Archbishop recalls late pope’s focus on ‘Christ-centered relationships’
In SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis on April 22, Archbishop Charles C. Thompson responds to a reporter’s question during a press conference regarding the death of Pope Francis. At left is Father James Brockmeier, rector of the cathedral and director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship. (Photo by Natalie Hoefer)
By Sean Gallagher
When Archbishop Charles C. Thompson remembers Pope Francis, many things come to mind: his insightful teaching, the powerful witness of his simplicity and his care for the poor and those on the margins of society.
But the late pontiff’s “contagious smile” also is a special memory for the archbishop.
That smile gave him encouragement in 2017 after the pope had appointed him to lead the Church in central and southern Indiana.
At the time, Archbishop Thompson was mindful of the weight of the duty he had been given. Then he took part in a Mass at the Vatican in which Pope Francis gave him a pallium, a woolen band worn over the shoulders of shepherds of archdioceses that symbolize the care they are to give their flock and their leadership in their broader Church province, which, for him, meant the archdiocese and the four other dioceses in Indiana.
“I was watching him during the Mass and the infectious smile that he had,” Archbishop Thompson recalled. “And I thought, you know, if he can still be smiling and carrying the weight of the world, I can wear mine in the state of Indiana.”
Archbishop Thompson shared his memories of Pope Francis and reflections on his leadership during a press conference on April 22, the day after Pope Francis died, at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. (Watch a video from the press conference here)
Putting the person first
At the start of the press conference, Archbishop Thompson expressed the gratitude of all in the archdiocese for the late pontiff.
“We are grateful to God for Pope Francis, for his incredible witness, for his incredible shepherding of Catholics throughout the world, for the witness he gave of a missionary spirit, a very pastoral heart, one who had a great care for the poor [and] for the marginalized,” he said. “[He] called all of us to our better selves in our faith, with the Christ-centered relationships with one another that he so beautifully showed us in his life.
“We entrust him back to God in gratitude, and we continue to ask the Lord to give him eternal joy and peace in heaven.”
When asked what impact Pope Francis had on the archdiocese, Archbishop Thompson laughed and said, “For better or worse, you got me,” since it was Pope Francis who appointed him in 2017 to lead the Church in central and southern Indiana.
More broadly, Archbishop Thompson said that the pope’s emphasis on the faithful going out to share the Gospel with others through loving actions and Christ-centered relationships will have an ongoing impact in Indiana and around the world.
“We are to go out and … not worry about being clean and neat, even in the messiness, the muck of life,” Archbishop Thompson said. “He talked about pastors, people who are serving others, [who] should come back with the smell of the sheep.
“We take our cue from the Holy Father. We listen, we watch what he’s writing, how he’s teaching us, where he’s leading us, and what path is he taking us forward on.”
Those paths, Archbishop Thompson noted, are to bring the faithful to “the poor and the needy, the migrants, the refugees” and “even those on death row.”
“There’s still the dignity of the person created in the image of God from conception to natural death,” Archbishop Thompson said. “No matter who we are, what we’ve done, never lose sight of that dignity.
“Pope Francis always put the person first.”
He also suggested that Hoosiers can honor Pope Francis now and in the future by trying to live much like he did. (See more news regarding the death of Pope Francis)
“Remember the witness he gave to be attentive to the poor, to the marginalized, to the vulnerable,” Archbishop Thompson said, who went on to encourage Catholics and all Hoosiers “to not let anyone slip through the cracks” and that they are not to see others as “someone to be afraid of or threatened by.”
“In every person is the image of God, the dignity of what it means to be a child of God,” Archbishop Thompson said. “So, I think living that sense of respect and dignity with one another is probably the best way we can honor him.”
Christ-centered relationships
In fostering relationships based on respect for every person’s dignity, Archbishop Thompson said that Pope Francis also sought to bring together people in the Church and around the world who are divided and polarized.
He sought to carry out this goal during the past few years in fostering a sense of synodality among the faithful where they listen prayerfully together to discern where the Holy Spirit is leading the Church.
“Pope Francis realized that people need to be brought back together to a dialogue, to relationships, to encounter,” Archbishop Thompson said. “He talks about encounter a lot. Encounter implies relationship. You can’t encounter someone without being relational.
“And so how do we encounter one another? How are we in relationship to each other, and are we humble enough to realize that none of us has all the truth, that the truth is in Jesus Christ, and that wisdom doesn’t come from our human merit but from the Holy Spirit?”
Pope Francis, the archbishop said, modeled this way of encountering others in humility in his own life and ministry as the bishop of Rome.
“Pope Francis really teaches us how to be Christ-centered in our dialogue, in our relationships,” he said, “and how to remember to be attentive to the Holy Spirit among us.”
Discerning the needs of the Church and the world
Archbishop Thompson was also asked about the process the Church will follow in the coming weeks to elect Pope Francis’ successor.
He noted that, at present, the Church is focused on mourning the pope, whose funeral will be celebrated at 4 a.m. EDT on April 26 at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
After that, the Church’s cardinals will gather to discuss the state of the Church and the world—and the qualities needed for the Church’s next leader. The cardinals who will elect Pope Francis’ successor are those who were below the age of 80 at the time of his death.
“We as Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit permeates that process and kind of guides the hearts and the minds of those electors so that we get not necessarily what we want, but what we need,” Archbishop Thompson said.
When asked about what he thinks the Church needs in its next pope, Archbishop Thompson paused and then said that the next pontiff must “always be Christ-centered.”
“It’s about Jesus Christ,” he said. “Whoever’s elected pope, he knows that. He has to be Christ-centered. He’ll bring his own particular gifts and talents to that position, to that role, but always Christ-centered.”
‘The Pope Francis effect’
No matter who is elected as the next bishop of Rome, Archbishop Thompson said that Pope Francis’ legacy will live on and come to be known more fully in the years ahead.
One possible effect of his leadership might be the growth seen recently in the archdiocese and other dioceses around the country of people being drawn to the Church, especially youths and young adults.
“That might be part of the Pope Francis effect,” Archbishop Thompson said. “He touched a lot of young people. He touched a lot of people, especially on the issues with creation, with service to the poor, with social justice issues. That really resonates with a lot of people.”
The Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope, launched by Pope Francis in December and set to conclude on Jan. 6, 2026, is also a gift to the Church from Pope Francis, Archbishop Thompson said.
“He asked us to be pilgrims of hope,” he added. “And what was he, if not a pilgrim of hope? He was a beautiful witness to hope.”
Pope Francis’ hope came through on Easter Sunday, hours before he died, when he gave his traditional “urbi et orbi” blessing (“to the city and the world”).
“What a powerful thing that his last thing was to give that blessing and then to die in the night,” Archbishop Thompson said. “I think that’s how Pope Francis would have wanted to go. … He died at the time of [Christ’s] resurrection.
“He suffered with Christ. Now he rises with Christ. Now he lives eternally with the risen Lord who gives victory for us over sin and death.” †
