Like every pope, Francis was the world’s leading Christian cleric, but the similarity ended there. Distancing himself from institutional power, he inspired by moral example. Francis championed a compassionate faith that stood in contrast to authoritarian forms of Christianity rising today.

Servant leadership? That was Fran­cis. In an unprecedented ­gesture of ­humility in 2013, he washed and kissed the feet of four inmates, including two women and a Muslim, at a juvenile detention center in Rome. It was the first time a pope included women in this ritual.

A voice for migrants, the poor and marginalized? That was Francis. Addressing a joint session of Congress in 2015, he reminded U.S. lawmakers that America was built by immigrants. “We, the people of this continent,” he said, referencing his Argentinian roots, “are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners.”

An advocate for faith-based environmental care? That was Francis. In a landmark 2015 encyclical, he declared Christian values align with action to mitigate climate change. He emphasized the biblical basis for creation care and cited irresponsible lifestyles as a cause of the climate crisis.

For Mennonites, Francis was a kindred spirit, a model of peace, humility, simplicity and stewardship. Creation care is a prime example of his impact beyond Catholicism. Of all the major U.S. religious groups, evangelical Protestants are the least likely to hear about climate change in sermons, according to the Pew Research Center. But, if they paid attention to Francis, they got the message that climate change, and its disproportionate impact on the poor, belongs among Christians’ urgent priorities.

Similarly, if American evangelicals heard Vice President JD Vance try to use Catholic theology to justify President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration, they might also have noticed Francis preach that caring for the foreigner is a biblical calling.

Francis showed it is better to be ­ecumenical than exceptional. Those who cultivate diverse relationships are less inclined to think of themselves more highly than they ought (Romans 12:3), as Mennonites and Americans sometimes do.

In March, Catholic and Mennonite scholars set an ecumenical example by organizing a conference on religious nationalism. They talked about how to counter a form of exceptionalism that combines a dream of Christian dominion with delusions of White superiority and inordinate national pride.

As the post-Francis era begins, Catholics are asking what kind of church they want to be. Christians of many stripes are doing the same, hoping to reclaim relevance in a world tilting secular.

Will we be Francis-style ecumenists, expanding our circle to learn and grow? Or will be exceptionalists, sure of our righteousness and right to rule?

Ecumenism thrives Bridgefolk, a group of “peace-minded Roman Catholics and sacramentally minded Mennonites.” What does it mean to be sacramentally mind­ed? Bridgefolk member Marlene Kropf says it’s about more than wanting to observe the sacrament of communion more often.

“On the Mennonite side, our emphasis on the ethics of discipleship has sometimes led to barren worship and spiritual practices,” says Kropf, a retired seminary professor. ­Having met in movements for peace and jus­tice, Mennonites admired Catholics’ “faith of the heart” — the active, living presence of Christ in daily life, prayer and worship rituals.

Like Francis, Bridgefolk members find deep meaning in footwashing (see bridgefolk.net/rite-of-footwashing). John Klassen, a former abbot of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minn., and co-chair of the Bridgefolk board, told AW that Francis’ act of washing the feet of “those who are usually invisible . . . aligned with his broader vision of a church that serves as a field hospital to the lost and injured.”

What will become of Francis’ vision? Catholics and Anabaptists have unfinished work to do in using the gifts of women and welcoming people who are often invisible or shunned.   

“For Mennonites,” Kropf says, “the experience of washing the feet of Catholic brothers and sisters awakens our hope for reconciliation within the divided body of Christ.”