SA Catholics mourn loss of humble shepherd
News
A Sunday memorial service at St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral will be at the forefront of South Australia’s tributes to Pope Francis who died on Easter Monday.
Archbishop Patrick O’Regan will preside at what is expected to be a packed 11am Mass on April 27 where the faithful will join community and religious leaders in praying for the Holy Father.
The entire world was captivated by his “extraordinary pontificate”, Archbishop O’Regan said of the first South American-born Pope who died aged 88 a day after making a brief appearance at Easter Sunday celebrations.
“Pope Francis was a shepherd of deep faith, compassion and humility, who dedicated his life to serving god’s people and advocating for the poor, the marginalised and the dignity of all human life,” he said.
“He worked tirelessly for justice, for the good of the Church and the whole world. Although we are filled with sorrow at his passing, we place our trust in the resurrection, and the hope that Pope Francis, and one day each of us, will be at peace in the arms of Christ for all eternity.”
The Archbishop expects further commemorations at all parishes in the Adelaide Archdiocese during the nine days of official mourning.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas was quick to pay his condolences to the progressive pontiff.
“Pope Francis was a compassionate leader who championed faith, humility, and peace,” he said on Sunday evening.
“My thoughts are with South Australia’s Catholic community and all those who found hope in his teachings. I gladly count myself as one of them.”
A date for the funeral has yet to be decided but is expected to take place between Friday and Sunday.
The late Pope’s body could be transferred to St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, so the faithful may pray before him but in keeping with his tenure, his burial place is likely to be unconventional.
Pope Francis expressed the desire to be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, a fifth century church in Rome dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and which he would visit after his trips abroad (more than 100 across 12 years).
Australian Church and civic representatives are expected to travel to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paused his electoral campaign on Tuesday morning to attend mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne where he said that Pope Francis will be remembered as “one of the most significant of all the Holy Fathers”.
“The change that he led was significant indeed, and he, of course, advocated for reforms that weren’t universally supported as well. He had courage and he showed true leadership,” the Prime Minister said.
Archbishop O’Regan meets Pope Francis in 2015.
Archbishop O’Regan met Pope Francis four times and said he brought a simplicity to the church.
“Each time it struck me that he had this simplicity and kindness. He was also a voice of the voiceless and he was able to touch upon the margins of things where he tried to shine a spotlight,” he said during a local radio interview.
“He travelled to the southern tip of Italy where many people were travelling from the Mediterranean to try to get to Italy and he was reminding people about welcoming the stranger and that we’re in this together.”
Born in Argentina in 1936, People Francis came from a staunch Catholic family of Italian migrants which shaped the way he looked at the world.
“He was steeped in compassion and often he would remind us that the name of God is mercy. He was the first pope from South America and in every other sense he was formed by the spirit of the gospel and of the spirit of faith, so in that sense he was traditional.”
Archbishop O’Regan said speculation on who the next pope might be was fruitless given the Catholic Church operates in about 200 countries and many of the cardinals may not yet know each other.
“No one has any idea who the next pope will be. The nature of the world has changed; in South Australia only about 40 per cent of people ticked the Christian box. Europe is no longer the centre of Catholicism, it’s in the global south and Francis has echoed that in appointing cardinals in places like Mongolia.”
In a letter to the faithful, the Archbishop encouraged all parish communities to pray for Pope Francis and for the election of a new pontiff.
“Although we are filled with sorrow at his passing, we place our trust in the resurrection, and the hope that Pope Francis, and one day each of us, will be at peace in the arms of Christ for all eternity,” he wrote.
A condolence book has been set up in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral for South Australians to sign as an expression of their love for Pope Francis and sorrow at his passing.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) is also receiving condolences via email at condolencebook@catholic.org.au with messages being forwarded to the papal Nuncio.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Maria Bergoglio, became the first non-European pope in centuries, the first Latin American pope, the first Jesuit pope and the first to take the name Francis when he was elected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.
The process of the election of a new pope will unfold in the coming days and weeks.
Cardinal Mykola Bychok CSsR, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul, will be the sole attendee from Australia at the conclave.
“Pope Francis was a Pope of peace,” Cardinal Bychok said.
“In a world devastated by war he called for peace and justice. I am grateful for the late Holy Fathers frequent appeals for a just peace in Ukraine and for the efforts of the Holy See that he oversaw, known and secret, that in some way helped bring relief to the imprisoned and suffering.”
