We mourn the death of
Pope Francis
17.12.1936 - 21.4.2025
"Sisters, brothers, in the wonder of the Easter faith, carrying in our hearts
every expectation of peace and liberation, we can say: with You, O Lord,
everything is new. With you, everything begins again."
Pope Francis, 20 April 2025
Pope Francis (1936 – 2025)
From CONTROL towards COMPASSION
The sudden death of Pope Francis after taking part in Easter Sunday is a shock to many who loved and admired him. In his 12 years as pope, he worked hard to move the focus of our church from control towards compassion.
Jesus chided the church leaders who enforced many laws but did very little to lighten people’s daily burden.
Both Popes John Paul ll and Benedict XVl were strong supporters of laws to keep tight control on their flocks. They centralised power and control in the Vatican.
Pope Francis took a much more compassionate view with his
smell of the sheep;
who am I to judge;
supporting refugees and immigrants whether fleeing persecution or lives in poverty.
He nearly lost his way in Chile when he initially refused to accept the reports of clerical sex abuse but then saw the light and sought resignations of many bishops.
He bravely called for a Global Synod on Synodality where everything would be on the table and laity and women would have equal voices with bishops and cardinals. The curia feared for their privileges and pushed all dangerous topics out of the Synod to Vatican Study Groups. But the final document left each country and diocese free to move forward with reforms to bring the church back in line with the teachings of Jesus.
Pope Francis did have a blind spot regarding women in ordained ministries. But now that he has ended his life here on earth and is in heaven with our God, s/he will gently help him to understand the full equality of all women and men.
We give thanks for the earthly life of Pope Francis and the many blessings he gave us.
May he rest in peace!
Press contacts:
Colm Holmes, Chair We are Church International
Email:
Phone: +353 86606 3636
Dr Martha Heizer, Vice-Chair We are Church International
Email:
Phone: +43 650 4168500
In Death of Francis, Evaluations, Expectations, Hopes
We Are Church - Italy
At the beginning of the Lord's Easter, which in today's Gospel tells us to "rejoice", we raise our prayers for the passing of Pope Francis. He has taken us back as the Church of Christ to the experience of the first Christian communities in order to live the Gospel of love, closeness, reunion and joy today. We continue on the path of his Magisterium for an inclusive, equitable and synodal Church. Thank you, Pope Francis! Rest in peace and in our hearts.
Edson Silva We Are Church - São Paulo (Brazil)
Australasian Coalition for Catholic Church Reform remembers Pope Francis
We mourn for Pope Francis with deep sadness. A man of compassion, courage, and
profound humility who touched hearts across the world, transcending borders and
beliefs. He listened to everyone, with sensitivity, care and true concern for
justice as his compass.
His was a unique combination of strength and humility.
This Jesuit from Argentina, ‘the ends of the Earth’ as he called it, insisted
that we should all be awake to the cries of the poor and the natural world.
He pursued his agenda with authority, courage and determination. With gentle
strength, he showed us a style of leadership that walked with the wounded,
listened to the forgotten, embraced the stranger and encouraged everyone to
respect those on the margins.
His reform instincts ran deep; he held to them with conviction but he was no
crude enforcer. He respected people who opposed him, rising above the fray of
polarities. He will be remembered for embedding synodality as a core process
within the Church. His unwavering commitment to reform has changed it forever.Laudato si’, Evangelii gaudium, Fratelli tutti and other major
statements/encyclicals will continue to inspire people everywhere.
Francis’ dream lives on in us. We are grateful for having known this great Pope
who will be remembered for generations. We give thanks for his life, his
witness, and his unrelenting hope. Let us now work to bring his dream to
fulfilment.
For me, he was a good leader. I know he didn’t get everything right, but
no-one does get EVERYTHING right… But he had good priorities.
Laudato Si woke up
people - including me- to the dangers facing our world and to the vital
necessity to cooperate together to save the environments, the animals and the
people who inhabit Earth, our Common Home, as he called it.
Pope Francis
also steadfastly reached out to people who are so often rejected, despised and
dehumanised when they are forced to become refugees, and also to people in
prison , and also tried to cross faith boundaries and establish dialogue with
people who believe differently to Christians.
He tried to be more aware of
women’s capabilities and he tried to extend a welcome to LGBT people, although I
know that he didn’t go far enough.
He started the synodal process and even
during his last illness in hospital sent out an instruction that all parishes
worldwide must continue this process.
And finally, he prepared for his
succession by installing 130 new cardinals during his papacy, hopefully
extending the choice of candidate for the election of the next pope. Who knows
what will happen, but I think he did his level best.
He has gone home to God and
now he is well and free at last.
Anne Dobbing, Scottish Laity Network (We Are Church - Scotland)
We Are Church - Germany
Having met Pope Francis only in December 2024, the news of his passing
brought upon me a very deep sadness. I feel I made a connection with him
because I spoke to him about the sex abuse of sisters in the Church in India and
gave him a letter about it. He actually took action on the letter I gave him on
9th December. He appointed Sr. Simone Brambilla as the Prefect of the Dicastery
of Religious Life on 14th December, and gave her my letter to take action. I
received a reply from Sr. Simone, expressing gratitude for my concern and
telling me what she had done.
For me, I see that Francis' hands were tied, in a Church that is divided
between progressive and conservative Catholics, the legacy of Pope Francis will
be mixed. But none on either side can deny that he was a man who truly was an
embodiment of Jesus whom he loved and followed closely through his papacy.
I
feel Francis wanted to address the pain of survivors of sex abuse by the clergy
fully, and also give women greater equality in the Church, but he had to deal
with the conservatives who constantly badgered him about being too liberal and
voiced fears about an impending schism in the Church.
The structures will only change when they see that there are hardly any people
left in the Church. Actually I would like to see priesthood completely
changed and reverted to the priesthood of the people.
Virginia Saldanha , We Are Church in India