ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Diocese of Allentown and Bishop Alfred Schlert said Pope Francis “prioritized the method of accompaniment, reaching both those within the Church and especially those on its periphery,” following the pope’s death.
Pope Francis, who had served as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church since 2013, died early Monday at the age of 88 following a lengthy illness.
“Following his election to the papacy as the 266th Pope on March 13, 2013, Pope Francis exhibited the call to mercy we so often see through Christ in the Gospels,” Schlert said in a statement.
Schlert will offer a special Mass at 12:15 p.m. Monday in the Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena, Allentown, “for the happy repose of the soul of His Holiness Pope Francis.”
All are invited to attend the Mass, Schlert said.
The bishop noted how then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina in 2013 took the name Francis in honor of St. Francis, who was told in the San Damiano Church, “Rebuild my Church.”
“Every age has its struggles, trials, and temptations, and the twenty-first century likewise has its own task of developing strategies and modes to carry the Gospel to an ever-changing world,” Schlert said.
“Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis also welcomed many into conversation with the Church. He reminded the faithful that the Church is a hospital for the sinner and not just for the saints and righteous, transmitting hope for those who feel distant from Christ,” the statement said.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease, was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.
“May this Jubilee Year, which His Holiness Pope Francis opened before his death, be a year of genuine trust in the Gospel and the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:7),” Schlert’s statement said.
Pope Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday — a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
His death sets off what is expected to be a weekslong process of a conclave to elect a new pope.
“May eternal rest be granted to Pope Francis and may his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace,” Schlert said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
