THE late Pope’s ecumenism, championing of the poor and marginalised, and his “unstinting service” to God have been remembered in messages of condolence from church leaders world wide.
Pope Francis died early on Easter Monday, aged 88.
Leading the tributes, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said: “A voice proclaiming the innate dignity of each human being, especially those that are poor or marginalised, is now silent. The legacy he leaves is one we must seek to hold forward and strengthen.
“Pope Francis was called to priesthood through his experience of the mercy and compassion of God. This remained the core of his ministry, as Priest, Bishop and Pontiff. Only in understanding the love and mercy of God towards each considered one of us can we fashion societies and communities that bear the mark of the ‘kingdom of God’.”
Cardinal Nichols is the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, which is able to rejoice requiem masses of their cathedrals for the repose of the soul of the late Pope. Prayer cards have been distributed to Roman Catholic parishes throughout the 2 countries.
Pope Francis was the primary non-European Pope for nearly 1300 years since Gregory III, an eighth-century Syrian. An Argentinean, Francis was the primary Pope from the southern hemisphere and was also the primary Pope to be a member of the Society of Jesus.
Tributes and messages of condolence poured in after the announcement, shortly after 9 a.m., of his death on Easter Monday.
The King and Queen had attended a non-public audience with the Pope earlier this month. In a message on Monday, the King said that they were “most deeply saddened” to learn of his death and had been “greatly moved” to have visited him on the Casa Santa Marta, within the Vatican.
“Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, nevertheless, to know that His Holiness was capable of share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.
“His Holiness shall be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of religion, and to those of goodwill who work for the advantage of others.
“His belief that look after Creation is an existential expression of religion in God resounded with so many internationally. Through his work and look after each people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many.”
Anglican leaders remembered the late Pope’s ecumenism, evangelisation, and synodality, and his attention to the poor, to the plight of refugees, and to justice and compassion.
The Archbishop of York described him as “a listening Pope whose commitment to the principle and the means of synodality shall be a everlasting legacy to the Roman Catholic Church and to all of us”.
The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Revd Mark Strange, praised the late Pope’s “generosity and love for all of God’s Creation and his willingness to be open and approachable allowed him to get near people, and to like and be loved by so many.
“The joy on the faces in St Peter’s Square yesterday as he gave the Easter Blessing shall be something dearly held because the mourning begins for this remarkable servant of God.”
On Easter Day, Pope Francis made a transient visit to St Peter’s Basilica, a pair hours before the Easter Vigil, to greet the faithful. His homily was delivered by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presiding on his behalf.
Bishop Strange continued: “When the Anglican Primates met in Rome last 12 months, he hung out talking to us, listened to the questions we asked and he answered us. This positive dialogue encouraged us all and we felt capable of share with him our thoughts , as he did with us. This was clearly considered one of his gifts that enabled such conversations to happen between lots of the world’s churches.”
Representing the Anglican Centre in Rome, the Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, who attended last 12 months’s synod of synodality (News, 18 October 2024), said: “Pope Francis exercised a primacy of service, love, and Christian witness that was open to all Christians. Strong in faith and hope, he engaged with pressing issues that face the human race, and outstandingly with the problems of war and migration, and the environment.”
Dr Warner also referred to the late Pope’s work “in bringing to life the insights of the Second Vatican Council. . . This work of renewal has included addressing the abuse of power, the inclusion of the gifts of all of the baptised, and reaching out to those that feel that they will not be welcome.”
He concluded: “His humour never left him, nor did compassion and a enjoyment of the family, children, and young people.”
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, described Pope Francis as “a person of great faith, humility, and compassion, who delivered to the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome the enjoyment of the Gospel. I would like to specific the deep appreciation of the Anglican Communion for the remarkable leadership that Pope Francis has given to the Catholic Church and to the world at large.”
Archbishop Poggo continued: “Renewal of the Church’s structures through synodality and the voice of ladies and lay people inside decision-making processes has been a defining mark of his Papacy — a process that has drawn on friendships across the Christian world.”
Anglicans were grateful, he said, for the late Pope’s support of the work of the Anglican Centre in Rome, and other ecumenical missions and partnerships.
The Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, said that the loss can be “deep and private” for people of all faiths and of none world wide. He described Pope Francis as “the last globally recognised moral voice in our confused times”, who gave “clear guidance in a posh and polarised political world”.
His statement said that “the poor of the world shall be those that will miss him essentially the most as a champion and custodian of their hopes and dreams. He was an incredible, prophetic pastor whose vision was a ‘church of the poor for the poor’, to cite considered one of his favourite sayings.”
Dr Makgoba continued: “He was a master of gesture; he supported all. Although he primarily led the world’s Catholics, he also gave leadership to the entire Christian family. We will remember him for his sensible counsel, posing deep theological questions, and his encyclical on look after the environment.”
Charities also paid tribute to the environmental work of Pope Francis and his commitment to constructing peace, particularly in Sudan. The chief executive of Christian Aid, Patrick Watt, said that the late Pope had “all the time championed the oppressed, marginalised and people combating poverty, particularly people world wide impacted by conflict, the climate crisis, and the unfair debt crisis”.
The Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) said that he had “put look after refugees at the center of his pontificate. In an increasingly hostile context internationally, he was unfalteringly on the side and on the side of individuals driven from their homes by violence, poverty, or persecution.”
