‘Guiding star’

I’ve ceased to believe in the unseen. I’ve chosen a life led by justice, compassion and freedom. And rather than subscribe to a confined belief, I prefer to be free and enlightened.

I’m living a life devoid of religious affiliation or dogma. Yet, along with the faithful, this nonbeliever is anticipating Pope Francis’ visit.

Millions of Filipinos today are hyped to welcome their Church’s leader. From the documentaries flooding the airwaves to the shirts being pushed by a TV network, the Philippines is proving itself to be a land of hospitality. But what can one expect from a Third World country with no hope but a clergyman’s consolation?

Francis, tagged as the Pope of the Poor, has captured the attention of the masses. And Filipinos are responding with zest for we are among those that need the “opium” of religion the most. Francis is a hit, a superstar for those who truly need a “guiding star.” Filipinos have even begun transferring his holiness to songs, postcards, even apparel. The religious entity has been partly transported to the world of popular culture.

Some claim that the Pope’s visit is a way to numb the aches of more than 80 million Filipino believers, whose cheers for him are silencing today’s authentic and pressing issues. Being a nonbeliever, I have long tried to examine situations devoid of their religious value. In the case of the Pope’s visit, I, together with other Filipinos, am filled with excitement.

When I disassociated myself from religion, I made an effort to view other people without their religious raiment, to see them outside the boundaries of their faith. And despite my religious stance (or the absence of it), I cannot deny my liking for the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Yet, unlike his flock, I like him, not because of his promise of salvation but, rather, his goodness as a person.

Being a ruler with more than a billion followers worldwide offers him power beyond the reach of politics. It would have been easy for him to follow the conservative leanings of his Church. Yet, he took an alternative and difficult path. In the process, he lost allies bearing dogmatic principles, but gained sympathizers among atheists and those of other faiths. In a world governed by the apathetic and self-centered, being different can be deadly.

The Pope’s journey as a person is seemingly the same as many youth like me. Though our choices might be unpopular, we continue to fight for them. The temptation to go with the herd seems inevitable, but inevitability can be fought with courage. Taking a stand on issues that concern the poor and the needy is a matter relevant to anyone from any nonsectarian group. Therefore, Francis does things because he is being human. His membership in the human race provides him a responsibility to end violence and war or to quash consumerism and apathy. It is best to measure his actions outside the religion he represents.

Without his papal cap and priestly clothing, he is a man of righteous acts. Without his tag as the representative of God, he is a person without pretensions. He fights for the poor, offers new views on the LGBT community, and denounces the lavish and “ungodly” ways of many Church leaders. As a person seeking goodness without being religious, I do say that he is worthy of all applause and respect.

I am one with the Filipino youth in welcoming the arrival of Pope Francis. He is, after all, a reminder that the world needs more good deeds.

Heinrich Domingo, 21, of Quezon, Isabela, is “currently searching for life’s essence.”