Whenever someone dies on or near a major holiday, it leads to symbolism that loved ones always remember.

I’m no stranger to holiday deaths. My maternal grandfather died on Christmas Eve in 1984. My paternal grandmother died on Good Friday in 1987.

This week the death of Pope Francis on the day after Easter gave the entire world a chance to share that experience. It will be widely remembered for several reasons.

For one thing, Francis died the way he would have wanted. He was out among the crowd on Easter Sunday, greeting people in St. Peter’s Square.

He wouldn’t have wanted to be confined to a bed for weeks or months. He preferred to actively minister right until the very end.

Secondly, he was known for being a “people’s Pope”. He was considered to be a reformer, someone who favored departing at times from traditional church teachings. He lived a life that reflected his vow of poverty, as the son of Italian immigrant parents in Argentina who became the cardinal of Buenos Aires prior to being chosen as Pope.

Reports of his days in Argentina remind me of Mother Teresa in India. It became his path to the papacy, which earned him worldwide popularity among devout Catholics, many lapsed Catholics and many non-Catholics.

His death will lead to the meeting of the world’s cardinals known as the conclave, which will be held to elect a new Pope.

The conclave involves centuries of tradition. As far as I know, it’s the world’s oldest form of selecting a new leader. The cardinals must be doing something right.

They meet in secret. No one hears about what gets said about the different candidates. All we know is that there are at least a dozen men who will be seriously considered. Experts have called it a choice between a reformer like Francis or a more conservative Pope. They generally haven’t made predictions.

The tradition includes white smoke to signal that a selection of a new Pope has been made. It’s much like choosing a new head of state, but the Pope becomes the leader of a worldwide church.

I hope that whoever is chosen continues the way Francis was active in world affairs. He was a vocal opponent of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the Western Hemisphere he made efforts to improve relations between the United States and Cuba.

For religious people, church leaders are usually held to an even higher regard than secular leaders.

People of all denominations look to their clergy for guidance and for support. The clergy are considered to be people who know what’s right.

It’s often controversial when someone speaks out about religion. People aren’t supposed to question it. It’s rare to find books or movies that aim to show a darker side.

The Sinclair Lewis novel Elmer Gantry is one of the best examples. The story ends as a tent revival turns into a destructive fire. Gantry, being a hard boiled con man, isn’t phased by it. He simply figures it’s time to move on.

Religious leaders deserve credit when they do good things. The death of a Pope and the selection of a new one provides an occasion to remember the important role religion plays in the lives of many of us. It’s a time to pause and consider its role.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent