'As we mourn him, may we be mindful of the call to holiness and the joy of the gospel'

Statement from Bishop Tom Deenihan, Bishop of Meath, on the death of Pope Francis:

"The announcement of the death of the Holy Father on Easter Monday morning was a cause of sadness and shock, given his appearances over the past few days during the various ceremonies. At this time, I join with the priests, religious and people of the Diocese of Meath in praying for his soul, confident that the God of Mercy will welcome this faithful servant.

Like many others, I watched the news of Pope Francis’s election on TV 12 years ago and there was much commentary on the Pope that came from the ‘Ends of the world’ and what type of papacy was in store. It became immediately clear that this would be a different papacy. Even the name Francis indicated a desire to put the poor, the marginalised, fraternity and ‘Sister Earth’ at the centre. Looking back now and reflecting on Pope Francis’s time as Pontiff, his choice of name was, in itself, a manifesto that he successfully lived up to.

Many of the tributes written in the past hours emphasise his humility, compassion and courage. Humility came to the fore in rejecting many of the Papal vestments and the Apostolic Palace itself. One of my earliest memories of him as Pope was of his return to the guesthouse in Rome, where he stayed before the conclave, to pay his bill. I think that he may have felt to some extent imprisoned in the Vatican – his trips to a music shop near the Pantheon to select CDs, his trips to an optician near the Spanish Steps to get new glasses and his various trips to prisons, hospitals and parishes give a sense of a man who wished to be among the people. Pope Francis was before all else a pastor.

Being a pastor informed many of the quotes that he is best remembered for, including ‘Who am I to judge?’. Above all, he was a prophet of mercy. Mercy, he said, was the ‘air that we breath’. That sense of mercy was also communicated to the Confessors in Saint Peter’s recently when he told them not to ask questions, to say they understood even if they did not and to grant absolution. The confession box was, he said, not to be a torture chamber.

In 2014 he said that God forgives not with a decree but with a caress. It was interesting that he publicly professed his own devotion to the sacrament of reconciliation frequently, even going to a confessor in Saint Peter’s after being released from hospital recently. As well as advocating mercy, he also championed the virtue of joy. Christians, he said, should not look like people coming from a funeral.

Perhaps less commented on is the simple holiness of Pope Francis. Which of us were not moved in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when he appeared in an empty and wet Saint Peter’s Square holding the Monstrance in the shadow of the Icon of Mary from Saint Mary Major’s Basilica that Romans have great devotion to and the Cross from the Church of Saint Marcello that Romans, since 1519, believe could save the city from fire and plague? The only acknowledgement of his presence in that empty and wet Square was a police car outside that turned on its siren. He was, essentially, the world’s priest interceding for his people. That will be one of my stronger and more moving memories of him.

Similarly, his devotion to the sleeping Saint Joseph whom he could entrust problems to, to Mary under the title of the undoer of knots and to the icon of Mary, salvific health of the Roman peoples, which he visited in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major before and after his many pilgrimages portray a man of deep and simple faith. That strong and devotional faith was an important part of the man. Indeed, any time that I met him, he would always ask for prayers.

His embracing of the synodal path and his call to Catholics to ‘enlarge their tent’ is also an important catch cry for our time. Pope Francis could remain friendly with those whom he disagreed with and could keep conversations going. I was reminded of that when I heard an Irish politician say at the time of the general election here that we need to learn to disagree with each other respectfully. In a time of social media and cancel culture, it is a valuable lesson.

I am one of the Irish Bishops that he appointed during his pontificate. His addresses to bishops always emphasised that role of pastor. ‘The smell of the sheep’ and the church being ‘a field hospital’ are two strong images of his that will, I believe and hope, endure.

He also faced difficult challenges. The issue of dealing with child abuse continued in his papacy and his demands on bishops and superiors were clearly outlined in Vos est Lux Mundi. Failures in dealing with those complaints would, and have, result in deprivation of office. Indeed, that issue arose again during his visit here in August 2018 and saw him seeking forgiveness for the churches failings during the Mass in the Phoenix Park. I think that he was always mindful of the burden that accompanied his election, hence the regular call to ‘pray for me’.

There was something appropriate in his passing on Easter Monday. The Church celebrating the Resurrection and a drive through Saint Peter’s Square the day before to give the blessing to the church, the city and the world and him greeting the people of the world who saw him as a father, an inspiration and a man of holiness.

As we mourn him, may we be mindful of his challenge to us to care for the marginalised, the poor, our common home, the need to see beyond our own reality, the need to enlarge our tent and the call to holiness and the joy of the gospel.

At the funeral of Pope Benedict in January 2023, Francis said that ‘Like the Master, the shepherd bears the burden of interceding and anointing his people, especially in the situations where goodness must struggle to prevail and the dignity of our brothers and sisters is threatened’.

Pope Francis certainly undertook that office of shepherd and was continually praying for peace in the Ukraine, Gaza and other places, all too many, where ordinary people found their lives upended by conflict. I think of the parish priest in Gaza that he rang nightly, even on Holy Saturday. They surely feel a great loss today.

We pray, as he ended that funeral homily, ‘faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete as you hear his voice now and forever’.

I commend the Soul of Pope Francis to the priests and people of the Diocese of Meath and ask that prayers be included in all Masses in the Diocese during the Novendiales, the nine-day period of mourning a Pope.

A Mass will be offered for the repose of Pope Francis in the Cathedral in Mullingar at 7.30pm on Tuesday April 29.

May he rest in Peace."

- Most Reverend Tom Deenihan, Bishop of Meath.