Statement by Archbishop Eamon Martin
On hearing today the announcement that Pope Francis has died, my heart is filled with both deep sadness and immense gratitude, as we say farewell to a faithful shepherd who has walked closely with his people and carried their joys and sorrows in his heart.
Pope Francis’ papacy has been a profound gift to the Church and World. On behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, and the Catholic faithful on the island of Ireland, I extend sympathy to Pope Francis’ family members, to those who have worked most closely with him, and to all those around the globe who loved him and will mourn his loss.
There was something different about this pope who came to us twelve years ago from “the ends of the world”. On that very first night when he stood on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica, our hearts were moved as he greeted the people with a simple ‘Buonasera’ and asked us to pray to the Lord to bless him. Now we pray to that same Lord to show him mercy and welcome him to his eternal reward. Pope Francis often expressed his personal unworthiness, insisting ‘I am a sinner’. He would want us to pray now for his soul as he appears before God whom he himself presented to the world as a loving and merciful God, who understands all our weaknesses and frailties, yet loves each of us deeply.
The Catholic people of the world will mourn the loss of the late ‘holy father’, while thanking God for his tireless service as priest and bishop, and his courageous witness as servant leader of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis embodied a Church that listens, accompanies, and embraces all. His vision was not one of rigid structures or distant authority, but of a Church committed to encounter and deep solidarity with humanity. Grounded and shaped by the Latin American Theology of the People (Teología del Pueblo), Pope Francis recognised the wisdom of ordinary believers, affirmed the beauty of popular devotion, and upheld the dignity of those on the margins of both the Church and society.
From the very first days of Pope Francis’ pontificate in 2013, he had a special place in his heart for the poor, those often forgotten on the peripheries, and those who are suffering most – both globally and locally. He showed us by word – and action – that solidarity with the poor and vulnerable means looking into their faces, touching their flesh, sensing their closeness and trying to help them. Such solidarity never tolerates any assault on human life or on the human dignity of any person.
Pope Francis’ bold gestures of compassion spoke to millions across the globe – from his sincere empathy for migrants and outreach to prisoners, to his humble avoidance of many of the traditional privileges and accoutrements of the papacy.
Pope Francis was not just a leader of Catholics, or even of Christians; rather, he was a global leader who spoke with much needed balance and authority on behalf of countless people of goodwill around the world. He went the extra mile in reaching out to those of other Christian denominations and world faiths. He built friendships across religious divides because he firmly believed that we are all brothers and sisters. He abhorred war as a ‘defeat for humanity’ and he continuously advocated for peace building, reconciliation and cooperation between peoples, faiths and nations in our very troubled world.
For someone who took up such a challenging role at the age of 76, Pope Francis appeared happy and youthful and, until recently, he seemed to have boundless energy! He never lost a minute in promoting the Good News of Christ to children, young people, parents and the elderly all over the world, travelling to many faraway places to bring the joy of the Gospel.
At the Vatican, he insisted on reform of the Curia and of the global Church’s safeguarding procedures, courageously confronting the terrible sins and crimes of abuse in the Church and its traumatic impact on victims, survivors and the wider faithful.
In choosing the name Francis, he set himself the demanding task of following in the footsteps of the great saint of Assisi – modelling a preferential option for the poor, building peace and friendship everywhere, and highlighting the urgent need for the care and protection of God’s creation. He alerted the entire world to the ‘cry of the Earth’ and the ‘cry of the poor’, emphasising that all creatures are connected by the love of the Creator; he constantly highlighted the imperative facing humanity of caring for our common home and protecting the gifts of creation for future generations.
Here in Ireland we will always remember that Pope Francis made time to visit us when the World Meeting of Families was held in Dublin in 2018. He brought us a message of encouragement and consolation, stressing the fundamental importance of family and marriage for society and for the Church. But even in that hectic, short visit he emphasised the importance of ‘encounter’- meeting with the homeless and hungry at the Capuchin Day Centre, conversing with couples preparing for marriage, and travelling to Knock to pray with, and for, the people of Ireland. Most importantly, however, he wanted to take time to listen and respond to the heartfelt, painful stories of survivors of abuse.
No doubt in the coming days and weeks many more memories of Pope Francis will emerge, but for me it was his closeness and friendship with Christ which stood out most of all – in his compassion for the suffering, and the way he placed the vulnerable at the centre of his ministry – the poor, refugees, victims of war, human trafficking, and all who are exploited, overlooked or excluded by Church or by society. He wanted to bring them in from the cold.
As a leader, Pope Francis continually emphasised the importance of listening and discernment, calling the Catholic Church to be a ‘synodal Church on mission’. He wanted everything in the Church to be put in what he called ‘a missionary key’. The Church cannot be shut up in the Sacristy; it should neither come across as a dusty museum, nor, on the other hand, as some kind of NGO. The Church is a home for the lost and wounded. Like a ‘field hospital’, it is entrusted with the task of welcoming the sinner with tenderness and mercy, and presenting the joyful message of salvation in Christ. This, he said, impels her to go out and spread the Good News, accompanying and calling people back to the person that God wants them to be. Now, as Pope Francis goes to God, it is up to us to continue to make known that ‘God loves us first’, and that we in turn are called to love one another as brothers and sisters who know that Christ is alive; Christ is our hope!
In his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti, on fratenity and social friendship, Pope Francis posed a series of ‘real’ questions for leaders to reflect upon, such as: ‘How much love did I put into my work?’; ‘What did I do for the progress of our people?’; ‘What mark did I leave on the life of society?’; ‘What real bonds did I create?’; ‘What positive forces did I unleash?’; ‘How much social peace did I sow?’; and, ‘What good did I achieve in the position that was entrusted to me?’.
No doubt he often put these same questions to himself.
It is my hope and prayer that our loving and merciful God shall give Pope Francis the answer to those questions today: ‘You did well, Francis; well done, good and faithful servant.’
At the outset of his Petrine ministry, Pope Francis urged us in his 2013 Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel, (86)): ‘Do not let yourselves be robbed of hope.’ May his legacy continue to bear fruit in a Church that listens, serves, and dares to dream.
Pope Francis, thank you.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on his soul. Amen.
Book of Condolences
Book of Condolences for people to record their sympathy on the death of Pope Francis is now available on the homepage of catholicbishops.ie, and on the Irish bishops’ social media platforms of Facebook, Instagram, X, and on BlueSky