Like a lot of other people, religion scares me … or at least it used to. The concept made me think of holy books, structure, strictness, and honestly, close-mindedness. In my formative years, I remember seeing so many religiously dedicated people from different faiths going to their various places of worship and preaching messages of universal love, respect, and service for those who need our help. These would be the very same individuals who would turn around and spew hateful messages towards the LGBTQA community, reject women because of decisions they made for their bodies, and deny that climate change is a serious issue while they watched whole regions flood, displacing hundreds of families.

I know there are so many places of worship which do not follow these kinds of messages but coming from a home where faith was not always nurtured, I learned through stereotypes and generalizations to think that religion would always be in conflict with what I believed. And what I believed is that I didn’t need religion to be a good person, that I could preach and practice universal love, respect, and service without a holy book or religious leader telling me to do so.

I think my perception of religion began to drastically change when, in 2013, Pope Francis was elected. Looking back, I feel that the way he healed my relationship with religion was truly one of the reasons I chose to attend a Catholic university. Here, for the first time in years, we have a religious leader who is a reminder that religion is not just about books, church, and structure, but also about people.

The impact of what Pope Francis has done in the past three years is immeasurable in that he has found a way to reconcile the beliefs of the Catholic Church with those of people who have been perhaps ostracized or rejected in the past. While he remains opposed to gay marriage, for instance, he has pushed for the shift in the Catholic Church to still welcome the LGBTQA community with love and respect. Even as a straight individual but LGBTQA advocate, I no longer feel antagonistic towards members of this faith because I know there is a shift being made from both sides to attain solidarity.

Here itself, an important message is becoming clear: that people can disagree but still find a way to stand on a common ground of acceptance rather than judgment.

Not surprisingly, Pope Francis took an even firmer stance on climate change and the environment. The issue of climate change has become a frustrating one in the past years, primarily because it has become more of a political rather than a personal and environmental issue. The concern became less about the Earth and people suffering because of climate shifts and disasters, and more about conservative versus liberal, right versus left, the list goes on and on. Leaders like the Pope, who generally remain apolitical, are the individuals who are bringing these issues back to being about people and our universal morals. It’s simple: be good to the Earth which has always been good to us.

What has changed me most since Pope Francis was elected was that he actually lives out what I believe to be the universal moral code. When I see him washing the feet of refugees or wholeheartedly hugging young children, I don’t just see Pope Francis and I don’t just see a leader who acts solely because his religion motivates him to do so. I see a good human being who is reminding this world so divided by ignorance, politics, and hatred, that we too, are human beings capable of the same true integrity.