Cardinals bid farewell to Francis, hailing him the 'people’s pope'

Apr 26, 2025

By UCA News reporter
Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who officiated the funeral Mass of Pope Francis at the Vatican, has hailed the late pontiff as "a pope among the people, with an open heart.”

“He was a pope among the people,” with an open heart towards everyone, especially the marginalized, the least among us,” said Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals.

Francis was also a pope “attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church,” he said during the April 26 funeral ceremony.

More than 200,000 people had gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican to attend the Holy Mass concelebrated by 224 cardinals, 750 bishops and hundreds of priests.

World dignitaries, including US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were present at the event that was broadcast worldwide.

Re said the outpouring of emotions witnessed at the Vatican tells a lot about how “much the pontificate of Pope Francis touched the minds and hearts” of many people, not only within the Church.

Re also recalled how the pope’s decision to choose the name Francis “immediately appeared to indicate the pastoral plan and style on which he wanted to base his pontificate, seeking inspiration from the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi.”

The final image the world has of Pope Francis “will remain etched in our memory … it is that of last Sunday, Easter Sunday, when Pope Francis, despite his serious health problems, wanted to give us his blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. He then came down to this square to greet the large crowd gathered, Re said.

Pope Franics made 47 Apostolic Journeys in 13 years in office, Re said and highlighted the visit to Iraq, which, he said, “stood out as both a pastoral balm” and a call for interreligious dialogue.

His global travels often brought him to places of deep need and conflict, culminating in his 2024 visit to the Asia-Oceania region, which extended the Church’s presence to the farthest peripheries, Re said.

Pope Francis was “attentive to the signs of the times and what the Holy Spirit was awakening in the Church,” Re told the gathering, which included world leaders and diplomats from across the world.

Francis’ voice stood out as one of peace, always insisting that “war is a defeat for humanity” in the world during the times of war and disasters, Re said.--ucanews.com