With Catholics, Christians and people of good will world-wide, we join in offering prayers of gratitude for the life and witness of Pope Francis— icon of the compassion of God, defender of migrants and the poor, champion of ecological responsibility, reformer who sought to transform the Church into a “field hospital” at the service of the vulnerable at the peripheries, and friend of Christ who longed to “wake up the world” with hope and joy. In faith, we commend Pope Francis to God’s loving embrace. Through the power of the resurrection, may he now enjoy fullness of life with God in the communion of saints. Abide in life, good and faithful servant!
“Let us welcome Jesus, the God of life, into our lives, and today once again say ‘yes’ to Him. Then no stone will block the way to our hearts, no tomb will suppress the joy of life, no failure will doom us to despair. Let us lift our eyes to Him and ask that the power of His resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls. Let us lift our eyes to Him, the Risen Lord, and press forward in the certainty that, against the obscure backdrop of our failed hopes and our deaths, the eternal life that He came to bring is even now present in our midst.” — Pope Francis
“Pope Francis brought the people of the periphery to the center. He has opened participation in decision-making to a much broader section of the baptized, especially through the synodal process. And he reshaped the College of Cardinals, which will elect his successor, into a truly international body with members from more nations and cultures than ever before. With such changes, Pope Francis can assure to some degree that the Church of the future will be shaped by his vision of a “Church of the poor,” which he called for in the very first days of his pontificate.”
– Br. William Short, OFM, Franciscan scholar
“Pope Francis called us to a second reception of Vatican II and its call to renewal. He correctly discerned that we did not need another Ecumenical Council. What we needed was a deepening of our spirituality so that we might listen to what the Holy Spirit is calling of the Church today, which way we should walk together. This is the essence of synodal discernment.”
– Br. Keith Warner, OFM, professor at the Franciscan School of Theology and practical social ethicist in the Franciscan tradition
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"Pope Francis has profoundly influenced the Church by emphasizing mercy, synodality and social justice. His focus on the peripheries — both geographical and existential — has reshaped the Church’s pastoral priorities, making it more inclusive of the poor, migrants, and those marginalized by society. Through encyclicals like Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, he has elevated the Church’s engagement with ecological and social issues, linking them to faith and moral responsibility.
“Perhaps his legacy will be a Church more attuned to the modern world’s challenges, grounded in dialogue and pastoral care, rather than rigid legalism. Whether his reforms endure depends on future leadership, but I think his emphasis on mercy, ecological justice and a synodal Church has set a trajectory that has the potential to shape Catholicism for generations.”
– Br. Javier Del Angel De Los Santos, OFM, studying for the Licentiate in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome
