State Leaders Remember Pope Francis As ‘Luminous Witness’ And ‘Champion For Peace’

by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie

State religious and political leaders shared their reactions to the death of Pope Francis Monday in a series of statements across various media. Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church and more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide, died early Easter Monday. He was 88 years old.

“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced in a statement. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of the Bridgeport Diocese described Francis as a “luminous witness to the Gospel,” and a father who embraced the poor, the forgotten and the marginalized.

“From the moment he stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in 2013 and humbly asked for our prayers, Pope Francis invited us to a renewed encounter with Jesus,” he said in a statement posted to the diocese’s website. “He reminded us that the heart of our faith is mercy, that the Church is a ‘field hospital’ for sinners, and that no one is beyond the reach of God’s love. His tireless advocacy for the marginalized, his insistence on the joy of the Gospel, and his call to care for our common home challenged and inspired us all.”

In a message posted to X, Gov. Ned Lamont said he hoped the Pope’s example would live on.

“As an old WASP I was particularly touched by his basic sense of humanity, a champion for peace and a reminder that we’re all God’s children,” he said. “That message is more important today than ever before.”

Other elected leaders across the state expressed their mourning at the passing of the pope.

“Pope Francis’s message and mission was based on compassion,” said Sen. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, on behalf of the Senate Republican Caucus. “Compassion for the less fortunate. Compassion among races and religions. He was loved by millions of people across the globe. We collectively remember that compassion and we mourn his passing.”

Francis died of a stroke, which led to cardiac arrest, the Vatican said. He had spent more than a month in the hospital earlier this year, after a respiratory crisis developed into double pneumonia. The pope had suffered from chronic lung disease for most of his life, and had part of his lung removed at a younger age. 

His death still seemed sudden, as he participated in Holy Week activities after his recovery from his hospitalization, and made an appearance at the Holy Mass on Easter Sunday, although he was assisted in reading his message.

The pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the first Jesuit pope and the first chosen from the Americas when he was elected in 2013. Francis became pope after Pope Benedict XVI stepped down, becoming the first pope in over 700 years to do so.

Francis was a reformer of the church. He worked to expand the role of women in the Catholic Church, allowing women to be full members of the Roman Curia, the governing body of the church. He also made it possible for women to be appointed at the local level to the positions of catechist and lector, roles which were previously reserved for men.

He also took a more tolerant view towards homosexuality than his predecessors, although he still did not allow for the blessing of same-sex unions. Francis famously responded “Who am I to judge” when asked about the sexual orientation of priests.

Francis was also willing to get involved in politics, as seen earlier this year when he offered what many saw as a direct rebuke to Vice President JD Vance over his use of medieval Catholic theology to justify the Trump administration’s removal of immigrants, a policy which the pope openly disagreed with.

Francis prioritized the plight of migrants and refugees over his tenure, once saying that, “Our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote, and to integrate,” in a World Day of Migrants message.

The selection of the next pope will occur in a secret ballot process called a conclave that takes place in the Sistine Chapel.