The Vatican has today announced that Pope Francis has died. In making the announcement, Cardinal Kevin Farrell said “His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.”
Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.
Note of Condolence from the Order of Preachers on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”. ” (Psalm 27.1)
With deep sadness, but also with Christian hope in the promise of eternal life, the Order of Preachers lifts up its prayers with the Dominican Family and the Church for the eternal repose of His Holiness Pope Francis.
We thank God for the immense gift of his life, his evangelical witness, his proximity to the poor and excluded, and for his tireless pursuit of justice and peace, dialogue and fraternity among peoples and religions.
From our Dominican vocation to preach the Truth, we recognize in Pope Francis a pastor who knew how to announce the Gospel with words and gestures, opening ways of renewal, justice and tenderness. His humility and bravery will continue to inspire our mission in the world, as he reminded us in his letter “Praedicator Gratiae”:
“Let the Order of Preachers, now as then, be at the forefront of a renewed announcement of the Gospel, which may speak to the hearts of the men and women of our time and awaken in them the thirst for the coming of the kingdom of holiness, justice and peace of Christ!” ”
We join in prayer with the entire universal Church, committing their souls to the infinite love of the Father, trusting that it now enjoys the face of the One whom he served with devotion to the end.
Rome April 21, 2025
Please keep Pope Francis in your prayers. Pray also for the Church, and for the College of Cardinals as they mourn Pope Francis and take on the task of electing our new Pope in the coming weeks.