Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died this morning (Easter Monday) aged 88.
Yesterday the Pope, leader of the Roman Catholic Church world-wide, gave an Easter Sunday blessing in the Vatican’s St Peter’s Square – his final public appearance.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, today paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying:
“Pope Francis was an inspirational leader and my prayers are with all who mourn his death, especially Roman Catholics in Norfolk and Waveney.
Dying the day after his Urbi et Orbi Easter blessing, he now knows the fullness of Easter’s alleluia song.
Pope Francis lived out his faith as a servant of Jesus with huge integrity, prioritising the care of the poorest people and of the environment. He was a prophetic witness in both, living out his own call to be a shepherd ‘smelling of the sheep’.
Taking his Papal name from St Francis of Assisi, that man of poverty and peace who loved and protected creation, Pope Francis drew the attention of the world to the links between environmental and social justice. He mobilised millions to act on behalf of the economically poorest people and on behalf of our planet.
In his beautiful and challenging encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis lamented the damage caused by the unlimited pursuit of profit and called for an “ecological conversion” so that we can all live well on our ‘single island planet home’.
I was privileged to meet Pope Francis twice in Rome, most recently just this January, when his eyes sparkled with warmth and prayerful attentiveness.
As we mourn Pope Francis’ life, my prayer is that he will rest in the fulness of God’s Resurrection hope and love, and that we will carry forward his mission as we seek environmental justice for people and nature.”
Tributes to Pope Francis have also been paid by the Archbishop of York, here, and by the Secretary General of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo, here.
This morning Bishop Graham spoke about Pope Francis on Times Radio.