There's a lot going on in the world today. Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. It is the Easter Octave, and so the Church still celebrates the Resurrection with full liturgical solemnity through Sunday. And, much less important to the world but very important to us, we've got a new show lined up May 10th.

Pope Francis has been incredibly important to my life. He was elected just a year before I entered seminary. I remember watching his election on my computer while I was writing a paper. Two things that I think will stay with me from his pontificate are, first, his emphasis on the joy of the Gospel. This was the title of his first papal document, and was at the heart of a lot of his teaching. The Gospel brings light and joy. The Church can very frequently become bitter about the problems of the world. While we must be realistic and honest about the evils that go on in the world, we must keep even closer at heart the joy of Jesus' Resurrection. Those problems are real, but they have an answer in the death and Resurrection of God. This directly connects to how I see our music as a band - we deal with really difficult emotional stuff, but with an underlying hope brought by Christ's descent into Hell. We don't have to be afraid of Hell because of the joy which Christ brought there by his death and Resurrection. So we are really a Pope Francis band, in a lot of ways.

A second thing from Francis' pontificate that will stay with me is his love for creation, following the saint from whom he took his name. Laudato Si is one of my favorite encyclicals. Francis beautifully connects love of God with love for the things God created. He did this in an integral way, such that protection for the unborn, the poor, and the oppressed is of the same cloth as care for the environment. It is the same evil attitude which thinks it can disregard the sanctity of human life that also thinks it can disregard the good of the environment for profit. Pope Francis' integral ecology also connects to who we are as a band, although in a less direct way. I take a lot of inspiration from bands like Rise Against, who use loud punk music to stand up against the faceless, soulless corporations and governments who spread injustice in the name of profit and hatred. There's a new song we're working on that I hope to demo on May 10th specifically about the evils of our current economic system and the need for God to send a cleansing fire of justice from heaven to wipe away the wickedness we've spread through our worship of mammon. All of that definitely takes cues from Pope Francis.

The image of Pope Francis that will always stay in my mind was of him with the monstrance during the height of covid, giving benediction to an empty St. Peter's square. It's such a dramatic image that communicates so much about the state of our world and of the Church today. In a lot of ways, that pandemic was an examination of conscience for our society. So many souls died in nursing homes that had been gutted and resold for profit by private equity firms. We were told to “believe in science,” but science was not able to keep us from dying. We saw basically every public media outlet commodify the death of others for their political agenda. In an opportunity for solidarity and mutual charity, so many chose bitterness and blaming the other side. In so many ways, it revealed who we are. And in that moment, Pope Francis blessed the world with Jesus in the Eucharist. It says a lot about who Jesus is that He chooses to accompany us even in such wickedness, misery, illness, and death. I don't totally understand God's plan, but we saw something of his providence in this moment, when Pope Francis stood, on the edge of darkness and rain, praying for God's mercy for the world.

May Pope Francis rest in peace. I'll be praying for the repose of his soul through the traditional period of nine days after his death, and for a good while after. I hope you all join me.

I also hope you all join us on May 10th, 7pm, for some music. It'll be a great time. Details are in our calendar: https://adamunbound.com/event/6055419/718143778/adam-unbound