The record will show that Pope Francis, who died at age 88 on the day before Earth Day, was as committed to saving the natural world as he was to saving souls. This is what he tweeted on last year’s Earth Day:

Our generation has bequeathed many riches, but we have failed to protect the planet and we are not safeguarding peace. We are called to become artisans and caretakers of our common home, the Earth which is falling into ruin.

The first pope from the Americas had a low tolerance for heads of state who blabber a lot but fail to take measures that could prevent or at least slow down further pollution of the planet. He lived frugally, rejecting the opulent lifestyle that has long been associated with those at the top of the Catholic hierarchy. I wasn’t a fan at first, but he proved to be a Christian who was also a humanist.

My neighbor Swamp Rabbit was on the porch of his swamp house, listening to me read from Francis’s obit. “What are you, one of them papists?” he joked. “They’re always hatching a plot to bring down our gov’mint and take over the world.”

“You’re thinking of that criminal in the White House,” I said. “Francis was the opposite. He wants us to clean up the air and treat the animals fair, like Captain Beefheart advised. And he wants you to do your part, Swamp Rabbit.”

He sipped beer and frowned. “You’re a kook. Ain’t no way I can help fix the planet at this point.”

“Sure you can,” I said, pointing to his front lawn. “Start by picking up all those empty beer cans. Pope Francis will bless you from beyond.”

Footnote: It’s not bloody likely, but let’s hope the next pope will pick up the empties and address the concerns raised by the eloquently plain-spoken Francis in his influential 2015 encyclical:

There are too many special interests, and economic interests easily end up trumping the common good and manipulating information so that their own plans will not be affected… Consequently, the most one can expect is superficial rhetoric, sporadic acts of philanthropy and perfunctory expressions of concern for the environment, whereas any genuine attempt by groups within society to introduce change is viewed as a nuisance based on romantic illusions or an obstacle to be circumvented.