death – Bear Witness

The Challenge Ahead (after Pope Francis)

April 21, 2025jstueartLeave a comment

These are pivotal moments in world history. Today, every election seems to either put a weight on the scale for fascism or against it. There is no middle ground, no neutrality, when fascism is expanding. You are in the fight already, either by capitulating to dictators or through doing what you can to block or limit fascism regimes and plans. The Pope is a power position. The Catholic Church must be in the fight against fascism. The world needs them to elect a strong pope who will protect the weak and push back against the powerful.

This is not a sure thing, though. I don’t know if we will get a Pope as centered on the poor, the marginalized, on broadening out the care of the church and pulling back its exclusionary tendencies. But that is the challenge.

Pope Francis was a great pope, but he wasn’t a perfect Pope. Who is? He certainly moved the Catholic Church towards real inclusion and re-centered it on Christ’s mission. He took necessary steps forward. I found hope in his small moves towards full acceptance of LGBTQ individuals, and hope in his condemnation of American fascists, the war in Gaza, and his hands-on approach to leading.

We will need that kind of Pope again, one that progresses Christianity forward, not one that plays politics and power or eases the minds of social conservatives who want to deny rights and inclusion to those who are most hurting in society. We need someone fearless to take on those in power who seek to hurt others. Particularly, we need a Pope who can stand up to dictators and fascist leaders around the world. We can’t have a Pope who capitulates because he is afraid.

Give us a lion — a lion to protect the poor, the immigrant, the marginalized against the wealthy and powerful; a lion who roars mercy, grace and love at those who would condemn and incarcerate those who are different. A lion who condemns instead the practices of fascists and dictators all over the world, and emboldens the people to resist and create change to remake the society into a place that upholds equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion in every way.

One Pope (like one person) can be powerful if they can help empower others for positive change. This is a huge platform where the right person can help change society for the better of all. Pope Francis started that great work. Who will wear those shoes now?

“Consider the Half-Life of Roses”

February 23, 2025jstueartLeave a comment

“Consider the Half-Life of Roses,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15) watercolor, watercolor pencil, mixed media on paper.

A satyr in a painting stops his play to smell the roses again before they are gone. My mother keeps dried roses in the kitchen window, and I know they still hold a beautiful smell. So much of the rose lingers after the rose dies. Roses have a long, long half-life. They don’t have to stay beautiful to hold a room spellbound. They give joy long after they can hold their blooms up, or keep their petals on. Old Roses are the most underestimated, and therefore give the most joy when we stop for a moment and smell them. “Oh, it’s still there.” Proving that their influence lasts so much longer than their lives. For years and years and years to come.

Hope you take time this week to enjoy everything around you.

Grief Counselors Ready for Sunday’s Game of Thrones Finale

June 11, 2015July 27, 2015jstueart1 Comment

Reoters: [Dayton, Ohio] Dr. Harold Finnegan says he’s cleared his calendar on Monday and Tuesday as HBO has called him and 27 other local colleagues to be ready for distraught fans of the hit HBO TV series.

“We’ve sorta been warned,” he told us over the phone. “We’ve each received The Fax,” he said. He says it like you’d expect someone to talk about a subpoena.

The Fax: Sent by showrunners DB Weiss and Daniel Benioff, the Fax contains what is going to happen on Sunday night’s Finale episode and includes deaths, violence, even the words to “The Rains of Castamere”. They sent this fax to major cities around the US to prepare for the unprecedented outpouring of grief for at least two beloved characters on the show (and several not so beloved ones). We were not able to see the Fax ourselves.

“Cincinnati and Columbus and Toledo and Cleveland are prepared as well,” he told us. “There are hundreds of us who were asked to clear calendars for the whole week. I was able to ask other clients who had lost loved ones to hold off for another week or so and allow me to take Monday and Tuesday, at the very least, and reserve them exclusively for the fans of this show.

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