Bishop Edward Malesic, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost and a number of priests from around the eight-county Diocese of Cleveland remembered the late Pope Francis during a memorial Mass April 28 in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The liturgy, which was livestreamed, can be viewed on demand here.
“We ask God to be merciful to him (Pope Francis), to forgive his sins and to reward him for his labors. We also gather to give thanks to God for his life, for he did so much good for so many, including for us,” the bishop said.
“I call myself a John Paul II priest because I was ordained a priest in 1987, when John Paul II was pope. But I am a Pope Francis bishop,” he said, noting he was named bishop of Greensburg, Pennsylvania in 2015, and bishop of Cleveland in 2020. “There is no doubt Pope Francis changed my life forever and I am grateful to him.”
(See photo gallery above.)
The bishop recalled learning of Pope Paul VI’s death in 1978 – his senior year in high school. He and his sister were returning from a bus trip to New York. Their father shared the news when he picked them up.
“I remember a shiver going up my spine. The pope was dead. I wasn’t as attuned to things Catholic back then as I am now, but for a Catholic – and it seems for the entire world – when a pope dies, it is like the father of the family has died,” the bishop said. That same feeling hit him on April 21, when he learned of Pope Francis’ death at age 88.
“Not only Catholics, but it seems that the entire world went into mourning. Many people remembered his life with gratitude, and he was often given the popular title the ‘People’s Pope.’ He related to everyone, but especially to the common person,” the bishop said.
He reflected on the times he met the Holy Father in person, most recently in January, before he became seriously ill with pneumonia.
In March 2023, both bishops and a group of seminarians and faculty members had a private, half-hour audience with Pope Francis during the seminary’s 175th anniversary celebration. “He was so gracious. He met every seminarian and he was jovial as he greeted me and Bishop Woost. I remember telling him that I pray for him always and he said, ‘Pray for me, not against me.’ And I said to him, ‘Always for you, Your Holiness. Always for you.”
At the audience in January, Bishop Malesic said he told the pope he brought him greetings from the people of Cleveland.
“He responded, ‘Ah, Cleveland.’ What that meant, I’m not sure. But as recently as three months ago, he had Cleveland on his lips and Cleveland on his mind – if just for a moment.”
The bishop said no one can doubt Pope Francis’ love for the Church, noting he worked for the Church and the good of the most fragile among us until his last day. “Because of that, I would say that Pope Francis didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk. He was a man who lived the Gospel, who loved the Church, who wanted to make all feel welcome in our family of faith and who was especially close to the poor and marginalized.”
Pope Francis worked to secure world peace, sought justice for the born and unborn and walked humbly before God, the bishop said. “He called himself a sinner, but showed us mercy. He was a good pastor and shepherd to us all. He was a disciple of the Lord and he inspired us to be the same. He famously imagined the Church as a field hospital. He asked the Church to be present to the wounded and hurt, bandage wounds, comfort souls and let all know that God loved them.”
Being with people is what Pope Francis did well, the bishop said. Even on Easter Sunday, his last day on earth, as weak as he was, he wanted to greet the people gathered in St. Peter’s Square. He blessed them, blessed the world and wished them a happy Easter.
“One last time on Easter Sunday, the pope had announced the resurrection of Jesus to the people he loved so much,” Bishop Malesic said.
Reflecting on the day’s readings, the bishop said Peter and John had been detained by the Sanhedrin for proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. They were ordered not speak or teach in the name of Jesus, but they continued to do so, “with boldness.”
“That is what we are all asked to do – not just popes – to speak the word of God with boldness,” he said.
“In death, the soul of Pope Francis, our shepherd for the last 12 years, has made passage to eternity. The body of Pope Francis now waits for the glorious resurrection on the last day. Let us assist him on his journey to the kingdom prepared for him and pray the Lord is saying to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your reward.”