News Release

FORT WAYNE — Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has given a statement on the death of Pope Francis.

Pope Francis passed away at age 88 on Monday, April 21.

“Today, Easter Monday, Pope Francis, reached the end of his earthly pilgrimage,” said Rhoades. “He passed from this life to the one promised by our Risen Lord. We mourn the death of our beloved Holy Father with much sadness but also with the inner joy that springs from our hope in eternal life.”

“For the past 12 years, Pope Francis has been a shining example for the Church and the world of the joy and hope of the Gospel,” Rhoades continued. “He has been a tireless voice for the poor, the suffering, and the forgotten, calling all of us to be witnesses of Christ our hope through our love for all those who are in need. He has repeatedly taught us by his words and actions that the preferential option for the poor is at the center of the Gospel and of the Church’s mission. I think this will be Pope Francis’ most enduring legacy.”

“The last time I spoke with the Holy Father was this past October, at the end of the Synod in Rome, when I thanked him for his latest encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” said Rhoades. “It was his fourth and last encyclical, a beautiful reflection on the love of Christ, the love that conquers sin and death. He taught how the Church and the world need that love. Yesterday, in his Easter message, Pope Francis wrote that all who put their hope in God are to be witnesses of the victory of love. Death is the moment of great encounter with the God of love. As we mourn the death of Pope Francis, let us pray that the Lord in His love will welcome him into His glory, the eternal joy of heaven.”

Rhoades will also hold a special Mass at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne.