Death of Pope Francis

“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen"

With deep sorrow and profound gratitude, we as a Church mourn the loss of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. As we mourn his passing, we also give thanks for the many years he shepherded Christ’s flock. Pope Francis called his Church to mercy, and humility, and asked us to love our neighbors with a Christ-like love that sees no boundaries, but perceives only through true charity. May the Lord welcome him into His eternal embrace, and may Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, intercede for his soul.

Let us take a moment to honor Pope Francis by reflecting on his life. 

The Pope From The Americas

On March 12th, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, an Argentinian cardinal, walked into the conclave of cardinals as a member of the cardinal-electors. 

On March 13th, 2013, he emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s as the Vicar of Christ, with his chosen papal name, Pope Francis. 

The crowds outside the Vatican chanted “Papa Francesco! Papa Francesco!”, as a relatively small, humble man stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s and waved. 

The Church had a shepherd–a new pope was home in the Vatican. For the 266th time, through a long strand of apostolic succession directing back to St. Peter, a man–a broken and fallen man like us all–was elected pope.

The world watched as the 266th successor of St. Peter waved with joy. Although directly descending from a long line of anointed men, chosen by the conclave of cardinals through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, something new was happening. 

Pope Francis was the Church’s first pope from the Americas and her first Jesuit pope. 

Most of the Catholic world knew very little of their new pontiff and listened keenly as he began to speak. 

Rather than talk about himself, Pope Francis began his papacy by immediately praying for his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. His second act was to ask for prayers himself: 

 “And now I would like to give the blessing, but first I want to ask you a favor. Before the bishop blesses the people, I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me — the prayer of the people for their Bishop. Let us say this prayer — your prayer for me — in silence… I will now give my blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of goodwill.”

Today, April 21, 2025, let us honor Pope Francis by answering his request. Let us reflect on the end of his life – on the end of his papacy – by continuing to do this favor he asked at the outset: to pray for him, for his soul, in thanksgiving for his leadership, and in thanksgiving for our Holy Catholic Church. By doing so, we imitate him as well. Just as he began his pontificate by praying for others, let us honor the end of his pontificate by praying for him.

The Early Life of a Pontificate 

The life and papacy of Pope Francis were marked by one specific thing: Divine Mercy. It was Divine Mercy that reached out and seized the young Jorge Bergoglio. Christ came to Pope Francis through His Merciful Love. 

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, to a family of Italian immigrants. Although he grew up loving his Faith, his life was changed, and our Heavenly Father began to set him apart through an encounter with Divine Mercy. In 1953, a 17-year-old Pope Francis experienced the depth of God’s mercy in the confessional. It was this encounter with Divine Love and Mercy that led him to the Society of Jesus. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1958 and was ordained a priest in 1969. 

Pope Francis didn’t have ambition to be a Pope, or even ascend to any position of Church leadership. He simply wanted to serve the Lord in his priesthood. And this is what he did. 

As a Jesuit, Bergoglio served in various roles, including as a teacher and rector of the seminary in San Miguel. Here, he became known for his simplicity, pastoral care, and commitment to the poor. 

But the quiet young priest began to be recognized and began to rise in his diocese. 

Despite his ascendancy, he maintained a life of humility and a commitment to Ignatian spirituality, preferring public transport over private cars and cooking his own meals. He never forgot that moment of mercy he experienced. In fact, his episcopal motto was Miserando atque eligendo (“By having mercy and by choosing Him”). 

With this motto as his guide, Pope Francis served his diocese and country with devotion throughout the 1990s. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and later archbishop in 1998.

It was not an easy job. He guided the Church in Argentina through economic crises and social upheaval, consistently calling the faithful to trust in God’s providence and serve the weakest among them. Created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II, he continued to advocate for a Church close to the people, a Church that always holds the lowliest in the highest regard.

In 2013, he emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s as pope. 

His Papacy and Legacy

His pontificate continued with the same pastoral tone; he constantly emphasized mercy, asking his flock to reflect on Divine Mercy that had radically changed his life. Pope Francis understood that if we could also love with real mercy, we could radically change another’s life and bring them back to the folds of the Church. 

Pope Francis never wanted his Church to be comfortable. He asked us all to go out to the peripheries and engage with those who feel distant from God, to bring Divine Mercy to those who need it most. 

That is exactly what Pope Francis did in one of the defining moments of his papacy. In 2014, he declared that the following year would be the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. With an eye for his flock, Pope Francis took stock of the wounds and pain of a world suffering from material and spiritual poverty and urged Catholics to be instruments of reconciliation through a devotion to the sacrament of reconciliation and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

As any shepherd should aim to do, Pope Francis also brought us closer to home. He did so by bringing us closer to our spiritual mother, our Blessed Mother Mary, and our foster father St. Joseph. 

Through his devotion, he introduced the world to the healing graces of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, a Marian devotion that he first encountered in Germany and later popularized in Argentina. He wanted his flock to hand over to the Blessed Mother the painful knots that keep us bound.

His love for St. Joseph was also evident during his pontificate. In 2020, he declared the Year of St. Joseph to mark the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph's declaration as patron saint of the Universal Church. He promulgated Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), a reflection on the silent, faithful fatherhood of Joseph, as a model for all Christians. He also placed St. Joseph’s name in all Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass, ensuring his presence in the liturgical life of the Church.

Today, let us be grateful to God for Pope Francis, for his leadership and his commitment to Divine Mercy. May we let his words and actions encourage us to embrace the joy of the Gospel, to trust in God's mercy, and to truly care for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. May we be grateful for our Church and ask for God’s continued blessing upon it as we navigate these days that lie ahead. As we reflect on both the life of Pope Francis and the mission of the Catholic Church, may we never forget the impact of mercy and charity and our own ability to share it with the world.

May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.