The world mourns Pope Francis ‘the very human, holy man of God’
Pope Francis’ death at 88, is mourned across the world, with tributes to his compassion, defence of the marginalised, advocacy for the poor, consistent appeals for world peace and brave moves to open up decision making in the church. Among the tributes, he was described as ‘the very human, holy man of God’.
His death follows a month long hospital stay, where he was treated for double pneumonia. He returned home to rest and made his last appearance in public at the Vatican on Easter Sunday, delivering a blessing while clearly frail and tired. The Vatican doctor has explained that his cause of death was a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. According to the medical report, the Pope had a prior history of acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes.
Plans for his burial based on deep devotion to Mary
Pope Francis chose to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s four main papal basilicas, and the first Marian sanctuary in the Western world. In a statement made in 2022, he explained his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary: “I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care”. He visited the church 125 times during his papacy, most recently in the days since his hospital stay. He will be the first pope to be buried there since Clement IX in 1669. In his statement he made further requests: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus”. His words end with: “May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples”. Times article here
Requiem mass in Westminster Cathedral
A special requiem mass was held at Westminster Cathedral yesterday afternoon, with around 1,000 people arriving to mourn Pope Francis’ death. Cardinal Vincent Nichols addressed them saying: “We know a voice has fallen silent, a voice that’s been heard in every corner of the world, a voice of warm encouragement and sharp challenge, expressing both the love of God and a deep love of our shared humanity. This voice is silent, for a more authoritative voice has spoken – that of his heavenly father, calling him home to be with his lord and master forever.”
Pope’s apartment doors sealed
Last night, the rituals governing a Pope’s death continued as his apartment doors were sealed with red ribbon and his papal ring was cut. When the next pope is elected, the ribbon will be removed. His body was taken to the chapel of Casa Santa Marta last night and will be moved to St Peter’s basilica on Wednesday morning to allow the public to pay their respects. Italian media are suggesting the funeral will be this Saturday during a period of nine days of mourning. Telegraph article on rituals here.
Champion of people on the periphery
Catherine Pepinster reports on his life and legacy, highlighting the milestones, events and achievements in his 12-year papacy. He championed people on the periphery of society, people in the developing world, those whose countries were most affected by climate change, the poor, refugees and trafficked people — his priority. His papal name, Francis, was chosen to honour St Francis of Assisi and reflected his commitment to the disparate and destitute. And while millions loved him with his message of inclusion and love for all, there were some who opposed his progressive ways, preferring the conservative Catholicism of his predecessor. Catherine’s article Is here.
Reaction to the death of Pope Francis: leaders tell of their sorrow
There has been an overwhelming outpouring of tributes and profound loss expressed by leaders from all over the world. The summary here includes King Charles saying the Pope would be remembered for his compassion and serving with devotion; Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, remembers ‘the very human, holy man of God’; the former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby issued a statement “mourning, with deep sadness”, the death of his friend; Keir Starmer said Pope Francis was “courageous, yet always came from a place of deep humility”; Donald Trump said the Pope was “A very good man who loved the world, and he especially loved people that were having a hard time, and that’s good with me”.
Choosing his successor
There is speculation that the process to elect the next Pope will begin on 5 May. The process,, though familiar through the film “Conclave” is set out by the BBC here. Among the 135 voting cardinals, The Times reports that there are three from England – Timothy Radcliffe, Vincent Nichols and Arthur Roche. There is a fourth British Cardinal, Michael Fitzgerald, but at 87, he is too old to vote. Catherine Pepinster, writing in The Telegraph, says there is a view that there should be a breathing space for the church to step away from the whirlwind of change which Pope Francis initiated, before a decision is made on who will be the next Pope. The Associated Press lists nine possible successors, including Cardinal Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, who it says “would appear to be Francis’ pick for the first Asian pope”. The Religion News Service explains how Pope Francis picked most of the cardinals who will choose his successor.
‘The People’s Pope’
Last night, BBC One broadcast a documentary on Pope Francis’ life “The People’s Pope”, which charted his progression, born Jose Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, becoming a priest and living among the poor, leading Jesuits, radically transforming his leadership approach from dictatorial to humble service, dramatically rising through the ranks of the Catholic church in Argentina, his election as pope in 2013 and the challenges and changes he faced. View the documentary here
Other news:
Sikh celebrations of Vaisakhi continue. Mostly it is observed on 13/14 April, but this year there have been later festivities and at least one still remaining in Wolverhampton on 4 May. Factsheet here. This BBC report is about a festival in Oxford this weekend.
There has been anecdotal evidence of large congregations in all churches this Easter. Telegraph report here. Easter messages from Pope Francis and the Archbishop of York here.
The BBC started another series of ‘Pilgrimage’, on BBC2 this weekend. It has already won rave reviews. This from the Guardian: “Seven stars crossing the Alps to see what they can learn about their faiths makes for miraculous television. Even a committed atheist can’t help but feel completely uplifted”. The Independent: “Pilgrimage is a shining example of why we still need the BBC”.
A VE Day commemorative event. to look back and remember those who fought and died in World War II, is to be held at the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking on Sunday 4 May. Organisers say historians, authors and researchers will explain how soldiers from all faiths and backgrounds, from all over the world, fought alongside this country as part of the Allied Forces who defeated hate from the Nazi regime.
