Australian Catholics and faithful around the world give thanks for the life of their Holy Father, Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome.
Today, the prayers of more than a billion people – from all nations and every walk of life – go with Pope Francis to his rest.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936, and ordained a priest in 1969, Pope Francis’ fellow cardinals elected him Pope in 2013.
His was a papacy of firsts – the first pope to hail from the Americas, the first Jesuit pope, and the first to take the name of the great champion of the poor, St Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis’ compassion embraced all humanity. He urged us to remember all we hold in common and asked the world to hear the ‘cry of the earth’, our common home. He invited world leaders to join him and:
“emerge from the dark night of wars and environmental devastation in order to turn our common future into the dawn of a new radiant day.”
It was a message he echoed in our region during his historic visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Timor-Leste.
The first pope from the Southern Hemisphere was ‘close to the people of Australia’. For Australian Catholics, he was a devoted champion and loving father.
Pope Francis lived out his faith and vocation in word and deed. In his modest way of life, and at his weekly audiences, he demonstrated his commitment to peace, equality and inclusion.
Pope Francis’ love for humanity was powerful and profound. The memory and example of his compassion will long endure.
As we mourn his death, we celebrate the gift of his life and presence among us and we hold on to the resonant truth of Pope Francis’ final Easter homily:
“The light quietly shines forth, even though we are in darkness; the promise of new life and a world finally set free awaits us; and a new beginning, however impossible it might seem, can take us by surprise, for Christ has triumphed over death.”
May God welcome Pope Francis to eternal life.