Tag: Christianity

    

Christ is in our midst, my beloved readers!

Today, it is as if all of nature holds its breath. The birds sing more softly; the trees whisper faintly with their leaves. All creation stands still, awaiting something wondrous. The world pauses, caught between sorrow and hope.

While Christ’s disciples wept and mourned, believing all was lost—thinking themselves deceived, having hoped that Jesus was the Messiah— he Savior Himself descended into Hades. Yet He entered not as before, humbly into Jerusalem, but as mighty Conqueror, the Destroyer of Hell. The guardians of the abyss scattered; the iron gates were shattered; and in the depths of hopelessness, Light blazed forth.

When a soul dwells long in darkness, sudden light wounds the eyes. Thus did the Light of Christ pierce those who, all their lives, had walked in rebellion against love, against truth, against righteousness—those who had lived for nothing but their own gain. Hades was laid waste. Yet the divine Light continues to bring torment to those who, on earth, sowed evil—and this torment shall be eternal, for God is eternal, and His name is Love.

But with what unspeakable joy did those who awaited Him greet the Christ—those who had borne witness to Him by word and by deed! The prophets, the righteous—all who, whether in this life or beyond it, had longed for His coming—now beheld their hope fulfilled and were filled with gladness at the arrival of the Savior.

The Lord has broken the bonds of Hades. Yet still, the darkness clings to human hearts. There, in the secret chambers of the soul, lurk the shadows of despair, cowardice, sorrow, anger, and every destructive passion. But there is no abyss so deep that the Light of Christ cannot reach it.

So, let us on this Great and Holy Saturday, open wide the doors of our souls to Divine Love. Let its warmth melt the ice of our hearts, and grant us the great hope of our own resurrection.

To the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, beloved children in the Lord,

Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen!

    

. John of Damascus, the author of that canon, calls today “the feast of feasts,” and as we celebrate this feast of feasts, this first and greatest of feasts, we might ask a seemingly simple question: what are feasts, and why do we celebrate them? This question seems particularly appropriate as the world around us grows ever more chaotic and complex. In the midst of all the change and busy-ness, how can we spare the time just to celebrate and do nothing of use?

Many of us are familiar with the Russian festal greeting, s prazdnikom. The key word here is prazdnik, the Russian word for feast or holiday, which derives in turn from the adjective prazdny, meaning “empty,” and hence “idle.” But this emptiness, or idleness, is not merely an expression of absence. The feast has positive content, but this content is not man-made: it is something made by God, something that our inaction allows us encounter and appreciate. Feasts are days on which we remain idle so that God can act; they are days that we empty of our own works so that we can fill them with the remembrance of the things of God: his deeds, his presence, his glory.

After all, as the Lord says, the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath (Mk. 2:27). We abused our freewill, sinned, and lost the continual enjoyment of God, instead being cursed to eat by the sweat of our brow (Gen. 3:19). But God, in his mercy, has given us the feast day, a day on which we are able to return to our Edenic state. We set aside the labor that is the result of our sin and, for a day at least, devote ourselves to true rest, to the one thing needful: worship in spirit and truth, whose hour is coming and now is (Lk. 10:42, Jn. 4:23). As we sang at the canon, the feast is the day on which we bless Christ forevermore.

The feast day, in this way, becomes an icon of the deified person, filled with the divine energies—God’s activity, rather than his own. The saints empty their hearts, their lives, their being, of everything worldly and passionate so that God can dwell there as his holy temple. The feast is also thus an icon of the life to come, in which the elect will no longer know toil or care, but only the never-ending banquet of the kingdom, the ceaseless heavenly worship of the one God in Trinity.

Thus, on this first of sabbaths, I pray that we might all set aside our Lenten labors and rejoice in the day which the Lord has made, Bright Sunday, his great and holy Pascha (Ps. 117:24). Following in the footsteps of our self-emptying Master, we worked for six weeks to cleanse our hearts and lives of everything unbefitting, not so that we could be empty, but so we could be filled, according to own measure and capacity, with the grace that Christ brings into the world through his life-creating Resurrection. Christ rested after his six days of labor, and now after our six weeks of Lenten work, he calls us to enter into his rest, to find our peace in him and the great salvation that he has wrought for us upon the Wood.

Christ is risen, the Peace of God, the divine Peace himself, and so, in the midst of a busy and whirling world, we find everlasting peace on his feast of feasts. May the grace, peace, and joy of his Resurrection abide with all of you, always, now and throughout the ages to come.

Greeting you with festal cheer and Paschal rejoicing, and assuring you of my primatial prayers and blessing, I remain,
Yours in Christ,

Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and CanadaTikhon, Metropolitanof All America and Canada

“>+ TIKHON
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

  

Dear brothers and sisters!

The first words of the Risen Savior, directed to the people, was a greeting, a call, and a direction for life: “Rejoice!”

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks for everything—the apostle Paul confirms these words, which he came to know through his own long and personal experience in life (1 Thess. 5:16–18). Having experienced persecution, serious illnesses, loss of friends, betrayal by disciples, and finally martyrdom, the apostle nevertheless unwaveringly proclaims the main thing that he learned in life: Only completely and totally entrusting yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ will bring victory, and what is incomparably better than anything earthly—spiritual joy.

The Lord lives, and holds the fate of the world in His hands! His Holy Church lives, enlightening and strengthening the believing and faithful with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice! And no one can take this joy away from us. It is about something infinitely more! It is about Christ’s victory over all evil in this world and over death itself. It is the threshold to eternal life, and it is given for strength and victory to us, the weak and sinful children of the Heavenly Father, to Whom every child He has sent to earth is precious.

Rejoice! Christ is Risen!

    

    

Pope Francis ended his service as the successor to Peter just as he began his ministry many years ago: in the midst of his people.

That poignant photo of Pope Francis yesterday at St. Peter’s Square will remain for all of us his historical stamp on his desire to live out his ministry exactly as Jesus did — in humble service. He was present to everyone, and he was struggling as Jesus did.

Pope St. John XXIII urged the Church to “open the windows and let in the fresh air” of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis then urged the Church to “open the doors to allow everyone in, and to go out into the far corners of the world” to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis’ entire life was riveted on the reality that Jesus came to fulfill the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah: “He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.” (Is 61:1-4)

His first trip outside Rome was to Lampedusa, the very southern tip of Italy, where refugees from Africa and the East first found land. And many drowned trying to reach a better life. He went there to be present with the suffering and to bring them some comfort.

Every time there was some calamity around the world, either caused by nature or by people, Pope Francis reached out to them with those constant words: “I am with you in closeness and I accompany you in your pains and sufferings.”

His papal visits were often to smaller places around the world, places previous popes had never been. He wanted to be present to them and to include them. He greatly expanded the College of Cardinals to represent all the corners of the world. Those cardinals will now be given the opportunity to elect the next successor to Peter.

Shortly after his election in 2013, I remarked that it was obvious how his pontificate was unfolding: he wanted all of us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus far more deeply so that we saw the face of Jesus in the poor and most vulnerable; and he worked to make the Church of today harmonize with the Church of the Acts of the Apostles.

His emphasis on synodality was simply a reminder of how the Church functioned at its very beginning: listening, praying, involving the Holy Spirit, discerning, and then taking bold steps forward.

Pope Francis spoke Gospel truths. Not everyone embraced his Gospel teachings because those teachings did not harmonize with their own personal, economic, and political agenda. He brought Jesus and the Gospels to influence everyday life.

It was an enormous privilege and grace to have participated in the conclave that elected him back in 2013. He was a good and gracious friend, and we exchanged letters often during this pontificate. Although he was in the hospital on February 17, he signed a letter of congratulations as I celebrated my golden jubilee as a bishop.

As I prepare to travel to Rome for his funeral Masses, I go to help bury a friend and a brother. I go with prayers of gratitude to God for the indelible stamp which Pope Francis has made on the world and the Church: we are all God’s children, and we must care for each other and our common home, the earth.

May he rest in peace.

Pope Francis died April 21 after suffering a stroke and heart attack, said the director of Vatican City State’s department of health services. The pope had also gone into a coma.

“I certify that His Holiness Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, resident of Vatican City, Vatican citizen, passed away at 7:35 a.m. on 4/21/2025 in his apartment at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Vatican City, from: cerebral stroke, coma, irreversible cardiovascular collapse,” said the statement, signed by the director, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, and published by the Vatican press office.

The doctor said the pope also had a history of: “a previous episode of acute respiratory failure due to polymicrobial bilateral pneumonia; multiple bronchiectases; arterial hypertension; and type II diabetes.”

A heart monitor or ECG was used to ascertain his death, that is, that there was no longer any heart activity, he wrote on the signed declaration.

The doctor also read the statement aloud during a special prayer service that began at 8 p.m. local time April 21 in the late pope’s residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, presided over the rite, which included the formal verification of the pope’s death, the placement of his body in a coffin, and its transfer to the chapel on the first floor of his residence. The pope died in his third-floor apartment at 7:35 a.m. April 21.

Others present at the closed-door ceremony included Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals; the late pope’s aides, assistants and members of the papal household; Dr. Arcangeli; and Dr. Luigi Carbone, deputy director of the Vatican’s health department and the pope’s personal physician.

This was the first of three rites that are divided into three “stations” based on the place they occur: “at home, in the Vatican basilica and at the burial place,” according to the “Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis” (“Funeral Rites of the Roman Pontiff”). There will be separate services for transferring the body to St. Peter’s Basilica, the funeral, the burial and the memorial Masses that follow the funeral for the next eight days.

The Vatican press office confirmed that, according to instructions guiding what happens after the death of a pope, the funeral and burial should take place “between the fourth and sixth day after death,” which would be between April 25 and 27.

The exact date will be determined at a meeting of all the cardinals able to reach the Vatican immediately after the papal death. The first meeting was being held at 9 a.m. April 22 in the Vatican Synod Hall.

The press office said the coffin would probably be brought to St. Peter’s Basilica April 23 for public viewing and prayer before the funeral. Instead of lying on a catafalque, that is, a kind of decorated platform, the body will be placed inside a zinc-lined coffin, which will remain open until the night before the funeral, which will be celebrated by Cardinal Re.

In his brief final testament, Pope Francis asked to be buried at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major and said he had offered his suffering for peace in the world.

“I offered the suffering present in the latter part of my life to the Lord for world peace and brotherhood among peoples,” he wrote in the document dated June 29, 2022, and published by the Vatican April 21, hours after he had died.

“Feeling that the sunset of my earthly life is approaching and with lively hope in eternal life, I wish to express my testamentary will only as to the place of my burial,” he wrote.

The document made no mention of the disposition of any possessions or of his personal papers.

As he had said publicly on several occasions, Pope Francis asked to be buried at St. Mary Major because he had entrusted his “priestly and episcopal life and ministry” to Mary.

“I wish my last earthly journey to end at this very ancient Marian shrine where I would go to pray at the beginning and end of each apostolic journey to confidently entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and to thank her for the docile and maternal care,” he wrote.

Pope Francis then specified that “my tomb be prepared in the niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel — the Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani — and the Sforza Chapel.”

“The tomb should be in the earth; simple, without special decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus,” he wrote.

Pope Francis said a benefactor already had covered the expenses for his burial and that he already had given specific instructions to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, the coadjutor archpriest of the basilica.

“May the Lord give a well-deserved reward to those who have loved me and will continue to pray for me,” he wrote.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires made history with his election on March 13, 2013, becoming the first Argentine and first Latin American to become pope.

As Pope Francis died in the Vatican April 21 at 88, it was in his Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, where now-Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva remembered him as “the pope for all” and the “the pope of the poor.” The archbishop also remembered him as the pope for all Argentines and exhorted the country to remember their late countryman as a figure of unity in a divided nation.

“Now we’ll have to be a little bit like Francis and also be more merciful to one another. I think the best tribute we Argentines can pay to Francis is to unite. The best tribute we can pay him is to build bridges, to engage in dialogue, to stop constantly confronting each other,” Archbishop García Cuerva said at a Mass celebrated at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires for Pope Francis.

“What greater pain for a father is there than to see his children divided. May Francis go to heaven with the peace of mind that his children will try to live the national unity between us that is still pending.”

The Argentine bishops conference added in an April 21 statement, “We thank God for the life, ministry and testimony of faith of someone who knew how to guide the universal Church with humility, evangelical firmness and unconditional love for the poor, the discarded and those who suffer.”

The Argentine pope of the people

While his election sparked outpourings of pride, patriotism and hope for reconciliation in a politically divided country — his legacy in his homeland is a complicated one. Few photos of Pope Francis are spotted in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, unlike soccer stars Diego Maradona and Leonel Messi, who led their country to World Cup success.

Observers credit the pope’s modest stature in his homeland to politics — with politicians from all sides trying to portray him as a fellow traveler or, in the case of current President Javier Milei, badmouthing the pope for his teachings. The pope’s comments were often scrutinized as much for political sentiments as anything pastoral.

Many Argentines seemingly continued seeing the pope as Cardinal Bergoglio, a figure focused on local matters rather than the leader of the universal church.

“We Argentines have not allowed Bergoglio to be Francis,” Archbishop García Cuerva said at a Feb. 24 Mass, where Argentines prayed for the then-hospitalized pope. “We have always put him in the middle of our sterile discussions, we have put him in our political divides.”

Attendees clutched photos of Pope Francis, wore Argentina’s familiar colors of sky blue and white and carried images of Our Lady of Luján, the national patroness.

“He confirmed me,” said Felipa Acosta, a parishioner at the Our Lady of Caacupé, named for the patroness of Paraguay. Acosta recalled Pope Francis visiting the parish in one of the many villas (shantytowns) in Buenos Aires — places avoided by polite society.

“He was always very close to us,” said Claudia Tejada, who remembers the future pope visiting her parish monthly. She recalled him sipping yerba mate, a popular infusion, and chatting with parishioners.

But there was no avoiding the complicated relationship between the pope and his native country — something Archbishop García Cuerva addressed in comments alluding to Argentine attitudes and those of Catholics further afield.

“We have tried to teach him, almost in a daring way, what it meant to be pope as if we had the manual for that,” Archbishop García Cuerva said in February.

“Yet he loves us, and yet he has us in his heart. He did what a loving father does. That is Francisco, the father of all, but we know that in his heart there is a lot of Argentine and a lot of porteño,” he said of Pope Francis, using a common and affectionate nickname for natives of Buenos Aires.

A complicated legacy

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires and raised in the middle-class Flores neighborhood. He served as Jesuit provincial — though his term ended in acrimony, according to observers — and was named auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992. He was raised to archbishop in 1998 and cardinal in 2001.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was known for his grassroots ministry and confrontations with Argentina’s political elite — particularly with the late President Néstor Kirchner and his wife, former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, over their Peronist politics. Though initially icy, Fernández de Kirchner later warmed to Francis, visiting him in Rome multiple times. Still, his papacy has often been entangled in Argentina’s political tensions, with his expressions — or silences — scrutinized by leaders across the spectrum.

So-called “friends of Francis” also started appearing, along with supposed spokesmen with messages after trips to Rome. This forced the Argentine bishops’ conference to ask people to desist, saying the practice “has generated confusion and justified regrettable distortions of his figure and his words.”

Criticisms also emerged about the pope not visiting Argentina. He visited some countries of South America during his pontificate and twice flew over Argentine territory en route to Paraguay and Chile. He often spoke of visiting, but never did.

“If Francis were to come to Argentina, it would be assumed that he would be used politically in favor of the government in power or against the government in power,” De Vedia said. “I think that he would have had great popular fervour in the streets” had he visited “and at the same time debates about his positions,” Marianon De Vedia, editor for Argentina’s La Nacion said.

A changing nation

Argentina continued its drift away from Catholicism after Francis’ election. Some 62.9% of Argentines identified as Catholic in a 2019 survey from research institution CONICET, down from 76.5% in 2008. The number of people identifying as non-religious reached 18.9%, outpacing the growth in Protestant and other congregations.

Abortion was decriminalized in 2020 as a feminist movement became influential. Argentina’s bishops bitterly opposed abortion decriminalization, especially as it came during a pandemic in which the church — especially priests in the shanties, known as “curas villeros” — worked to feed and care for populations thrown into economic hardship.

Pope Francis paid special attention to the “villas” at a time when few others would enter the shantytowns, supporting their work serving communities rife with poverty and addictions.

“We felt really close (to him) and that he has acted like a bishop who is present and also seeks to solve the problems,” said Father José María di Paola, a prominent cura villero known as Padre Pepe.

The curas villeros promoted the pope’s vision of going to the peripheries. They took special offense at the rise of President Milei, who once branded the pope a “filthy leftist.” The curas villeros celebrated a Mass of reparation in a shantytown after Milei’s comments.

Milei took office in 2023 on an agenda of slashing the government. Pope Francis was quick to congratulate him. Milei traveled to the Vatican for a visit and asked the pope to visit.

On April 21 Milei said: “Despite our differences, experiencing his kindness was a true honor.”

The president’s office had formally communicated the news saying that the pope led the Catholic Church “with dedication and love from the Vatican.”

Pope Francis, who died April 21 at age 88, “will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the Church and of society,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement shared in the first hours after the pope’s death.

“He renewed for us the mission to bring the Gospel out to the ends of the earth and offer divine mercy to all. He has also taken advantage of the present Jubilee to call us to a profound hope: one that is not an empty or naïve hope, but one grounded in the promise of Almighty God to be with us always,” Archbishop Broglio wrote.

Bishops around the United States began issuing tributes to Pope Francis and his 12-year pontificate shortly after the news of his death April 21, Easter Monday. He died at the Vatican 7:35 a.m. Rome time.

Pope Francis had been recovering from pneumonia and respiratory infections after having been released from Rome’s Gemelli hospital March 23 following more than five weeks of treatment.

Bishops pointed to Pope Francis’ historic and key contributions and shared their personal appreciations.

“Even with his roots in the Piedmont region of Italy, the first Pope from our American Continent was marked by his experience as a Jesuit and a shepherd in Buenos Aires. He brought that experience and vision with him to his ministry for the universal Church,” said Archbishop Broglio, who is also head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. “Recently, he expressed anew prayerful hope in his letter of support to the Bishops of this country in our attempts to respond to the face of Christ in the migrant, poor, and unborn. In fact, he has always used the strongest and clearest expressions in the defense of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death.”

Nodding to the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope Pope Francis inaugurated Dec. 24, Archbishop Broglio said he last saw the pope at the Jubilee Mass for the Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel, held at the Vatican Feb. 8-9, just days before the pope was admitted to the hospital Feb. 14.

Standing in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where a portrait of Pope Francis was flanked by lit candles alongside an empty chair draped with purple and white stoles, Cardinal Timothy P. Dolan of New York shared informal reflections on Pope Francis during a morning Mass.

“Beyond the sorrow, the sadness that we feel at the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, we express our faith in the resurrection of Jesus,” he said before the Mass’ opening prayer. In his homily, he called attention to Pope Francis’ last public words being his Easter blessing.

“Yes we are sad, but we are filled with Easter joy,” Cardinal Dolan said. “When we believers are kind of a little lost and don’t know quite what to do, we always rely on prayer. Here we are, this second day of Easter, this Easter Monday, hearing the news of our Holy Father passing over. Here we are at the greatest prayer of all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which we offer, asking the Lord’s mercy on his immortal soul, thanking God for the gift that he was to us, and asking for consolation upon God’s family.”

Washington’s new archbishop, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, said the church and the world “have lost a true shepherd of souls, a beacon of unwavering hope, and a voice of penetrating truth. From the very first moments of his service to the universal Church, Pope Francis enshrined the mercy of God at the heart of his proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In doing so, he illuminated with new depth the pastoral dimension of the Church’s mission, which is rooted first in embracing love rather than in judgment.”

“Pope Francis’s vision of a synodal Church — the people of God journeying together, nourished by Word and Sacrament, missionary in its outreach, including all and animated by the participation of all, constantly renewing itself in the light of the Gospel,” he continued, “stands as an enduring legacy of Pope Francis in his fidelity to the Second Vatican Council and its call to preach the Gospel in the modern world. It provides a clear foundation for the journey of God’s people in the years which are to come.’

“May Pope Francis be with Christ!” said Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, Cardinal McElroy’s predecessor, We commend his great soul to the Merciful Father of us all. His devoted service to Christ’s Church and to our entire world is a legacy that will endure for ages to come. He presented the compassionate face of a pastor as he exercised the Petrine Office. People felt close to him and therefore closer to our Church. May the Lord reward him for his ministry as Shepherd in the likeness of Jesus.”

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, joined in mourning the passing of the pope “with profound sorrow and heartfelt gratitude.” He described Francis as “a shepherd who walked closely with God’s people and never tired of reminding us of God’s mercy. He was a man of deep faith, profound humility, and unshakable hope — a servant whose tireless call to care for the poor and the marginalized will continue to inspire the Church for generations to come.”

“Let us give thanks for his life, his witness, and his love for the People of God. And may we honor his memory by building a Church that reflects the face of Jesus — merciful, welcoming, and always near to those on the margins,” the cardinal added.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago called Pope Francis’ death “a moment of profound loss for me personally and for the Church.”

“The finest memorial we can offer is to re-form our hearts as Pope Francis asked — to see our brothers and sisters, to listen to them and to offer our prayers and actions that all may experience the fullness of God’s promise,” said Cardinal Cupich, who served in several Vatican dicasteries under Pope Francis. “As we mourn his passing, I ask that God comfort us, but also strengthen us to remain steadfast in carrying on the work of restoring our Church’s place in the world as a source of hope and an advocate for those in need.”

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, retired archbishop of Galveston Houston, said Pope Francis’ “intense focus on accompanying all men and women of goodwill in their joys and sorrows will continue to have a lasting impact on the Church as she continues her own pilgrim journey of faith.”

“As the Church comes together to mourn and pray for the soul of His Holiness, let us commend him to the loving embrace of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, to whom he had such loving devotion,” the cardinal said in a statement he issued on behalf of himself, his successor, Archbishop Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez, Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, and the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and lay faithful.

Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston said that Pope Francis’ “legacy as Holy Father is broad and deep” and his example “remains a guiding light to the Universal Church.”

“In his ministry and across his writings, he has continuously called us to deeper faith and to a more generous participation in the boundless compassion of God,” Archbishop Henning, whom Pope Francis last year appointed to succeed Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley as leader of the Boston Archdiocese, wrote in a statement. “He has challenged us to turn away from selfish impulses and towards communion with others and respect for God’s creation.”

Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh praised Pope Francis’ pontificate, writing, “Pope Francis led the Church with extraordinary humility, compassion, and courage. He reminded us that mercy is at the heart of the Gospel, and he consistently called us to encounter one another with tenderness and care — especially the poor, the suffering, and the forgotten. His voice echoed far beyond the walls of the Church, inviting people of all backgrounds to walk together in peace, justice, and love.”

In his personal encounters with Pope Francis, he said, “what struck me most was not just the dignity of his office, but the warmth of his heart.”

“His attention to each person, his gentle spirit, and his genuine kindness left a lasting impression on me and so many others,” Bishop Zubik continued in his April 21 statement. “He was a shepherd who smelled like his sheep — and the world is better for it.”

Bishop David J. Walkowiak of Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of the first bishops Pope Francis appointed during his pontificate, said in a statement, “Pope Francis sought to break down barriers and draw people into an encounter with Christ in the Catholic Church.”

“Like Jesus, he served those whom the world often considered outcasts. He challenged priests to be shepherds with the ‘smell of the sheep,’ and constantly reminded us of the dignity of the unborn, migrants and refugees, and prisoners,” he said. “He was a man of action, ministering to the homeless in Rome, visiting refugee camps, and washing the feet of prisoners. His pastoral heart, use of relatable language, and witness to serving people on the margins stand as an example for all people.”

Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati, who was installed April 3, also pointed to the Jubilee Year and its call for hope as he marked Pope Francis’ death.

“As we commend a good and faithful servant to God, let us remember that Pope Francis proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope — awakening us to Christ, who is alive and present in our midst,” he wrote, adding Psalm 27:14: “Hope in the Lord! Hold firm, take heart, and hope in the Lord!”

“May we, then, be filled with hope — hope that Pope Francis will receive the reward of a life poured out in selfless service and love for God’s people and all creation; hope that Christ, who comforts us in our mourning, will send the Holy Spirit to be our Helper; and hope that this same Spirit will inspire and unite us as the Church to stand firm in faith, proclaiming the power of the Resurrection and the joy of the Gospel,” Archbishop Casey said.

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami recalled that one of Pope Francis’ first actions after his election was a pastoral trip outside Rome to African migrants who had washed ashore in their boat at Lampedusa, a small Italian island. “He never tired of defending the displaced migrant nor embracing the marginalized or excluded,” Archbishop Wenski said.

At a time when “scandals had undermined people’s trust in society’s institutions, whether political, academic, economical or religious,” the archbishop said, the pope “defied the institutional ‘norms’ of the Papal court: he carried his own valise, refused to be chauffeured in limousines, and eschewed symbols of pomp and circumstance, living not in the Apostolic Palace but in a room at the Vatican’s ‘hotel.’ In this way, he inspired many to give the Church a second look.”

In an X post, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said Pope Francis had the “heart of a pastor.” “A pastor always wants to be with his people,” he said, adding, “So many will miss this man.”

“Just yesterday, he greeted the crowds in Rome, as if to say farewell to the People of God whom he loved so dearly and served so devotedly,” Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said in a statement. He said the pope’s designation of 2025 as a Jubilee of Hope “focused on the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus, was a much needed tonic for church and world. … Often the Holy Father would ask visitors to pray for him. I am sure he would want us to pray for him now that he may rest in the peace of the Risen Lord.”

“From his many apostolic visits around the globe to be among his flock, to his inspiring teachings, to his consistent call for peace and social justice,” Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez said, “Pope Francis invited all people to encounter the person of Jesus Christ fully and to serve their brothers and sisters with love and humility as instruments of grace. The life and Petrine Ministry of Pope Francis was a true blessing to the world. May his example bring us to embrace God’s plan for each of us to serve Christ’s Church on earth as Missionary Disciples.”

Pope Francis, by his example, “touched the untouchables, embraced those from whom many recoil, and spoke directly in an understandable language, trying to reach a world in turmoil,” said Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. “For many he brought God closer. I am most grateful for his call to the world to pray for peace and justice in Ukraine. He did so hundreds of times — more so than any world leader. His summons was heard on all continents.”

The archbishop said that during his “privileged personal encounters” with Francis, he always found the pontiff “to be open and ever-joyful despite the heavy responsibilities he carried and the intractable global problems that he faced.”

Phoenix Bishop John P. Dolan said the pope was a man who “truly listened — not only to the faithful within the Church but to people of all faiths and goodwill. He reminded us that even those without faith in God could offer their kind thoughts, and he humbly welcomed them.”

He said he was particularly moved by Francis’ “deep concern for the oppressed, the poorest of the poor, and those who struggle with mental health. His witness to Christ’s love and mercy brought hope to so many who felt forgotten.”

Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, said, “The Holy Father consistently emphasized care for our common home and human fraternity: the need to see one another as brothers and sisters. We would do well to learn from his wisdom.”

“As a pastor, Pope Francis was committed to leading our Church in a synodal way, urging all pastors to accompany their flocks — especially the poor and marginalized — as we minister to a world in desperate need of Christ’s peace and love,’ said Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis. “Pope Francis had an unwavering passion and devotion to the faith, to the Church and to the people of God everywhere.”

Many bishops ended their statements with traditional prayers for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul and hope for his eternal rest.

“The passage from this life of the Bishop of Rome calls us to pray for his eternal rest and to continue on our path to a deeper union with the Lord Jesus,” Archbishop Broglio said, noting how all the bishops were uniting in prayer for them. “We remember his leadership in inspiring nations, organizations, and individuals to a renewed commitment to care for each other and our common home.”

“Even as pope, he didn’t put himself ahead of others, but embodied the term ‘servant leader,’” said Bishop Edward C. Malesic of Cleveland. “I ask all the faithful to pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of Pope Francis. May Pope Francis rest in the love and peace of Christ.”

In Texas, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville posted on X, “With profound gratitude for the life and Petrine ministry of Pope Francis, For his unflinching desire to give himself to the mission, ‘hasta que Dios diga.’ With great sorrow at his passing: ‘The souls of the just are in the hands of God,’ May he rest in peace from his labors.”

“It is fitting that the Lord has called Pope Francis to Himself on this first day of the Easter season,” said Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Alabama. “With faith in the Lord’s promise of eternal life, we entrust our Holy Father to the love and mercy of God. May the Lord welcome Pope Francis home with those words found in the Bible: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The Vatican has announced that despite the death of Pope Francis, the Jubilee of Teenagers is still scheduled to take place in Rome beginning this Friday, April 25, through Sunday, April 27.

According to a statement from the Dicastery for Evangelization, the event is expected to draw upwards of 80,000 teenagers from all over the world to the Vatican.

Several adjustments are being made to the program due to the death of the Holy Father.

Among the changes: The previously scheduled April 27 canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis has been postponed. Due to the time of mourning, the musical celebration at Circus Maximus scheduled for April 26 at 5 p.m. has also been canceled.

Jubilee of Teenagers programming still scheduled to take place includes the April 25 “Via Lucis” prayer time, the “Dialogues with the City” squares on Saturday, April 26, the pilgrimages to the Holy Door and the holy Mass, without the canonization of Acutis, in St. Peter’s Square on April 27.

The first-ever Jubilee of Teenagers figures as one of the most anticipated events of the holy year and is especially dedicated to young people, who will have a unique experience of “faith, spiritual growth, and intercultural exchange.”

The vast majority of those registered come from Italy, although numerous groups are also expected to arrive from the United States, Brazil, India, Spain, Portugal, France, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Germany, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Nigeria, and many other countries.

The delegations will come from dioceses, youth ministries, associations, and movements such as the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts, Italian Catholic Action, and the Salesian Youth Movement, among others.

The official program includes several highlights, beginning with the Via Lucis (Way of Light), an act of piety in which the apparitions of the risen Christ are meditated upon, which will take place on April 25 in the EUR neighborhood, just outside Rome.

On Saturday, April 26, there will be a day of thematic events throughout Rome, called “Dialogues with the City.”

One of the culminating moments will be on Sunday, April 27, with Mass in St. Peter’s Square, though without the canonization of Acutis.

In a statement following Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday, Archbishop José H. Gomez called on Catholics to pray for the late pontiff’s soul and honor his legacy by carrying out the “urgent tasks” at the center of his pontificate. 

“In this time of mourning, my prayer is that all of us in the Church will honor Pope Francis’ legacy by remembering that he called us to urgent tasks that are still not finished,” said Archbishop Gomez in a statement. 

“We must continue our work of serving the poor, the migrant, and all who are forgotten on society’s ‘peripheries.’ ” said the archbishop in the April 21 statement. “We must persevere in caring for our common home, which is the earth, and in building a world that respects the sanctity and dignity of all human life and the Creator’s desire that we live in peace and fraternity as one human family.”

Archbishop Gomez pointed out that Francis had appointed nine auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles during his 12-year pontificate, and said he was grateful for the “many kindnesses and expressions of pastoral care” the pope made to Los Angeles Catholics during difficult times. 

“He was always quick to show his spiritual closeness to us in our times of need,” said the archbishop. “It was just in January that he offered prayers and words of consolation as we faced the destruction caused by the wildfires in the Palisades and Altadena. I will never forget his fraternal comfort as we mourned the sudden taking of our beloved Bishop David O’Connell in 2023.”

Recalling the pope’s “constant example” of devotion to the Virgin Mary, Archbishop Gomez invited LA Catholics to pray to her for the repose of the late pope’s soul, that she may “wrap our Holy Father in the mantle of her love.”

“In this beautiful Easter season, when we celebrate our hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we pray that the angels may lead Pope Francis into paradise, that the saints and martyrs welcome him, and that God in his mercy will make his face shine upon his faithful servant and grant him eternal rest in the love that never ends,” said the archbishop. 

The full text of Archbishop Gomez’s statement on the passing of Pope Francis can be found here.