Bishops honor pope’s legacy as universal shepherd in hours after his death

(OSV News)—Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88, “will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the Church and of society,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement shared in the first hours after the pope’s death.

“He renewed for us the mission to bring the Gospel out to the ends of the Earth and offer divine mercy to all. He has also taken advantage of the present Jubilee to call us to a profound hope: one that is not an empty or naïve hope, but one grounded in the promise of almighty God to be with us always,” Archbishop Broglio wrote.

Bishops around the United States began issuing tributes to Pope Francis and his 12-year pontificate shortly after the news of his death on April 21, Easter Monday. He died at the Vatican at 7:35 a.m. Rome time. (See more news regarding the death of Pope Francis)

Pope Francis had been recovering from pneumonia and respiratory infections after having been released from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on March 23 following more than five weeks of treatment.

Bishops pointed to Pope Francis’ historic and key contributions and shared their personal appreciations.

“Even with his roots in the Piedmont region of Italy, the first pope from our American continent was marked by his experience as a Jesuit and a shepherd in Buenos Aires. He brought that experience and vision with him to his ministry for the universal Church,”

said Archbishop Broglio, who is also head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. “Recently, he expressed anew prayerful hope in his letter of support to the bishops of this country in our attempts to respond to the face of Christ in the migrant, poor and unborn. In fact, he has always used the strongest and clearest expressions in the defense of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death.”

Nodding to the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope Pope Francis inaugurated on Dec. 24, Archbishop Broglio said he last saw the pope at the Jubilee Mass for the Armed Forces, Police and Security Personnel, held at the Vatican on Feb. 8-9, just days before the pope was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14.

Standing in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where a portrait of Pope Francis was flanked by lit candles alongside an empty chair draped with purple and white stoles, Cardinal Timothy P. Dolan of New York shared informal reflections on Pope Francis during a morning Mass.

“Beyond the sorrow, the sadness that we feel at the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, we express our faith in the resurrection of Jesus,” he said before the opening prayer at Mass. In his homily, he called attention to Pope Francis’ last public words being his Easter blessing.

“Yes we are sad, but we are filled with Easter joy,” Cardinal Dolan said. “When we believers are kind of a little lost and don’t know quite what to do, we always rely on prayer. Here we are, this second day of Easter, this Easter Monday, hearing the news of our Holy Father passing over. Here we are at the greatest prayer of all, the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which we offer, asking the Lord’s mercy on his immortal soul, thanking God for the gift that he was to us, and asking for consolation upon God’s family.”

Washington’s new archbishop, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, said the Church and the world “have lost a true shepherd of souls, a beacon of unwavering hope, and a voice of penetrating truth. From the very first moments of his service to the universal Church, Pope Francis enshrined the mercy of God at the heart of his proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In doing so, he illuminated with new depth the pastoral dimension of the Church’s mission, which is rooted first in embracing love rather than in judgment.

“Pope Francis’ vision of a synodal Church—the people of God journeying together, nourished by word and sacrament, missionary in its outreach, including all and animated by the participation of all, constantly renewing itself in the light of the Gospel,” he continued, “stands as an enduring legacy of Pope Francis in his fidelity to the Second Vatican Council and its call to preach the Gospel in the modern world. It provides a clear foundation for the journey of God’s people in the years which are to come.”

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago called Pope Francis’ death “a moment of profound loss for me personally and for the Church.

“The finest memorial we can offer is to re-form our hearts as Pope Francis asked—to see our brothers and sisters, to listen to them and to offer our prayers and actions that all may experience the fullness of God’s promise,” said Cardinal Cupich, who served in several Vatican dicasteries under Pope Francis. “As we mourn his passing, I ask that God comfort us, but also strengthen us to remain steadfast in carrying on the work of restoring our Church’s place in the world as a source of hope and an advocate for those in need.”

Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston said that Pope Francis’ “legacy as Holy Father is broad and deep,” and his example “remains a guiding light to the universal Church.”

Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh praised Pope Francis’ pontificate, writing, “Pope Francis led the Church with extraordinary humility, compassion and courage. He reminded us that mercy is at the heart of the Gospel, and he consistently called us to encounter one another with tenderness and care—especially the poor, the suffering and the forgotten. His voice echoed far beyond the walls of the Church, inviting people of all backgrounds to walk together in peace, justice and love.”

In his personal encounters with Pope Francis, he said, “what struck me most was not just the dignity of his office, but the warmth of his heart.

“His attention to each person, his gentle spirit, and his genuine kindness left a lasting impression on me and so many others,” Bishop Zubik continued in his April 21 statement. “He was a shepherd who smelled like his sheep—and the world is better for it.”

Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati, who was installed on April 3, also pointed to the Jubilee Year and its call for hope as he marked Pope Francis’ death.

“As we commend a good and faithful servant to God, let us remember that Pope Francis proclaimed 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope—awakening us to Christ, who is alive and present in our midst,” he wrote, adding Psalm 27:14: “Hope in the Lord! Hold firm, take heart, and hope in the Lord!

“May we, then, be filled with hope—hope that Pope Francis will receive the reward of a life poured out in selfless service and love for God’s people and all creation; hope that Christ, who comforts us in our mourning, will send the Holy Spirit to be our helper; and hope that this same Spirit will inspire and unite us as the Church to stand firm in faith, proclaiming the power of the Resurrection and the joy of the Gospel,” Archbishop Casey said.

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami recalled that one of Pope Francis’ first actions after his election was a pastoral trip outside Rome to African migrants who had washed ashore in their boat at Lampedusa, a small Italian island. “He never tired of defending the displaced migrant nor embracing the marginalized or excluded,” Archbishop Wenski said.

At a time when “scandals had undermined people’s trust in society’s institutions, whether political, academic, economical or religious,” the archbishop said, the pope “defied the institutional ‘norms’ of the papal court: he carried his own valise, refused to be chauffeured in limousines, and eschewed symbols of pomp and circumstance, living not in the Apostolic Palace but in a room at the Vatican’s ‘hotel.’ In this way, he inspired many to give the Church a second look.”

“Just yesterday, he greeted the crowds in Rome, as if to say farewell to the people of God whom he loved so dearly and served so devotedly,” New Albany native and Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said in a statement. He said the pope’s designation of 2025 as a Jubilee of Hope “focused on the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus, was a much needed tonic for Church and world. … Often the Holy Father would ask visitors to pray for him. I am sure he would want us to pray for him now that he may rest in the peace of the risen Lord.”

“From his many apostolic visits around the globe to be among his flock, to his inspiring teachings, to his consistent call for peace and social justice,” Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez said, “Pope Francis invited all people to encounter the person of Jesus Christ fully and to serve their brothers and sisters with love and humility as instruments of grace. The life and Petrine ministry of Pope Francis was a true blessing to the world. May his example bring us to embrace God’s plan for each of us to serve Christ’s Church on Earth as missionary disciples.”

Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, said, “The Holy Father consistently emphasized care for our common home and human fraternity: the need to see one another as brothers and sisters. We would do well to learn from his wisdom.”

Many bishops ended their statements with traditional prayers for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul and hope for his eternal rest.

“The passage from this life of the Bishop of Rome calls us to pray for his eternal rest and to continue on our path to a deeper union with the Lord Jesus,” Archbishop Broglio said, noting how all the bishops were uniting in prayer for the pope. “We remember his leadership in inspiring nations, organizations and individuals to a renewed commitment to care for each other and our common home.”

In Texas, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville posted on X, “With profound gratitude for the life and Petrine ministry of Pope Francis, for his unflinching desire to give himself to the mission, ‘hasta que Dios diga [“until God says”].’ With great sorrow at his passing: ‘The souls of the just are in the hands of God.’ May he rest in peace from his labors.” †