Bishop of the Slums' & Global Voice for Justice - Pope Francis' Transformative Papacy: TGTE

He not only spoke about helping the poor but modelled a life of simplicity, rejecting papal luxuries and calling for a "poor church for the poor."

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, April 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ --

The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) celebrates the life of Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Paying special attention to the persecuted and the poor across the world, Pope Francis promoted economic and social justice. His profound commitment to the underprivileged was evident in his consistent advocacy for structural changes to address systemic poverty and inequality.

He not only spoke about helping the poor but modelled a life of simplicity, rejecting papal luxuries and calling for a "poor church for the poor." He went often to disadvantaged areas around the world to help those in need and was dubbed "Bishop of the Slums." He caused controversy by washing the feet of prisoners and the disabled, while calling for the clergy to fully embrace the communities they serve—for "shepherds who have the smell of their sheep."

Pope Francis also voiced particular concern about the plight of migrants. His unwavering solidarity with refugees stemmed from his belief in the inherent dignity of every human person regardless of national origin or immigration status. In 2015, when Europe faced significant challenges related to migration, he framed it as a moral issue and spoke tirelessly advocating for those risking their lives to reach safe haven in Europe. Pope Francis condemned conflating immigration status with criminality and spoke out against mass deportation—calling it "a violation of dignity of many men and women, and of entire families."

For Pope Francis, environmentalism and conservation was a moral and religious issue. In 2015, he issued the ground-breaking encyclical "Laudato Si" (Praise Be to You), the first papal document dedicated entirely to environmental concerns. This landmark text connected ecological devastation with social injustice, calling for an "integral ecology" that recognizes how environmental degradation disproportionately affects the world's poorest people. Laudato Si revolutionized Catholic social teaching by establishing care for our "common home" as a fundamental ethical obligation and inspired global interfaith dialogue on environmental stewardship. He said "Our home is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth. The problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront the crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out new paths. Doomsday predictions can no longer be met with irony or disdain."

As critic of historical and modern colonization, Pope Francis led the Vatican to repudiate the "Doctrine of Discovery" set forth by a 15th century papal decree, which had been used to justify European colonialism. During a visit to Canada, he asked for forgiveness from the country's indigenous people and apologized for the Church's residential school scheme. Pope Francis has also issued an apology for the silence of Church leaders during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.

Pope Francis was a global leader who made a point to focus on the Global South, as demonstrated by his beatification of St. Teresa of Calcutta. Vatican expert John L. Allen Jr. commented, "The papacy was once the chaplain of NATO. It has now become the chaplain of BRICS."

As humanity mourns the loss of a great luminary, Pope Francis' legacy lives on in the countless lives he has reached.

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, Esq.
Prime Minister,
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)
+1 614-202-3377
r.thave@tgte.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
X