Pope Leo XIV Remembers Departed Church Leaders with a Message of Easter Hope
Pope Leo XIV led a solemn Requiem Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica to honor Pope Francis and the Cardinals and Bishops who passed away over the past year. The Mass, deeply reflective in tone, became a moment of gratitude and remembrance for lives devoted to faith and service. The Pope prayed that the souls of the departed be cleansed of every imperfection and rise to shine like stars in the sky.
He described the ceremony as a spiritual bridge between the living and those who have completed their earthly journey. The Pope invited believers to carry forward the hope that defined the ministry of those now at rest, reminding the congregation that Christian life is sustained by the promise of eternal renewal. He recalled with affection Pope Francis, who passed away after opening the Holy Door and imparting the Easter Blessing, saying the Jubilee Year gives this gathering a distinct sense of Christian hope.
Drawing from the Gospel story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Pope Leo reflected on how the risen Christ turned sorrow into revelation. He connected this moment of faith to the world’s own experience of loss, especially the violent deaths of innocents, which he described as wounds disfigured by sin. The Pope reminded the faithful that such suffering is never willed by God and that Jesus endured death to overcome it and offer eternal life.
Pope Leo emphasized that Christ alone can absorb death without being corrupted by it. By proclaiming that He has the words of eternal life, believers confess their trust in His ability to reignite faith and restore hope. This hope, the Pope said, is not the same as before but a new creation born from the resurrection.
He quoted Saint Francis of Assisi, saying that through Christ’s love, even death has been transformed from an enemy into a sister. Though grief remains, he urged the faithful to see beyond it toward the promise of glory. The late Pope Francis and the departed Church leaders, he said, lived as witnesses and teachers of this Easter hope, guiding the faithful with wisdom rooted in Christ’s redeeming grace.
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