Half-Mast for the Vatican?

Friday while driving we drove passed a post office I noticed the flag hanging at half-mast, as well as some houses. It is to represent a symbol of national mourning, ordered to honor the passing of Pope Francis. But for me—and many others—engendered a totally different feeling. And it was not reverence. Not loss. But rather— reflection. And a firm, internal “no thanks.”

Let me be clear: I’m not a follower of any man-made organized religion. My values aren’t born from a man-made book and neither do I place my trust in hierarchies that claim divine authority while evading earthly accountability. The Vatican, in particular, has long struck me as less a spiritual beacon and rather more like a polished corporation that profits off of faith, and worse protects abusers, and preserves power at absolute all costs.

“Lower the flag” for an institution that went and spent decades of enabling sexual abuse, and shielding predators in collars all the while silencing survivors. An institution whose wealth rivals that of entire nations, but still asks the poor for donations in exchange for “salvation”. Fr? An institution that preaches a humble life and humility but yet itself sits atop centuries of stolen art pieces, gold, and influence. That’s not spirituality, that’s branding.

And let’s talk about God for a moment. Which God, exactly? The answer depends entirely on where you were born. A child in Utah is being taught a very different “truth” than children born in Saudi Arabia or Mumbai. This alone should ring a bell. Faith isn’t proof. It’s more like geography. It’s tradition. It’s inheritance. And more often than not, it’s used as a tool of control.

So no, I won’t be mourning the head of a global empire cloaked in scripture. I mourn the victims—the children, the doubters, the castaways who were told they weren’t holy enough, faithful enough, pure enough. I honor those who dared to question what they were told to believe. That takes courage. That’s divine.

Let the flags fall, if they must. But not all of us are bowing.