Remembering Pope Francis

Remembering Pope Francis

By Archbishop William Nolan

I share the sense of loss of millions of people around the globe at the passing of Pope Francis.

Sadness is our first and most natural reaction at a time like this.

The whole Church, and indeed the wider world should be very grateful to God for the gift of this Pope. Although his pontificate has been controversial at times it has been a blessing for the Church and for wider society.

He will be remembered for many things … but his emphasis on the great love and mercy of God and his reminder to the Church that it should always bring God’s mercy and love to all was perhaps his most repeated call.

He did not see the Church as a tribunal sitting in judgement of the world, but rather what he called a ‘field hospital’ tending to the wounds and hurts of human beings.

When he visited the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome shortly after his election, he called out to the priests in the confessionals, ‘Mercy. Forgive everyone. Always mercy …’ and that was his trademark message.

He used his ability to speak to people in a language they understood to great effect. That partly explains his huge popularity. He had no pomposity or sense of superiority about him, indeed he was forever asking people to pray for him.

His constant call to governments and individuals to care for the earth, our common home, was a key strand of his message. Another was the ever-timely call to welcome the refugee and asylum seeker, and to recognise the human dignity of the poor and less fortunate.

I remember his powerful exhortation to us … when we give alms to someone who is begging on the streets, not to casually toss a coin in their direction, but to get down to their level, to look them in the eye, to touch their hand and to express care and fraternal love.

He was the Pope of mercy, the Pope of welcome and the Pope of the environment. He lived his life with faith in God. May God now welcome him into eternal life.

He left all he had to Rome’s prisoners

By Ronnie Convery

Pope Francis’ last act of love can now be revealed: he gave the 200,000 euros which had accumulated in his personal account due to gifts over the years to prisoners just days before he died.

The gesture was revealed by Bishop Benoni Ambarus, known to all as “Don Ben”, the auxiliary bishop of Rome who accompanied the Pope to the opening of the Holy Door in the Roman prison of Rebibbia at the start of the Holy Year (above).

“A few days ago, the Holy Father dragged his body to Regina Coeli prison, to cry out to the world, with all his strength, the need to pay attention to prisoners. He donated his last possessions to them, 200,000 euros from his personal account,” said Bishop Ambarus to the Repubblica newspaper.

Francis was in Regina Coeli on Holy Thursday, a few days before he died.

The Bishop added: “When I asked for a contribution for the prisoners from the Holy Father, he told me that the finances had run out. Then he added: ‘Don’t worry, I have something in my account’.

“He sent 200,000 euros from his own pocket. Now, I learn that he will be buried thanks to a benefactor because he gave everything he had to the least.”

In his years of apostolate, Pope Francis has visited prisons all over the world, always keen to remind wider society of the dignity of those living behind bars.

Pope’s death puts the canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis on hold

By Brian Swanson

The death of Pope Francis has saddened the world, but it had a particular impact on one group of Glasgow pilgrims who were travelling to Rome for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis.

The eagerly awaited ceremony had to be cancelled at short notice because only a Pope can canonise a new saint.

By then 130,000 people from round the globe had booked travel and accommodation in the eternal city for the event, which was to be held to coincide with the Jubilee of Adolescents.

The organisers of the Jubilee apologised to pilgrims, and it is expected that the canonisation will go ahead in the coming months when a new Pope is elected.

But there was not a shred of regret at the postponement from a group of pilgrims from parishes in Glasgow and Motherwell who have worked tirelessly over the years to promote the cause of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Maria Calvina, a parishioner of St Vincent’s, East Kilbride and team leader of Life In The Eucharist (LITE) said: “We came to Rome to see history being made and now we are seeing a different kind of history as we wait to witness the funeral of Pope Francis.

“It is a blessing for us to be here and we accept that it is God’s will.As we learn from the readings over Easter that his ways are not our ways.

“We know that Carlo’s family feel the same way and all of us here feel that both the Holy Spirit and the spirit of Carlo is with us.”

The election of a new Pope… a moment of history in the making

By Ronnie Convery

The conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor will begin on Tuesday May 7. While no-one knows how long it will last, recent conclaves have usually been completed in two or three days.

Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin will preside over the conclave inside the Sistine Chapel, and it will be he who asks the newly elected cardinal if he accepts the election and which name he will choose to be known as.

This Sunday the ‘novemdiales’, the nine days of mourning for Pope Francis come to an end. For the past week the Cardinals have offered Masses for the deceased Pope and listened to sermons on the future needs of the Church.

“Extra omnes” (Everyone out), is the phrase that marks the beginning of the Conclave. All except the 135 or so cardinal electors vacate the beautiful Sistine Chapel and the period of conclave begins.

The cardinal electors, who must be under 80, are prohibited from using any device or making contact with the outside world. The voting rules follow the norms promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1996 later modified by Benedict XVI in 2007.

According to the new provisions, if no-one has been elected after the 33rd or 34th vote, a runoff will take place between the two cardinals who received the most votes in the last ballot, but a two-thirds majority is still required.

Every day of the conclave there will be two smoke signals from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel – one at the end of the morning session (around 11am UK time) and the other at around 6pm UK time.

At the end of each vote, the ballots are burned with the addition of a dye: black, in the event of no election; white, if the new Holy Father has been chosen. This is to avoid the confusion of some conclaves of the 20th century when the smoke was decidedly grey!

Once the election has taken place, white smoke will emerge and the six bells of St. Peter’s will ring in celebration.

In the sacristy of the Sistine Chapel, a room is prepared with clothes for the new Pontiff. Once elected, the new Pope goes into this “room of tears”, so called because it is the place where the chosen man often breaks down given the emotion of the moment, and changes into the white soutane.

The news of election will be given using the traditional formula (“Habemus Papam”) by Cardinal Mamberti, a French cardinal (unless he has been elected!). Then the new Pope will appear on the central loggia above St Peter’s to greet the crowds and give his blessing ‘Urbi et Orbi’ – to the city and the world.

And a new era in the life of the Church will begin.