In a Fox News opinion piece published April 26, 2025, Newt Gingrich proposed that the best way to honor Pope Francis is to continue his mission of reaching out to people of all backgrounds, fostering unity, and seeking salvation through faith rooted in Christian tradition. Gingrich highlighted Pope Francis’s emphasis on inclusivity and serving the marginalized, noting his visit to Regina Caeli prison just days before his death on April 21, 2025, where he washed inmates’ feet, emulating Christ. He argued that this openness, reflected during Easter Week at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, countered the segregation Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. decried in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Gingrich suggested that embracing this universal outreach would be a fitting tribute to Pope Francis’s legacy, which boosted Catholicism’s growth in regions like Africa and South Asia.
Alternatively, a Hartford Courant opinion piece by William Lambers on April 25, 2025, proposed honoring Pope Francis by advocating for the poor and hungry, as he did. Lambers emphasized Francis’s support for the UN World Food Program and his criticism of food waste and war spending over humanitarian aid. He suggested a nationwide relief drive, similar to post-World War II efforts by Catholic Relief Services, to combat global hunger and honor Francis’s commitment to human dignity.
Both perspectives focus on continuing Pope Francis’s core values—Gingrich on spiritual and communal unity, Lambers on practical aid for the vulnerable. If you’re curious, I can dig into specific actions Pope Francis took that inspired these ideas or check for more recent commentary. What do you think?