In his homily at the Mass of the Requiem for Pope Francis, the dean of the college of Cardinals remembers the highlights of his 12 years of intense and prophetic pontificate marked by his proximity to the people, especially the least and the last among us, and his deep love for the church open to all.
By Lisa Zengarini
More than two hundred thousand people from all walks of life spilled on Saint-Pierre square and in the adjacent areas on Saturday morning to offer their last farewell to Pope Francis during his Requiem mass.
The solemn and moving celebration was chaired by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Rehing by some 250 cardinals, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, priests and consecrated religious.
In his homily, the dean of the Cardinals College plunged into the many highlights of his remarkable and intense years of the Petrine Ministry marked by his style of proximity to the people and the spontaneity of his gestures until the end, but above all, his deep love for the Church.
A pope who touched the spirits and hearts of many
Thanking all the people present and extending their greetings to the many heads of state, heads of government and official delegations from around the world, the cardinal noted that the effusion has witnessed this week of mourning speaks long on the quantity of pontificate of Pope Francis “touched the spirits and hearts” of many people, not only within the church.
The good shepherd close to his people until the end
By referring to the passage of the Gospel where Christ accused Pierre de Berger his herd, the Cardinal noticed that “despite his fragility and his suffering towards the end, Pope Francis chose to follow this path of autonomy until the last day of his earthly life”, in which he “followed the steps of his lord, the good shepherd”
He recalled how his decision to take the name of Francis “seemed immediately to indicate the pastoral plan and the style on which he wanted to base his pontificate, seeking the inspiration of the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi”.
Open to all and attentive to the signs of the time
With his temperament and his form of pastoral leadership, and thanks to his resolved personality, the cardinal A Re: “He immediately made his mark on the governance of the Church.”
“He was a pope among the people”, with an open heart towards everyone, in particular the marginalized, the least among us, but “also a pope attentive to the signs of the time and what the Holy Spirit woke up in the Church”.
With his characteristic vocabulary and language, he has always sought to shed light on the problems of our time, with the wisdom of the Gospel, encouraging Christians to live their faith in the midst of these challenges and contradictions, which he liked to describe as a “change of time”.
Central evangelization of the vision of Pope Francis
Evangelization, explained Cardinal Re, remained at the heart of his vision, in particular expressed in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. His image of the church as a “field hospital” characterized a church that actively engages with the wounds of the world. His awareness of migrants and refugees, illustrated by visits to Lampedusa, Lesbos and the American-Mexican border, was deeply symbolic of his solidarity with suffering.
Among his 47 apostolic trips, Cardinal Re underlined his visit to Iraq, which, he said, stood out both as a “pastoral balm” and a call to an interreligious dialogue.
His global trips have often brought him to places of need and deep conflicts, culminating during his visit in 2024 in the region of Asia-Oceania, which extended the presence of the church to the most distant outskirts.
His relentless accent on mercy
Cardinal RE also highlighted the relentless accent of Pope Francis in mercy – in his declaration of the extraordinary jubilee of mercy in 2016 – and his persistent plea for a “meeting culture” against the dominant “disposable culture”.
His call to human fraternity, especially in his encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” and the joint declaration Abu Dhabi 2019 on human fraternity for world peace and life together, underlined his desire for solidarity and world peace.
A daring voice for peace
Environmental management, expressed in the encyclical “Laudato Si”, the cardinal re continues, further expanding the scope of his moral leadership, stressing the interconnection of all creation and our common responsibility for the planet.
In times of world violence and war, Francis’ voice stood out as peace, always insisting that “war is a defeat for humanity”.
Cardinal RE’s words on the pope’s efforts and world peace calls have attracted large applause of the present crowd.
Pope Francis, pray for us from heaven!
The homily has closed a tender note, invoking the familiar words with which Pope Francis has always ended his audience and meetings: “Do not forget to pray for me.”
With more applause that rises from those present, Cardinal Re said now, while Pope Francis is based in the embrace of God, the faithful reverse of this request, asking their beloved Pope to intercede for the Church, for Rome and the whole world of heaven.
