Loving God,

Faithful rewarder of souls, grant that your departed servant and our Bishop, Pope Francis, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of your Church, may happily enjoy for ever in your presence in heaven the mysteries of your grace and compassion, which he faithfully ministered on earth. 

Through Christ our Lord.
Amen. 

The Pope for all people, and for our time

As a Church of more than one billion people, we come together to celebrate the life, and grieve the loss, of Pope Francis, as he was called to eternal life, on Easter Monday. In the days since his death, much has been written about the man who led the Catholic Church as shepherd, companion, and leader of complete service. He has been our first Jesuit Pope, and one of only a few who have come from outside of Italy.

Pope Francis has variously been lauded for his beautifully crafted encyclical Laudato Si on the urgent need to care for our fragile planet, and for his leadership at a time when the Church’s reputation has been damaged by the scourge of child abuse. He attended to internal politics in the Vatican and took a synodal approach to decision-making.

While there have been critics of Pope Francis, there is so much that is profound about his Papacy; especially in his tender and loving leadership, that we will dearly miss. He will be most fondly remembered for being the Pope of compassion, forgiveness, and radical inclusion. His consistent message, as our own Archbishop rightly reminds us, is that the Church – our Church – is for everyone. No one should be left out, marginalised or shunned. We should be generous in forgiveness, and unstinting in our compassion for one another.

While Pope Francis did not make doctrinal changes per se, his application of the faith was one marked by care, love, and generosity. For me, what stands out most readily is our Pope’s humility. Not just through gesture, but in the most authentic of ways. He washed the feet of prisoners each Holy Thursday, he literally went out to the margins, visiting those who have no place in the halls of power or influence, and in his authentic humanity, he made time for everyone with whom he came into contact. He shunned a palatial apartment, he got around in a little Fiat (an image I love), carried his own luggage, and insisted on a simple coffin. He literally embraced the poor, the disabled, and the disfigured.

Our Pope was a man whose humanity was at the fore of his every gesture, action, and word penned. He reminded his priests that they should seek to be shepherds with the smell of the sheep on their back: in other words, be connected to, and in relationship, with the people. He refrained from engaging in judgement, worked for peace, and justice, and created space for us all to reflect on how we might work to make the world a better place. I know that we are all better for having the example of Pope Francis.

He remains the model of true discipleship, and the Pope we have needed. And in this Easter season, we continue to look for Christ in all the corners of the globe.

I can only encourage all of us at this time to pray that the Holy Spirit guides and breathes life into the pending conclave, as the Cardinals prayerfully discern our next Pope.

Behold, I make all things new (Revelation 21:5).

May he rest in peace.