Pope Francis (Vatican Photo)
ALLOUEZ, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Bishop David Ricken of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay is mourning the death of Pope Francis.
Ricken issued this statement Monday:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is with great sadness that I heard of the death of our Holy Father. Pope Francis has been called from this life to eternal life, on this Easter Monday and today we begin a period of mourning and gratitude. We are sad to say goodbye to our Holy Father in this life and grateful for the gift of his papacy. As a Diocese and Church, we will be offering special Masses and prayers throughout the next several days for the repose of his soul and in gratitude for his long service of God and the Catholic Church as a priest, pastor, theologian, bishop, cardinal and the successor to Peter as Pope.
His humility, great love and pastoral care for the marginalized and the poor and his commitment to interreligious dialogue are all hallmarks of his papacy. Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium”, The Joy of the Gospel, called God’s people to embrace a new chapter of evangelization, one that is defined by the joy that comes from a relationship with Christ. He was the first non-European pope since the 8th century and will be remembered for his constant call to the faithful and all people of good will to protect all human life, be good stewards of God’s creation and to love all people, especially those most vulnerable among us.
May God continue to guide and direct the Church in these most challenging times as we return this gift of a great “servant of the servants of God” to the One who loves him most.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Bishop David L. Ricken, DD JCL
Francis died Monday morning after blessing thousands of people at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square.
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