The relationship between Friar Jaazeal JakosalemPope Francis was brief in meetings, but deeply fruitful in inspiration. profoundly fruitful in inspiration. From art to activism for the care of the common home, this Filipino Augustinian Recollect religious found in the Argentine pontiff a model, an elder brother and a driving force to live the Gospel with a taste for justice, peace and ecology. Today, as a tribute, he remembers his gestures, his words and his legacy.
A Pope who spoke to the heart of the world
“Francis was a gift to the Church and to humanity.Jaazeal begins, “Francis was a gift to the Church and to humanity. His words are not rhetorical, but lived from
personal experience. “He brought the message of the Gospel of Christ to the hearts of believers and non-believers alike, with a human closeness that transcended the barriers of language and culture.”
The first time Friar Jaazeal met the Pope was in. 2016during a visit to Rome. He gave him an image he had painted: Francis embracing a migrant in Greece., a symbol of the suffering of those fleeing and of a Church that embraces. “It was a brief conversation,” he recalls, “He just said to me, ‘Pray for me, young man.’ But those few words were enough.”
Laudato si’: the seed that germinated in our hearts
Since the publication of the encyclical Laudato si’ in 2015, Friar Jaazeal found a deep resonance with his commitment to integral ecology. The encyclical was not just a magisterial text: it was a prophetic call.
“He reminded us that we must listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
That document was the starting point for multiple initiatives in the Augustinian Recollect family: ecological projects, solidarity networks, defense of the most vulnerable. In the words of Friar Jaazeal, “Francis challenged us to be men of hope, creators of communion, agents of dignity and change”.
In 2017, the Order brought to life Chorus, a solidarity network inspired by this impulse, which took shape in concrete projects: work with migrants, women, communities in vulnerable situations, and of course, actions in favor of the environment.
Art and prophecy: painting what the Gospel denounces
Friar Jaazeal doesn’t just talk. He paints. His art is his word, his prayer and his commitment. At December 2024during a new visit to the Pope as part of the chaplains of the Church of Migrants in Spain, he gave him a cross inspired by Laudato si’. Francis, already physically frail, said simply: “Thank you”..
“These meetings were brief, but deeply personal. They confirmed for me that art can have a place in the mission of the Church, when it is placed at the service of justice and love.”
In one of his most significant works, “Island Corded”the Pope appears embracing a wounded island, symbol of the drama of climate migrants. That image, he says, is the face of a Church that embraces displaced bodies and fights for their dignity..
A path forward: justice, peace and care for creation
Francis’ legacy to Friar Jaazeal – and to so many others – is not measured in words but in open roads. is not measured in words but in roads opened. Today more than ever, he reaffirms his commitment to ecology, social justice, human rights and the Gospel incarnate.
“Francis urged us to walk together, with our hearts set on Jesus and our feet on the peripheries. He taught us that it is not just a matter of ideas, but of real, concrete, courageous decisions.”
“Thank you, Francisco.”
In the name of so many who have found in the Pope a beacon, Friar Jaazeal concludes with a simple, profound and luminous word:
Thank you, Francis. For teaching us that the Gospel is also painted with earth, sung with tears and lived with hope.