After Pope Francis: What kind of love will we choose?

Love follows an order. Ordo amoris—the order of love—is a Catholic doctrine that St. Augustine considered the foundation of all virtue. In this order, love for God comes first, followed by love for others, and finally, love for oneself.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, a devout Catholic, invoked this idea in January to defend his hardline immigration stance. In a Fox News interview, he argued that “it is natural to love your family first, then your neighbors, your community, your fellow citizens, and your country — and only then the rest of the world.” When someone criticized this view on X, Vance shot back: “Google it.”

But framing ordo amoris as a justification for nationalist policies didn’t go unchallenged. A few weeks later, a far more authoritative voice responded: Pope Francis.

In a letter addressed to the U.S. bishops on Feb. 10, Pope Francis expressed deep concern over what he called a “serious crisis,” alluding to mass deportation policies. He reminded them of the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a despised outsider — not the religious elite — embodies true neighborly love by caring for a man left for dead by robbers.

The pope emphasized that the “true order of love” is one of universal fraternity — love that excludes no one. In doing so, he pushed back clearly and firmly: Christian love cannot be used to justify discrimination.

This vision of open love defined Pope Francis’s entire papacy. Even when asked about homosexuality — long considered taboo in Catholic doctrine — he responded with humility and compassion: “Who am I to judge?” He insisted that the church must open its doors to everyone.

Elected in 2013, Pope Francis spent his tenure expanding the church’s embrace while some world leaders — many of them professing Catholics — invoked the language of love to justify exclusion and division. Vice President Vance is not alone. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, known for her hardline conservatism, made sealing off the Mediterranean to migrants a cornerstone of her platform. Polish President Andrzej Duda once claimed the LGBTQ rights movement was “more destructive than communism.” Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol — who was impeached during a state of emergency — had also received Catholic baptism.

As both spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and a global moral authority, Pope Francis’s death on April 20 sparked a wave of mourning that transcended religion. The outpouring is a testament to the deep human longing for the kind of inclusive love he championed.

The conclave to elect his successor will begin early next month. Already, conservative factions are criticizing Francis for prioritizing compassion over doctrine. But perhaps his passing is an opportunity — a moment to restore the order of love he lived by.

Now that Papa is gone, the question remains: What kind of love will we choose?