Jose Mario De Vega, a Filipino author who has taught in numerous universities in the Philippines, remembers the exact moment Pope Francis first caught his attention: the day the new pontiff stepped out onto the papal balcony in 2013.
“He came from Latin America, and he is a Jesuit,” he recalls.
At the time, he didn’t yet know about the pope’s Italian roots, but something about his background already sparked curiosity.
The real turning point, however, wasn’t about origin or title. It was about posture.
“He is so down to earth,” De Vega says. “It amazed me to see him join ordinary people in the street.”
Before Francis, he held no love lost for the Catholic hierarchy. A left-leaning atheist, he never imagined he would grow fond of any religious leader, least of all a pope.
Yet Francis, to him, is an exception.
What resonated most was not doctrine, but compassion lived out loud: “His extreme and sincere love of the poor, his genuine solidarity with all the marginalized, the oppressed, the hopeless, the salts and wretches of the earth.”
He saw in Francis not just empathy, but resistance. The pope’s condemnation of capitalism, waste, ecological destruction, and the idolatry of money and power mirror his own ideals.
“His message that man’s labor and dignity are superior to money, machines, and this evil economic system, that I strongly agreed with,” De Vega says.
Still, admiration does not erase critique. He believes Francis could have pushed harder against the institutional failures of the Church.
In activist circles, De Vega says, the pope is widely embraced. “Much, much loved and utterly respected.”
His own tribute to Francis, posted on Facebook, came from a deeply personal, even ideological space. The tribute carried a title that, for him, said everything: “The People’s Pope and the Defender of the Oppressed Masses of the World.”
The response was warm and affirming. “They were deeply touched and moved by my humble tribute, and they concurred with my views of honoring a fellow revolutionary comrade.”
He believes Francis has shifted how nonbelievers see the Catholic Church.
“Many who dismissed the church, its traditions, its teachings, took a second look when this noble man assumed the helm,” De Vega says. “
What set Francis apart, in his eyes, was authenticity: “He was true, genuine, and sincere. Consider my case: an extreme and radical irreconcilable atheist, but how could one explain my deep love, affection and respect for Lolo Kiko?”
Has Francis changed his views on religion? His answer is surprising: “He has shown and proved to us all that Jesus can be replicated.”
For him, the lesson the world must learn from Francis is simple: “His sincerity, his genuineness, and being true to the teachings of Jesus.”
De Vega was involved with the Manila–Archdiocesan Ministry on Labor Concerns: “It was there that I took our Paralegal ng Simbahan, Manggagawa at Bayan (PASIMBA) from May 5 to December 8, 2024. I was also elected president of Batch 21. After finishing the labor course, I continued to go there as a graduate and volunteer, delivering lectures on labor laws to help our people, especially the youth and working class.”
De Vega taught at National University-Manila, PUP, Universidad de Manila, Adamson University, De La Salle University–Dasmariñas, Far Eastern University, and Trinity University of Asia. He also taught philosophy, ethics, and anthropology abroad at Nilai University in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
The atheist who rejects religion still calls the pope by a grandfather’s name, Lolo Kiko, and holds, with unashamed conviction, both admiration and affection for a man he believes never abandoned the poor.
(Oliver Samson is a freelance writer based in the Philippines. He contributes regularly to reputed Catholic magazines and platforms both in the country and abroad.)
