On the ninth and final day of the Novendiales—the traditional nine days of mourning for a deceased pope—the Church gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica to remember Pope Francis not merely as a leader, but as a faithful servant of Christ, whose pontificate was rooted in love, humility, and courage.
Why was this moment significant?
This concluding Mass, celebrated on the Third Sunday of Easter, marked a powerful moment of reflection not only on the passing of Pope Francis but on his enduring mission. According to Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, who presided over the liturgy, “the mission of a pope is love itself, which becomes service to the Church and to all humanity.” His words crystallized what many Catholics around the world have witnessed throughout Pope Francis’ papacy—a deep pastoral commitment to accompany the people of God with mercy and compassion.
How was Pope Francis’ life of love and service remembered?
In his homily, Cardinal Mamberti drew from the Gospel reading of the day—John 21—where Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Mamberti reflected on the rich theological and human implications of this exchange: “Love is the key word of this Gospel passage,” he said. “The first to recognize Jesus is ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ John.”
He further explained the delicate nuance in the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. “Jesus uses the verb to love, a strong word, while Peter, mindful of the betrayal, responds with the less demanding expression, ‘to care,’ and the third time Jesus himself uses the expression to care, adjusting to the apostle’s weakness.” This, Mamberti said, is the divine tenderness that offers hope: a Savior who lowers Himself in love to lift us up.
Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, he reminded the faithful that Peter knew Jesus would accept even “his poor love, the only one of which he [was] capable.” It was “precisely this divine adjustment that gives hope to the disciple,” and, as Mamberti emphasized, it is what gave Peter the courage to follow Christ despite his fragility.
This reflection mirrored the very essence of Pope Francis’ own ministry—a papacy deeply aware of human weakness, yet tirelessly propelled by God’s grace. “We have all admired how much Pope Francis, animated by the Lord’s love and carried by his grace, has been faithful to his mission to the utmost consumption of his strength,” Mamberti said, acknowledging the pope’s final weeks of suffering and his unshaken resolve.
What legacy does Pope Francis leave for the Church?
The homily also referenced the Acts of the Apostles, noting how Pope Francis spoke truth to power and called all people to rejoice in the mercy of God. “He has reminded the powerful that we must obey God rather than men,” said Mamberti, and “proclaimed to all humanity the joy of the Gospel, the merciful Father, Christ the savior. He did this in his magisterium, in his travels, in his gestures, in his lifestyle.”
Cardinal Mamberti also offered a personal remembrance, recounting how he was beside Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, during his final urbi et orbi blessing, just one day before the Holy Father passed away. “I witnessed Pope Francis’ suffering but above all his courage and determination to serve the people of God to the end.”
The cardinal reminded the faithful that prayer was central to Francis’ life: “His intense pastoral life, his countless meetings, were grounded in the long moments of prayer that the Ignatian discipline had imprinted in him.” This interior life, anchored in adoration, made Pope Francis a visible sign of the Church’s mission of contemplation and action.
Above all, Mamberti noted, “Everything Francis did… he did under the gaze of Mary.” The late pontiff visited the Marian icon Salus Populi Romani 126 times, seeking the intercession of the Blessed Mother before and after apostolic journeys. “And now that he rests at the beloved image,” Mamberti concluded, “we entrust him with gratitude and confidence to the intercession of the mother of the Lord and our mother.”
As the Novendiales drew to a close, the Church did not merely mourn a pope but gave thanks for a shepherd who lived—and died—in love and service to Christ and His flock.
