Archbishop Kurtz: US Church saw in Pope Francis the face of God's mercy

Apr 25, 2025

By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"The Church and our nation saw in Pope Francis the face of God's mercy."

The former head of the US Bishops, who led the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops during the Holy Father's historic visit to the United States in 2015, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, made that statement in an interview with Vatican News.

The Archbishop Emeritus of Louisville, Kentucky, began the interview by acknowledging that "not only the Church, but the world is mourning the death of Pope Francis."

'People yearned for his message of mercy'
While expressing disbelief that it's been almost ten years since the late Pope made his Apostolic Journey to the United States in September of 2015, he said, "My mind and heart are filled with memories."

"The Church and our nation saw in Pope Francis," he emphasized, "the face of God's mercy, and he was clear in saying that he's not the Messiah, but that Jesus is."

"I think he was received so well," he highlighted, because "we live in such a hurting world that people yearn to hear the message of mercy."

Archbishop Kurtz praised the "beautiful pastoral message" throughout Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation, 'Evangelii Gaudium, 'The Joy of the Gospel,' noting it is something "that perhaps will tie together the twelve years of his service as our Holy Father."

"This exhortation," he said, "really came from his heart and from his priorities."

America welcomed Pope's affirmations of human dignity
In a special way, the former head of the US Bishops recalled the Pope's visit to Washington, DC, and his widely appreciated remarks to the Joint Meeting of Congress.

"I think it was his address at the Joint Meeting of Congress that was the most moving to me, and perhaps it will be the most remembered in many ways, not just in Church records, but in the history of our nation."

The reason for this, he noted, is because "Pope Francis spoke of freedom and the need to use freedom well and to treat people with dignity."

"But," Archbishop Kurtz marveled, "he especially spoke about American heroes, people, everybody from Doctor Martin Luther King Junior to Thomas Merton, to Dorothy Day. He made his presentation so personal and personable."

Having accompanied the Holy Father during the Apostolic Journey through Washington, New York, and Philadelphia, he reflected on the final leg of the visit to Philadelphia.

Reeling in beautiful memories
"In Philadelphia, he stayed at Saint Charles Seminary, which is my alma mater, where I went to the seminary," he remembered, expressing his joy to be there.

"Another memorable visit," he underscored, "was to a prison in Northeast Philadelphia," noting how meaningful it was to be there with Pope Francis, adding, "It certainly struck me that one of the last visits, pastoral visits he made around Easter time, was again to a prison."

After this reflection, Archbishop Kurtz reflected with a final thought.

"Certainly, our Church mourns," he noted, "but I think many of us will just reel in the beautiful memories of our Holy Father."