Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord
As we approach the last days of the 2025 legislative session, the WSCC mourns the loss of Pope Francis who inspired and directed our work. His encyclicals, Lumen Fidei, Laudato Si', Fratelli Tutti and Dilexit nos synthesized Catholic doctrine in a manner that made it accessible to all, so that every Catholic could do as he asked and reach out to those on the margins - the poor, immigrants, the unborn, the homeless, prisoners, people suffering from addiction and those far from God.
As powerful as his encyclicals are, the documents are perhaps of secondary importance to Pope Francis' unwavering examples of our faith in action each day. By feeding and sheltering people experiencing homelessness, walking with migrants, washing the feet of prisoners, and living as simply as he could as shepherd of a global church, he showed us how to meet people where they are and help lead them to God through concrete expressions of Christ's love.
It is fitting that Pope Francis’s last public words are found at the close of his “Urbi et Orbi” address on Easter Sunday, directed to the city of Rome and the entire world. Affirming our hope in the Resurrection of Christ, he said: “Dear brothers and sisters, in the Lord’s Paschal Mystery, death and life contended in a stupendous struggle, but the Lord now lives forever. He fills us with the certainty that we too are called to share in the life that knows no end, when the clash of arms and the rumble of death will be heard no more. Let us entrust ourselves to him, for he alone can make all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5). Happy Easter to everyone!”
While the loss of his strong voice for the poor leaves a huge void, his words and advocacy were always based in the Gospel and 2000 years of Catholic teaching. His message is the message of Christ. We will continue to share the Good News and care for the poor, the vulnerable and those whom others would turn away, as our Gospel call, accepted at our Baptism, requires.
