Fr. Don’s Weekly Letter ~ 27 April 2025

Dear Good People of Saint Bernadette,

The loss of Pope Francis has touched not only our Church, but Christians and peoples of all faiths. Tributes and messages of consolation have poured in to us from church leaders and leaders of other religions since Pope Francis’ death on Monday. I wanted to share a couple of messages from friends and dialogue partners I have worked with over the past years.

From Ibrahim Anli, Executive Director of the Rumi Forum (Muslim):

Dear Father Don,

I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Pope Francis. His gentle strength and unwavering commitment to peace, mercy, and the dignity of every human being left an indelible mark on the world. Even for those of us outside the Catholic Church, his message of love and inclusivity resonates powerfully.

Please accept my heartfelt condolences, we are mourning together after the departure of his saintly soul. I hope his legacy of caring and justice will endure and continue to inspire.

Presiding Bishop of the ELCA wrote a beautiful tribute:

On this Easter Monday, we of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America join with people around the world in heartfelt grief at the death of Pope Francis, and we celebrate his life eternal in Jesus Christ.

Pope Francis served Christ’s church with wisdom, courage and humility. Throughout his pastoral ministry, he served as an instrument of God’s justice and peace for all people and the whole of creation. His commitment to the poorest people, in his native Buenos Aires and around the world, was ever present, even in his simple living.

Pope Francis will go down in history as the first Jesuit bishop of Rome and the first from the Americas. His papacy will be remembered for his clarion call to action for climate justice, his bold engagement in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, his compassionate approach to several complex social issues, and his clear concern about the rise of extreme populism worldwide and its impact on the most vulnerable.

In particular, we will remember Pope Francis for his significant contributions to the dialogue of life between Lutherans and Catholics, advancing the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. We will recall with amazement his participation alongside the Lutheran World Federation in a joint ecumenical commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on Oct. 31, 2016. I will never forget witnessing the procession of the pope and the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation down the aisle in red stoles during the prayer service that day. We give thanks to God for this witness to our visible unity in Christ.

We pray that God will strengthen the people of the Roman Catholic Church with the promise of Christ’s resurrection. We extend our condolences to all our Catholic siblings, including the bishops, priests, deacons, scholars and laypeople with whom we are in dialogue and partnership. We also pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the deliberations of the College of Cardinals as they begin the process of selecting a new pope.

Personally, I recall the two international dialogues with Buddhists in Rome and Taipei, representing the Holy See. In the Rome dialogue we had a private audience with Pope Francis. His message for us was simple: You are sowers of the seeds of unity and compassion. What you do is important. Don’t look for dramatic results. Just sow the seeds.

We have experienced a profound loss. As a national leader in ecumenical and interreligious affairs if feels like we have lost a most precious anchor who always calls us out to do the right thing and love one another. Not cause it is the right thing to do, but because it is who we really are.

O God, we remember with thanksgiving those who have loved and served you on earth and now rest from their labors, especially our brother, Pope Francis. Keep us in union with all your saints, and bring us with them to the joyous feast of heaven; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.