US Friars Extend Global Condolences for Pope Francis

Br. Lawrence J. Hayes, OFM, Provincial Minister for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shares his words and a memorable quote from Pope Francis:

With Catholics, Christians and people of good will world-wide, we join in offering prayers of gratitude for the life and witness of Pope Francis— icon of the compassion of God, defender of migrants and the poor, champion of ecological responsibility, reformer who sought to transform the Church into a “field hospital” at the service of the vulnerable at the peripheries, and friend of Christ who longed to “wake up the world” with hope and joy. In faith, we commend Pope Francis to God’s loving embrace. Through the power of the resurrection, may he now enjoy fullness of life with God in the communion of saints. Abide in life, good and faithful servant!

“Let us welcome Jesus, the God of life, into our lives, and today once again say ‘yes’ to Him. Then no stone will block the way to our hearts, no tomb will suppress the joy of life, no failure will doom us to despair. Let us lift our eyes to Him and ask that the power of His resurrection may roll away the heavy stones that weigh down our souls. Let us lift our eyes to Him, the Risen Lord, and press forward in the certainty that, against the obscure backdrop of our failed hopes and our deaths, the eternal life that He came to bring is even now present in our midst.” — Pope Francis

Excerpt from US Friars Extend Global Condolences for Pope Francis, franciscanmedia.org/

A Vision of Inclusivity

Bishops around the United States began issuing tributes to Pope Francis soon after the news of his death on April 21, 2025. Pope Francis was 88 and in the 13th year of his pontificate. Read quotes and statements from Friar Michael Heine, Minister Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of the Angels and Conventual Franciscan Bishop John Stowe available on franciscanvoice.org