Every age produces men and women of religion — a few, not many — who serve as the conscience-keepers of humanity. They speak for the world as a whole, and not only for their nation, race or religion. Their hearts are full of compassion for all people, and for all living beings, without any discrimination, but especially for those who are victims of cruelty and injustice. Some of them happen to be heads of their specific religious institutions. But that is not an essential qualification for being, rather becoming, the keepers of humanity’s conscience. Mahatma Gandhi did not lead any Hindu institution. Yet, he became the moral leader of the world in his time and continues to be so.

His Holiness Pope Francis, who breathed his last at his modest Vatican residence on April 21, was the Gandhi of our era. No contemporary religious, political, social or cultural leader — Christian or non-Christian — spoke out against poverty, violence, human indignity and attacks on ecology with so much anguish and authenticity, with so much courage and commitment, and with such tireless regularity as he did. He had the smile of an innocent child, but beneath the calm exterior, his was a restless, tormented soul.

Soon after becoming Pope in March 2013, he said, “Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children and children without an education.” Even at the risk of incurring personal unpopularity, he advocated support and dignified living for hapless and harried refugees coming to Europe from........

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