Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, South Florida Catholics mourn the death of Pope Francis
Pope Francis, the Catholic Church's first Latin American pontiff, who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died at the age of 88.
Pope Francis made it his mission to change the perception of the Catholic Church around the world.
"Pope Francis saw the Church as a "field hospital" called to tend to the wounded on the battlefields of life offering her medicine of mercy to all. The Church, Pope Francis insisted, is not only to teach but to act—to embrace those on the periphery and to bring the light of Christ to the darkest corners of society," Miami's Archbishop Thomas Wenski said in a statement.
Pope Francis embraced the marginalized
The archbishop said shortly after Pope Francis was elected, his first visit outside of Rome was to the marooned African boat people washed ashore on the small Italian island of Lampedusa.
"He never tired of defending the displaced migrant nor embracing the marginalized or excluded," Wenski said.
Wenski said Pope Francis understood what binds us in the world today because of "our 'throw away culture' (la cultura del descarte) and the 'globalization of indifference'."
The archbishop said Pope Francis' legacy will be defined by a series of "firsts." He was the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first pope to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress and the first pope to appoint women to high positions in the Roman curia.
Wenski said Pope Francis defied "institutional norms."
"Because scandals had undermined people's trust in society's institutions, whether political, academic, economical or religious, he 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," Wenski said.
The archbishop added that perhaps he was more highly regarded by those outside the church than by many within the church.
So what happens next?
"At this point, we join with the world in mourning the passing of the pope, praying for the repose of his soul and afterwards, once he is buried, then we begin another session of prayer, praying that the Holy Spirit will guide the cardinals as they vote to elect a new pope in conclave," Wenski said Monday morning.
The Archdiocese of Miami posted on X.
Wenski said Francis died on Monday, the first octave day of Easter.
The Octave of Easter is the eight-day period, or octave, that begins on Easter Sunday and ends with second Sunday of Easter.
"We consider Easter as like the whole week as one day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. So it is significant that Holy Father went home to the Lord during the Easter day, during the Octave of Easter. And also, actually, John Paul II also died on the last day of the Octave of Easter. This is significant because Easter is an expression of our faith, the fact that Jesus Christ suffered, died, was buried but rose from the dead. St Paul tells us if we die with Christ, we will rise with him too," Wenski said.
Wenski said death is only a passage. We believe that when we die, when we leave this Earth, life has not ended for us, but it's changed.
The archbishop said Pope Francis leaves this world as a "pilgrim of hope".
"May choirs of angels welcome you and lead you to the bosom of Abraham; and where Lazarus is poor no longer may you find eternal rest."
