In recent weeks, we have watched Pope Francis leave us, even if it seemed to us that things were better in recent days.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at 7:35 a.m. at the Casa Santa Marta.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a pope from the people, from the ends of the earth, and at the same time, as if a little above it. His pontificate was a first in many dimensions: a pope from South America, the first Jesuit, the first to take the name Francis, and the first to rearrange the way the Church speaks to the world so radically. Although he surprised many and divided many, one thing cannot be denied: he was aware of his mission. And he persevered until Easter Monday, blessing the City and the World.
Cardinal Farrell said, “His entire life here on earth was offered in service to the Lord and His Church. He taught us to live faithfully the values of the Gospel, courage, and universal love. He had a special concern for the poor and the marginalized.”
Francis was a pope of transition, a kind of ‘in-between,’ a bridge builder between the analog and digital worlds, Europe and the global South, and the structure of the mind and the heart. His quiet and dignified departure was in line with life’s rhythm, a testament to his peaceful and unifying nature.
Today, the Vatican fills up with those who want to witness history. The world prays for a pope who, until his last moments, did not stop praying for the world. He cared for the poor, migrants, the climate, and a wounded church that needed conversion. He was a global parish priest and the head of a field hospital. He said things that many did not want to hear. But he told them with power, with conviction, as a prophet of his time. And he persevered in his prophetic mission until the end.
Peace, this word also returns. Because the peace with which he left says more than a thousand analyses. The time came, the Lord called his servant, and he answered: Eccomi. He went where he belonged, ready for the morning, on Easter Monday, just as he lived: simple, poor, full of hope and love.
Alicja
