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7 ANALYSIS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 APRIL 2025 This reminded the church "to live the Gospel with joy." In this sense, Pope Francis's greatest contribution was framing a narrative for a church more in sync with its peo- ple. Gerada refers to one of his favourite quotes from Pope Francis: "Only in nar- rative form do you discern, not in a phil- osophical or theological explanation, which allows you rather to discuss." Crucially, Francis moved away from the idea of the church as an exclusive doctrinal club, towards a diverse com- munity united by the Gospel, capable of accommodating different perspectives. In this sense, one core element of the Latin American tradition that in- fluenced Pope Francis is the invitation "to understand and make theology to- gether" through a synodal approach – where people do not live in isolated bubbles but engage meaningfully with one another. Gerada sees the church's role today as offering a "space for discernment and public deliberation," helping society "slow down", dialogue meaningfully, and find common ground. In a world polarised by culture wars and echo chambers, he insists, the greatest chal- lenge is to talk across differences. What's certain is that this task is more urgent than ever, with the "demonic" extermination of an entire people in Gaza, and other theatres of wars, be- ing the extreme manifestation of what theologian René Girard called the es- calation to extremes – the spiralling of mimetic violence between rival powers that leads to polarisation, war, and mu- tual destruction. Stopping this collec- tive descent into destructive madness is for Gerada, the first priority of the church. Remaining close to the people – Fr Daniel Cardona Fr Daniel Cardona, currently serving as parish priest of Żurrieq, hails from a generation of younger priests known for their pastoral commitment to the communities they serve, as well as for upholding a more traditionalist out- look. Not surprisingly, given his own grass root sensibilities, he hails Francis's "closeness to the people", when I speak to him. He says this was the quality that enabled the Pope to understand "the everyday struggles people face." Significantly, he also believes there is no turning back from Pope Francis's course. "His non-dogmatic approach made the church's stance more compassion- ate, moving away from rigid black-and- white thinking," Fr Cardona says. He regrets that "some resisted the direction Pope Francis set for the Church" but remains confident that the vast majority of people appreciated this direction. He hopes that the cardinals electing the new Pope "recognise and appreci- ate that the path Francis charted is the right one for the world we live in today." But he also believes that Pope Fran- cis's baton can be carried forward by a successor who does so in his "own unique way" and does not need to be a replica of his predecessor. What matters most for Cardona "is that the church continues to root her- self in the grassroots, embracing the Ignatian focus on the 'essential' and the Franciscan openness to those on the margins." He also speaks of the urgency of the moment, when the church is called to be "a shining beacon in a postmod- ern world – a voice of hope and truth, stronger and more enduring than the many dominant voices that surround us." The world, he adds, is also crying out for "good, compassionate and transfor- mational leaders." Photo: Vatican News