Op-Ed: Mercedes Schlapp: Pope Francis’s legacy and what comes next

Together, the Catholic Church mourns the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He leaves behind a legacy of compassion, charity, humility, and a great affinity for the poor. He was known for his kindness, but many in the Church struggled to understand his lack of moral clarity and spiritual direction on some of the most controversial and critical issues facing our society.

We pray for the repose of his soul and for the future of the Church. We also look ahead toward his successor. In just the last few years, we’ve seen the Church blossom. Church attendance is trending upward. Young people are embracing the faith in great numbers. Interest in the traditional rites is on the rise.

The numbers of young people responding to the call of religious life are increasing. Young families are filling American churches, and more young married couples are embracing life.

It’s said that the Church thrives in times of persecution. Traditional, faithful Catholics have been the target of lawfare in the United States, brutality in Africa and the Middle East, and erasure from culture in the former epicenter of Christendom, Europe.

When selecting the next Vicar of Christ, we pray the college of cardinals will keep this in mind. We need a pope fitting for times such as these. Pope Francis led with great compassion and humility, but he left traditional Catholics isolated. His choice of words regarding foundational Church teachings often led to confusion.

The current times call for a pope who will be bold and clear in his proclamation of the faith.

We think of the bravery St. John Paul II showed in fighting communism in Poland and Eastern Europe. We think of Pope Benedict XVI defending traditional values and reviving traditional rites and practices when it was unpopular to do so. To be truly Catholic is to be countercultural in the current times. The Catholics of today are crying out for a pope who will advocate for them and assert their beliefs on the world stage in the face of intense scrutiny, backlash, and resistance from a Left-wing media, global progressive institutions, and powerful, socialist elites.

The next pope will certainly not have an easy task ahead of hi,m but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will have the chance to lead and unite the Church with moral clarity and strive for peace in this broken world.

Mercedes Schlapp is a CPAC Senior Fellow and former Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications at the White House for President Donald J. Trump.