Statement of the Most Reverend James F. Checchio,
Bishop of Metuchen
With heavy hearts, the Diocese of Metuchen mourns the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. From the moment of his election as Supreme Pontiff when he took the name Francis, our Holy Father has emphasized the mercy of God, embracing in his Petrine ministry the poor, the migrant, the marginalized, and all those broken by this world’s problems and concerns. We entrust his noble soul to the hands of our Blessed Mother to accompany him to our Father's house. In this Jubilee year in which Pope Francis called us to be Pilgrims of Hope, he has now made the ultimate pilgrimage to the embrace of our loving God.
Statement of Msgr. Benwell
Sisters and brothers in the Risen Christ: Easter Sunday is our great celebration of hope. Configured to Christ risen from the dead, all things are possible for us. Even humanity's greatest enemy—death—has been conquered.
The sacred author of the Book of Ecclesiastes wrote, "There is an appointed time for everything under the heavens ... a time to be born and a time to die ... a time to weep and a time to laugh" (3:1-2, 4). Most often, the meaning of that "appointed time" is a mystery. Perhaps not so with the death of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. The "Pope of Mercy," who made hope the theme of this Jubilee Year, died in the Octave of Easter, between Easter Sunday and Divine Mercy Sunday.
No doubt summoning up all the strength left in him, Pope Francis gave us a gift just hours before his death: a final blessing from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica and a final wave as he was driven through St. Peter's Square. Might I suggest that over the next few weeks we honor with gratitude this Vicar of Christ and Successor of St. Peter by being open to ways we can practice little (and big) acts of mercy and hope toward our families, friends and people we don't even know: individuals and groups who are in need?
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.
