Hundreds mourn Pope Francis at St. Mary’s

For Claudia Sangriotis, being at the memorial mass for Pope Francis last night at St. Mary’s Cathedral was an opportunity to pray for his soul and to express appreciation for the way he reached out “to the vulnerable and marginalized” in society.

“People felt connected to him, even if they weren’t members of the Roman Catholic Church,” she said, adding she also appreciated his humility.

For M.J., an LGBTTQ+ Roman Catholic who didn’t want his last name used, Pope Francis was an inspiration for how he welcomed gay people.

“I felt accepted by him,” he said. “I am here to show gratitude for that. It meant a lot to me how accepting he was.”

Francesco Marrello came to the memorial mass because “he was my Pope, and he was a good one. He showed the way of Jesus in his life by showing compassion for everyone. He helped restore my faith by showing what the Church is supposed to be.”

The three were among about 500 or so who attended the memorial mass for Pope Francis, who died April 21.

The service, which was led by Archbishop Murray Chatlain, included prayers as the Church prepares to choose a new leader of the 1.4 billion Roman Catholics around the world.

In his homily, Chatlain said if he was 75, the age Francis was when he was elected Pope, and was asked to become Pope, “I would have said a resounding ‘no.’”

But Francis “said yes,” Chatlain said, noting it was an illustration of the “twists and turns and mysterious things” of God for him and for all believers.

Chatlain went on to commend Francis for his positive and humble leadership style, saying it was “a challenge for me as archbishop and for all our priests to be called to the same level of humility as well.”

He also commended Francis for his care for the earth.

“He was so much ahead of his time and dragged us along as a church, saying the environment needs our attention,” he said. “We can be thankful to Pope Francis that our church is not way behind.”

Chatlain went on to note the Pope’s interest in the issue of migration, noting that more people are on the move in the world than ever before.

“Pope Francis was always calling our attention to our responsibility there,” Chatlain said. “As a diocese we have to ask ourselves how we are welcoming refugees and immigrants.”

Chatlain also praised Francis for how seriously he took Indigenous issues in Canada, including receiving delegations from Indigenous groups in Rome in spring 2022, and coming to Canada that summer to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.

He noted that some are worried about who the next pope might be.

“A lot of fear is being expressed,” Chatlain said.

But God, he added, “will not give us a pope to lead us the wrong way … we need to have trust in the surprising God that is with us.”

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The service, which concluded with communion, also featured words from Pope Francis in the printed program.

“I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol … you have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else,” the pope was quoted as saying.

And also: “A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

A second memorial mass will be held for Pope Francis in Winnipeg on Friday, 7:30 p.m. at the St. Boniface Cathedral.

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John Longhurst
Faith reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

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