Life and Heritage of Pope Francis – contrary to a simple definition, the bishop who led the Roman Catholic Church through different stages and contradictions over decades is not easy to fit into a single Homily.
But that was the job of Cardinals University’s dean Giovanni Batista Leh on Saturday.
“He was the Pope among the people and he was open to everyone,” said the Re Cardinal, next to Francis’ co-off from the stairs in St. Peter’s Square. “He was also a Pope who cared about the signs of the times and the Holy Spirit being awakened in the church.”
Cards arranged around him prepared to head to Conclave next month, and avoided the obvious political overtones, preparing to choose Francis’ successor, Cardinal 91. But by highlighting Francis’ idyllic and inclusive approach and his humble style, Re’s worship tried to remind tens of thousands of faithful people in St. Peter’s Square.
“The guidelines for his mission were also a certainty that the church is all homes and that doors are always open,” said Re Cardinal.
He said Francis spread his faith with a sense of joy, “great spontaneity, and an informal way of dealing with everyone,” and the spirit of “welcome and hearing.” However, Francis “had truly shared the anxiety, suffering and hopes of this period of globalization.”
As President Trump sat a few yards away, the cardinal recalled the late Pope’s trip to the Mexico-US border.
Cardinal said that Francis’ pastoral style and “decisive character” quickly marked the church, and that the clergy were “eager to everyone, paying attention to the difficult people, particularly to the marginalized, to those not alienated among us.”
The Cardinal spoke about becoming a pope through the Francis hierarchy, saying his decision to take the name Francis after a medieval saint dedicated to caring for the poor “appeared to show the idyllic plan and style he wanted to be the basis of his Pope.”
He described Francis as a simple pastor who followed in Jesus’ footsteps until his last day.
Re healed the healing wounds of his work between religions, including Francis’ milestones in the church, environmental protection, documents on human fraternity signed with Muslim leaders in the United Arab Emirates, and frequent calls to stop war and conflict. He recalled how Francis was trying to physically reach around the world, heal his wounds and spread the seeds of faith.
“The pouring of affection we recently witnessed after his death from this earth forever tells us how much the deep bishop of Pope Francis touched his heart and heart,” said Re Cardinal.
He said that the enduring image of Francis was an image of Easter Sunday, the day before his death, despite apparent suffering.
Remembering that Francis often finished the discussion with an invitation to pray for him, the cardinal concluded, “Dear Pope Francis, we ask you to pray for us.”
