Cardinal Nichols and Cardinal Radcliffe movingly speak of God ‘calling Pope Francis home’ the day after Easter Day

‘The risen Lord visited his disciples after his Resurrection. And it just strikes me, he’s done the same here. He’s come to Pope Francis and said, Right, home. And it fits.’

Two of England’s four cardinals appeared together earlier today to talk movingly about the death of Pope Francis and the extraordinary legacy he has left for the Church and the world.

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe OP, former Master of the Dominicans, who are both aged 79 and therefore being under 80 entitled to vote in the coming conclave, spoke of how his life and death illustrated the victory of love over hatred.

Commenting on the timing of Pope Francis’ death, the day after Easter Sunday, Cardinal Nichols said: “I could only see in this the providence of God. The risen Lord visited his disciples after his Resurrection. And it just strikes me, he’s done the same here. He’s come to Pope Francis and said, ‘Right, home’. And it fits. The Paschal candle, the symbol of the risen Christ, is burning brightly today. It’s almost as if the Lord wants to say to us, yes that’s true. There is a victory over death. And while our hearts are full of that, he takes this action of calling home a very precious servant.”

Cardinal Radcliffe said: “I think many people when they face death have their moment of accepting that now is the time…. We celebrate the victory of life over death, of love over hatred, so what better moment to be taken up into the love of God.”

Cardinal Radcliffe said that what had really struck him about Pope Francis was his “profound desire to make everybody seem welcome”. He believed the Church should be a universal home in which everybody feels welcome, he said, because he believed every person was made “in the image and likeness of God”. He said he had a “quite extraordinary” capacity to listen.

He believed the Pope would be remembered for the process of synodality. He believed that “in our noisy world”, the peace of Christ comes when people open themselves to listen.

The two cardinals said the Holy See had asked for nine days of mourning and so did not wish to speculate at this time on his successor and the coming conclave, but Cardinal Nichols said the next Pope had to be a man of “great inner strength and great inner peace”.

There are now four English cardinals of which three are under 80 years old and will have a vote in the conclave. The third is Cardinal Arthur Roche, 75, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The fourth, Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, 87, is a former head of the Pontifical Council for Religious Dialogue and has stated his intention to be in Rome before the conclave to take part in discussions.

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Cardinal Nichols said all four were “very different” and brought different experiences. “I hope together we can make a good contribution.”

He also spoke of the recent report of increasing numbers joining the Church, especially among younger adults. “In this last week there have probably been 50,000 people in and out of Westminster Cathedral.” For the midday Mass on Easter Day, people were queuing down Ambrosden Avenue to go in as soon as the previous Mass ended. A further 200 people stood outside, following it on their phones, he said. “So, as they say, there’s something going on. And that too, we should ponder and pray about.”

He said Pope Francis had brought to the Church and the world an understanding of the importance of gesture.

He said he had been “utterly surprised” by his death. He would miss most the freedom he had. “It was most remarkable to hold the highest office in the Church with that personal and inner freedom.”

He also read from a statement he made earlier: “The death of Pope Francis brings great sadness to so many around the world, both within the Catholic Church and in societies in general. A voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being, especially those who are poor or marginalised, is now silent. The legacy he leaves is one we must seek to carry forward and strengthen.

“Pope Francis was called to priesthood through his experience of the mercy and compassion of God. This remained the core of his ministry, as Priest, Bishop and Pontiff. Only in understanding the love and mercy of God towards each one of us can we fashion societies and communities that bear the mark of the ‘kingdom of God’.

“This same focus and emphasis lay at this desire to see membership of the Church as being rooted in ‘missionary discipleship’, a dynamic and powerful vision for every Christian and every community.

“Now we pray for the repose of his soul, that he may know, in full measure, the merciful and loving embrace of the Father, of the one God to whom he gave his life in unstinting service. May he now rest in peace and rise in glory.”

In his homily at a Requiem Mass for Pope Francis at Westminster Cathedral this evening, Cardinal Nichols said: “Constantly he spoke for those on the margins of society, challenging us with words such as: ‘If you want to know how successful your economy is, go and speak with an unemployed person.’ And of those imprisoned in slavery and suffering other terrible forms of abuse, he said: ‘These are gaping wounds in the flesh of humanity, wounds in the flesh of Christ himself.’ He was filled with compassion, mercy, righteous indignation and irrepressible hope.”

King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid tribute to the Pope, speaking of their “heavy hearts” and paying tribute to his compassion and “his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith”.

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