World

Pope Francis belonged to all of us, and not just the Catholic Church

People attend a mass to mourn the death of Pope Francis, in Bangalore, India, on 22 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Jagadeesh NV)

By Stephen Brislin

24 Apr 2025

Pope Francis was not simply an inspired world leader, nor was he a leader who was subject to a particular ideology which he tried to promote. He wasn’t merely a ‘do-gooder’, a humanist. He was a person of faith.

This is a lightly edited version of Cardinal Brislin’s homily delivered at a memorial service for Pope Francis at Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg on 23 April.

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio chose, as is the custom in the Catholic Church, the name of a saint by which he would be known in his papacy. He chose St Francis, the 12th-century saint, who is renowned for his life of poverty, his concern for the sick and the poor and his sense of communion with creation, the entire universe.

St Francis, in his poverty, expressed his utter trust and dependence on God and God’s providence. These are indeed the characteristics of the papacy of Pope Francis, who from the outset expressed his concern and challenged the consciences of leaders of nations, champions of the economy and ordinary citizens in their attitudes and behaviour towards the vulnerable of the world.

pope tribute People pay their respects as Pope Francis lies in state in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on 23 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Alessandro DI Meo)

pope respects People line up to pay their respects to the late Pope Francis as he lies in state inside Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on 23 April 2025. Faithful and well-wishers may pay their respects until his funeral on 26 April in the plaza in front of the basilica. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Alessandro DI Meo)

tribute People pay tribute as Pope Francis lies in state in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on 23 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Alessandro DI Meo)

His words were upheld by actions, many of them deeply symbolic. His first visit outside of the Vatican to Lampedusa showed his special empathy for the plight of refugees and migrants, the dangers they faced, their exploitation at the hands of smugglers and traffickers and the poor reception they received from countries to which they fled.

His challenge to all countries to welcome, promote, accompany and integrate refugees was a theme of his entire papacy since 2013. Sadly, there remains a great deal of discrimination against migrants; they continue to receive harsh treatment in many places and are easily made into scapegoats for the ills and woes of different countries and communities.

He frequently spoke of the needs of the marginalised, those at the peripheries of society. His call was to recognise the humanity of each person and not to judge or discriminate against others because of appearances or because of the struggles they may be going through.

pope wellwisher Pope Francis meets a young wellwisher during an audience to deliver a Christmas message to Vatican employees in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, 21 December 2024. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Fabio Frustaci)

condolence book japan A girl reads a text in a condolence book for the late Pope Francis at the Holy See Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, western Japan, on 24 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Franck Robichon)

His willingness to confront thorny and controversial issues led some to distrust him, and they feared that he would change the doctrines and teachings of the Church, which have been handed on since the time of Christ.

Francis never condoned sin, never intended to change what we believe as Christians and Catholics, but he appealed for compassion and charity. He had a deep sense of the imperfections, frailty and sinfulness of mankind.

On different occasions, he referred to himself as a sinner in need of prayer, showing both his sense of sin and his own need for redemption. Mercy was the heart of his teaching, and it is this that resonated with so many thousands of people throughout the world.

genoa lazio Genoa and Lazio players observe a minute of silence in memory of Pope Francis before the Italian Serie A soccer match Genoa CFC vs SS Lazio at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, on 23 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Luca Zennaro)

buenos aires argentina People attend a memorial mass for Pope Francis at the San Antonio chapel in the Almagro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 23 April 2025. Fans of the Argentine soccer club San Lorenzo de Almagro celebrated a mass for the eternal rest of Pope Francis, the club's most famous fan and the ‘best player in the world’. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Stringer)

He frequently spoke about the loneliness in which people live and the anonymity of life in the big cities. His message of mercy gave hope to many, since the world we live in is particularly harsh in this day and age, and those who feel themselves to be on the margins felt understood and accepted by him.

His vision was of a pilgrim Church, of all of us journeying together towards God’s Kingdom, and that our task was not to make the journey alone, but to be with others, to accompany those struggling and not leave them behind, and to help carry each other’s burdens.

He was probably the pope to receive the most abuse in the modern era, sadly, very often from within the Church rather than from without. He was denigrated, told that he was a heretic or a populist, and called names that are not worth mentioning. This did not deter him.

philippines message board Catholic parishioners write on a message board for the late Pope Francis outside the Saint Peter Parish church in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on 24 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Rolex Dela Pena)

india People attend a mass to mourn the death of Pope Francis, in Bangalore, India, on 22 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Jagadeesh NV)

He continued to teach in words that everyone could understand, and which touched the hearts of those who listened.

Despite the negativity, he remained always a person of joy – joy within himself and joy which he shared with others. The joy was often expressed in his sense of humour and his warm smile.

One of the reasons for criticism was the synod on synodality, which some felt was a departure from the structures of the Catholic Church and an abdication of leadership.

Critics neglected to acknowledge the need to listen to others, most especially to listen to the quiet voices, the voices of the “little people”.

God’s Spirit blows where he wills, and we, whether we are in leadership or not, cannot attempt to put limits on God’s Holy Spirit. Listening to the Holy Spirit and others is one foot of the pot, discernment is the second, and the third foot of the pot is the understanding that we are all Church together – laity, consecrated persons, priests and bishops. We all share the mission of the Church entrusted to us by Christ.

His courage saw him through the negativity, including that of nations and governments who rejected his message of peace, his denunciation of war and conflict, and his appeal for dialogue and peace.

The destruction of life truly disturbed, saddened and angered him. The arrogance of nations or groups which see their power in terms of their ability to destroy, maim and kill was obnoxious to him and against everything he believed and taught. He was not afraid to say so. Neither was he afraid to promote the care of our common home and the protection of the environment. He became increasingly critical of those countries which, through selfish and purely nationalistic reasons, were not taking the necessary steps to curb the environmental disaster facing the world. His voice was an encouragement to many and a nuisance to some.

There are many things we could say about Pope Francis.

We should understand one thing very clearly, though. He was not simply an inspired world leader, nor was he a leader who was subject to a particular ideology which he tried to promote. He wasn’t merely a “do-gooder”, a humanist. He was a person of faith, one who had a deep and unwavering trust in God and in God’s goodness, his certainty of Christ’s ultimate victory and the Kingdom of God.

His prayer life and communion with God were the source of his strength, his wisdom, his gruelling work ethic. It was this that gave him such love for people, overflowing joy and the inner strength that made him determined to carry on his mission to the end, despite his failing health.

He knew that he was a servant of God and, even though he gained much public acclaim, this was not important to him. He was wary of flattery and praise singers. His motivation was to serve God and God’s Kingdom, and he knew he could not do that without serving the needs of people, especially the poorest, the vulnerable and those most neglected.

It is this most especially that we should wish to emulate of his life – his deep belief and faith in God, his desire to gather people into God’s Kingdom of justice, peace and unity, and to create a world that is more merciful and caring.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. DM

Cardinal Stephen Brislin is the Cardinal Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg and delivered this homily at the memorial service for Pope Francis held at Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg.

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This is a lightly edited version of Cardinal Brislin’s homily delivered at a memorial service for Pope Francis at Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg on 23 April.