that in his last moments, Pope Francis repented and stopped believing the heresies he so desperately wanted others to believe even up to days before his death. That said, one must be able to kindly and gently declare without hesitation that salvation is by Grace Alone and through faith alone and that anyone who believes differently is in hell, and that hell will be hotter for those who taught and desired for others to believe anything different. (2 Peter 2:17)

It is not judgmental, it is not hateful, in fact it is the most loving thing that one can do, to encourage those who still have breath in their lungs to believe and to consider eternity.

Obviously, we need to be gentle and respectful. Obviously, we must be kind. (2 Tim. 2:24) But we must be loving. And we must be like Christ. The Christ who looked Nicodemus in the eyes and said, “you must be born again”.

Works don’t matter. Titles don’t matter. Power doesn’t matter.

Being born again is all that matters.

Article from The Cripplegate by Jordan Standridge

Image from Skynews