Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP says Pope Francis’ passing on Easter Monday is an invitation to reflect on Easter and its meaning.
He said this was a moment to question if the faithful “really believe” in life after death and if Pope Francis will “share in Christ’s triumph over death,” and evil, sadness, and suffering.
“I do really believe that, and I know that Francis really believed that,” he told The Catholic Weekly.
“I think that we Christians can take this as an opportunity to say to the world, ‘We have good reasons for our hope because Christ went before us’ and Francis will follow after him.”
Archbishop Fisher said this was also a chance for parents to talk about the resurrection with their children.
“To talk about the risen Lord and Heaven and our hope for Francis and for everyone we’ve loved and lost,” he said.
Reflecting on the death of Pope Francis, the archbishop said, although this is a time of sadness, the Holy Father’s dedication to the church until the very end of his life on earth should be acknowledged.
“He’s been our chief pastor for a long time now, in fact, there’d be young Catholics who he (would be) the only Pope they really knew,” he said.
“He kept going for 20, 25 years beyond when most people retire, giving himself completely, never having a day off, never having a holiday.
“There is a real grief in losing that kind of pastoral leadership that we’ve received from him.”
Archbishop Fisher also issued a message to Catholics mourning the pope’s death, who were already gathering around churches in Australia and the world.
“I think it is a very beautiful thing that people’s instinct when a sad thing like this happens is to go straight to church, to go to a cathedral or to their local church,” he said.
“I expect there are people standing around local churches all around the country too, to light a candle, to say a prayer.”
He urged the faithful to pray for the repose of Pope Francis.
“The day he was elected pope, first thing he said to the world was to pray for him,” he said
“He will want us all to be praying for him and then praying for the church too, for its leadership going forward.”
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