I was arrested protesting Pope Francis. He was still a force for good.

When Pope Francis was elected Bishop of Rome, I was a Jesuit brother in the Dominican Republic. I was living at home at the time because my religious superiors asked me to leave the community house. Apparently, I was not obedient enough. 

My superiors and I were trying to figure out the next steps. It was a difficult time for me, but the election of Pope Francis gave me hope.

Hope that the Church could do more for the oppressed. Hope that differing opinions could be shared in the Church without fear of being silenced. As we saw for twelve years, Pope Francis did reach out to the marginalized and allow discussion of thorny issues.

I eventually decided to leave the Jesuit order, especially because my superiors made it clear that my return would mean that I had to be more obedient. I think there is a moment to be obedient and there are moments God calls us to be bold. Pope Francis lived out that mission.

Even though I did not agree with him on all the issues, he inspired me to try and be a better person and a better Catholic. He also inspired my activism to make the Church and society better as well.

After I left the Jesuits, I felt God—through Pope Francis and Servant of God Dorothy Day—was calling me to be closer to the houseless/homeless community in the Dominican Republic. So I spent a few years aided by many people providing support for friends living on the streets.

These days, I am seeing so many people share photos they took with Pope Francis when they met him. I, for one, am glad that the only time I was very close to him was in Washington, surrounded by Secret Service agents and the DC Police. 

On that day in 2015, I was arrested with Catholic women and men demanding more leadership positions for women in the Church. I will never forget his look when he saw me and my sign (in Spanish) calling for women priests. He did not smile, but he didn’t look angry, either. He was just thinking. 

It was hard for me to protest Pope Francis, because I agreed with him on so much. But, I felt, we had to make sure that those with power in the Church and in society heard the voices of the oppressed.

I can recall the two greatest experiences I had as a Jesuit. One was the opportunity to learn from the most oppressed people and accompany them in the fight for justice and against capitalism. Another was being able to do the 30-day Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I felt close to Pope Francis because we both had these same experiences. I had them in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the United States. The Holy Father had them in Argentina.

During his visit to the U.S., Pope Francis visited a majority Black and Latino Catholic school in East Harlem while making a stop in New York City. As it happened, I lived in the same neighborhood, though I did not see him on that day.

After Francis died, I made a visit to the same school. There are still photos there of him, on the front door. I have been reading online about how his visit positively impacted the lives of many children, teachers, and other community members. Also, I am just glad I have a place in my neighborhood that I can visit, where Pope Francis visited. 

His impact was grand. Even people like my girlfriend, who is an atheist, were saddened by his death and inspired by his example.

We don’t know what the future holds, but I hope the next pope has the heart of Francis. I am sure that he himself would want it to also be a man of color, who supports the oppressed.

I pray for the cardinals who will elect Francis’ successor, carrying his spirit and that of other holy activists like Dorothy Day and St. Óscar Romero. Just like Francis, the next pope can support and defend the suffering people of the world and fight for the oppressed. 

This, after all, is the way that he showed us.

Félix Cepeda is a former Jesuit brother who served in the Dominican Republic. He is an intersectional, anti-capitalist Catholic activist working in New York City and the Dominican Republic.

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