21-04-2025
Boston archbishop remembers Pope Francis: ‘His example remains a guiding light'
In the wake of Pope Francis' death Monday, the head of Boston's archdiocese called the Catholic leader's legacy 'broad and deep.'
Archbishop Richard G. Henning, who was appointed to lead the Boston archdiocese by Francis in 2024, said the pontiff 'continuously called us to deeper faith and to a more generous participation in the boundless compassion of God.'
'I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Pope Francis. His legacy as Holy Father is broad and deep,' Henning said. 'His example remains a guiding light to the Universal Church. Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph, may he rest in peace.'
From his election on March 13, 2013, the Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio signaled a different papacy, embracing refugees and the downtrodden, especially following the troubled tenure of Pope Benedict XVI, who surprisingly resigned.
But conservatives grew increasingly upset with Francis' progressive bent, outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics and crackdown on traditionalists. He badly botched a notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in 2018.
Francis entered Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia and, at 38 days, became the longest hospitalization of his papacy. Part of his right lung was removed in the late 1950s after a bout of pneumonia, and he suffered from chronic lung disease.
He emerged on Easter Sunday — his last public appearance, a day before his death — to bless thousands of people in St. Peter's Square, drawing wild cheers and applause. He died hours later.
Francis' death now sets off a weekslong process of allowing the faithful to pay their final respects, first for Vatican officials in the Santa Marta chapel and then in St. Peter's for the general public, followed by a funeral and a conclave to elect a new pope.
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