'Pope of the people': Catholic leaders recall Pope Francis as champion of mercy, love

(OSV News) -- Calling Pope Francis "a modern-day prophet," Kerry Alys Robinson said the late pope "read the signs of the times and awakened us to meaningful change in our behavior -- within the Church and within the world."

In an April 21 statement issued hours after Pope Francis' death, the Catholic Charities USA president and CEO lauded his "historic papacy," in which he "inspired Catholics and all people of good will to live as Christ did."

"Complex challenges such as extreme poverty, homelessness, mental illness, forced migration, climate change and war did not intimidate him; they broke his heart and inspired him to call for a more merciful, charitable, just and other-centered world," Robinson said.

Robinson was among U.S. Catholic leaders who shared tributes and memories from Pope Francis' 12-year pontificate following his death Easter Monday morning at the Vatican. The pontiff 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.

"More than any public figure of his time, Pope Francis emulated what he advocated. His authenticity came from his radical belief in God and commitment to be Christlike," Robinson said. "He said what he meant, and his actions matched his words with uncommon consistency. Pope Francis exuded empathy. He spent his time in refugee camps, in hospitals, in prisons and in countries torn apart by war. He spoke truth to power. He celebrated his birthday focusing on others: spending time with homeless women and men or sick children.

"He routinely called the cell phones of people who had suffered to offer encouragement and prayer," she added. "He bowed his head and asked for our blessing before giving his inaugural blessing as pope. He declined the apostolic palace in favor of a simple room at Santa Marta. He was a pope of the people, a pope of surprises, a pope of joy and a pope of tenderness."

Many Catholic leaders, in addition to their bishops, echoed that praise for Pope Francis' compassion for others and his attention to the margins of the church and society.

"First and foremost, Pope Francis was a pastor," Jesuit Father Brian Paulson, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, wrote.

"He consistently encouraged bishops, priests and all church ministers to meet people wherever they are in their life journeys, in messiness and complexity and ambiguity, and to help them grow in holiness," he said in a statement.

Father Paulson recalled how Pope Francis, a fellow Jesuit, "went to the peripheries time after time" from going to Lampedusa, Italy, to pray and advocate for Europe's migrants; to washing the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday; to constructing showers for the homeless in St. Peter's Square; to appointing cardinals "from regions on the planet that had never seen a cardinal named there before -- the Amazon, the Philippines, South Sudan, Myanmar and more."

"I believe Pope Francis will always be remembered for how he brought marginalized individuals and communities to the heart of the church," he said.

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly, the CEO of the Knights of Columbus, said the more than 2.1 million members of the international fraternal organization join other Catholics and people of all faiths in mourning the death of Pope Francis.

"Pope Francis was a powerful witness to charity and fraternity, calling us from his first days as pope to reach out to the margins of society and serve those who are too often forgotten," Kelly said.

"The Knights of Columbus is particularly grateful for its close relationship with our late Holy Father," he said. "Pope Francis continually encouraged our charitable mission and offered his blessing for our work, especially our humanitarian efforts around the world. Pope Francis was also very supportive of our efforts to help Catholic men be better husbands and fathers and take up co-responsibility for the Church’s mission of evangelization."

The Fe y Vida Institute in Romeoville, Illinois, highlighted the pope's "transformative legacy" as the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, as well as his commitment to "the poor, the marginalized, and young people."

"His leadership reawakened the Church's call to walk with those on the peripheries, to build a culture of encounter, and to live a missionary discipleship rooted in love," said the organization. Part of Lewis University,  Fe y Vida Institute seeks to equip pastoral ministers, young adult leaders, and parents for the new evangelization of young Latino people across the U.S.
Pope Francis inspired the young and others "to believe again in a merciful and welcoming Church," the institute added.

Peter Kilpatrick, president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, said that Pope Francis "will certainly be remembered as a pope of many firsts -- the first Jesuit pope, the first pope not only from Argentina but from the Americas -- but he was first and foremost an heir of St. Peter, and the 266th man to serve the Church as our pontiff."

In a statement that included an invitation to the university community to gather for prayer at 9:30 p.m. for a rosary vigil in a campus chapel, Kilpatrick said, "We would do well to keep in our hearts the Holy Father's continual exhortations to entrust ourselves entirely to the love of Jesus Christ, and to give it concrete expression. His consistent advocacy for those on the margins, including refugees and migrants, underscored the Church's social teaching about human dignity."

"He called us to reject the 'disposable culture' that would have us treat people as mere objects to be manipulated or as obstacles on our path to power," he said.

University of Notre Dame President Father Robert A. Dowd said its Indiana-based community "joins with the Church and the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis."

"Through his heroic and prophetic ministry, he has inspired and challenged us to respect the God-given dignity of all people and the integrity of creation," said Father Dowd, a Holy Cross priest, in an April 21 statement. "The Holy Father's life and witness call us to awaken from indifference to the suffering of others, to embrace our responsibilities to one another and to be agents of faith, hope and love for a world in need. As Pope Francis often reminded us, no one is far from God's merciful love, and the Church must be a 'field hospital' to warm hearts, heal wounds and open doors."

"Our hearts are heavy today,” Kyle Hamilton, CEO of Our Sunday Visitor in Huntington, Indiana, said in a statement released on behalf OSV's board of directors, senior leadership and staff. "Pope Francis was a shepherd of compassion, a witness to mercy, and a tireless advocate for the poor and marginalized. ... His pontificate was marked by a call to encounter, dialogue, and missionary discipleship -- reminding the Church of her evangelical heart and urging all people to go to the peripheries with the light of Christ."

OSV is the North American publisher of the English-language edition of L’Osservatore Romano, and with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, jointly published his papal documents, apostolic exhortations and encyclicals.

Scott P. Richert, OSV publisher, recalled one of the most memorable moments of Pope Francis' pontificate -- the pontiff "standing alone in a rain-soaked St. Peter's Square during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic," offering the "urbi et orbi" blessing "to an empty piazza -- and to the entire world."

"In the face of fear and uncertainty, the Holy Father reminded us that we are never alone, for Christ is always with us," Richert added, saying that image "captures so much of who Pope Francis was: a pastor close to the people, speaking not only to Catholics but to every person searching for light in darkness."

Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, recalled Pope Francis as "a shepherd to millions and a beacon of faith and compassion."

"His death leaves an immeasurable void in the Church and the world," he said in a statement.

"Since 2013, Pope Francis was unwavering in his dedication to caring for all of God's creation," he continued. "From the moment he chose the name Francis -- a testament to his commitment to the poor and marginalized -- to his encyclical 'Laudato Si',' the Holy Father embodied a life of service."

CRS, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church in the United States, is "deeply grateful for Pope Francis' unwavering call to serve the most vulnerable," Callahan said. "In 2021, when he became the first-ever sitting pope to visit Iraq, our staff -- many of whom were born and raised there -- were profoundly grateful for the chance to show the world the important work of the Church in building fraternity across the country."

Noting that Pope Francis was the first pope in history to choose a name in honor St. Francis of Assisi, the Fransicans' founder, Franciscan Brother Lawrence J. Hayes, provincial minister for the U.S.-wide Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, called Pope Francis an "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."

"Abide in life, good and faithful servant!" he said.

Sean Pender, president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an association of American Irish Catholics, praised Pope Francis for embodying "the principles of faith, humility, and service, offering a guiding light to millions around the world."

"His unwavering commitment to social justice, compassion for the marginalized, and advocacy for peace and reconciliation resonated deeply with the mission and values of the Hibernians," he said in a statement. "Pope Francis led by example, reminding us all of our shared responsibility to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable among us. His dedication to the dignity of all people, his call for unity, and his tireless pursuit of a more just world will remain an enduring legacy."

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA President Kelly Ryan said that Pope Francis' "heart for migrants and refugees helped give us strength in our work."

"We will honor his legacy by continuing that work in earnest in these challenging times for our world," she said in an April 21 press release that also recalled Pope Francis' July 2013 trip to the Italian island of Lampedusa to pray for refugees and migrants lost at sea as "a defining moment of his papacy ... setting the tone for his next 12 years."