The Final Journey of a Pilgrim of Hope

Last Christmas Eve, Pope Francis became the first pilgrim to pass through the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica. From the central balcony of that same Basilica, he imparted his blessing "to the city and the world" on Easter Sunday. In the joy of Easter, he returned to the Father's house the following morning, thus completing his pilgrimage of hope in this world. A journey of hope from the crib to the cross - hope in the Risen Lord! 

Pope Francis, who died in the hope of the resurrection, now awaits the resurrection of the body, entombed in the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. He wanted his tomb to be made with material from the land of his ancestors in the Italian region of Liguria. Just before the burial, the pallbearers stopped in front of the icon of Our Lady, Salus Popoli Romani (Health of the Roman People), where Pope Francis prayed on numerous occasions since the beginning of his papacy. In this Holy Year, in which we fulfil the requirements for the Jubilee Indulgence by praying for the intentions of the Holy Father, we can offer prayers and sacrifices for the eternal repose of the soul of Pope Francis.

Among the concelebrating priests
at the Funeral Mass on 26 April 2025
"With Peter and under Peter"
Photo: Vatican Media

The days leading up to the funeral had everyone reflecting on the life and witness of Jorge Mario Bergoglio whose papacy lasted 12 years. From the start when he greeted the world wearing only the white cassock, we knew that things were going to be done a little differently. A pope of firsts, his words and gestures, like that of the humble poverello of Assisi, have been often misunderstood. But there was no stopping to this pope of surprises. Francis the merciful carried out his petrine ministry like one who had a clear mandate - bringing about a revolution of love and compassion. Back home we'd say that Pope Francis embodied ubuntu. We could all take a leaf out of his book to live better the gospel of the Lord Jesus, the face of the Father's mercy.

To understand the late Holy Father's modus operandi, one must consider the context in which the Pope's theological ideas grew and where his understanding of the church matured, rooted in the popular religiosity of the Latin-American people and his own Jesuit formation. The Argentine Pope (who never returned to his homeland after being elected bishop of Rome) embraced a theology of the people of God (of the Second Vatican Council), seeing the church as a community of missionary disciples. Coming from the peripheries, Francis sought to embrace and listen to those on the margins of society, advocating for justice and peace in the whole world. The various Jubilee celebrations throughout this year, including one for the poor, bear testimony to this. 

One could only imagine that the Magisterium of Pope Francis will have a major impact on the theological work of those of us currently studying in Rome. The funeral homily of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re made for a fitting tribute to an intense papacy, inviting us to take up the baton of hope from Papa Francesco in this Jubilee Year. Even after his death, we should remember that "they that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint" (Is 40:31).

The nine days of mourning from the day of the Pope's burial also serves as a novena in preparation for the Conclave (set to begin on 7 May). At least 18 cardinals from Africa, including South Africa's Stephen Brislin, will be part of the 135 trusted men (exceeding the usual number of 120) from around the world who will, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, elect the 266th successor of the Apostle Peter. Christ, the Chief Shepherd, does not abandon his church. We might never have another Franciscus but we will certainly have another Pope with whom we will continue our journey together as the people of God on mission in the world.

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

28 April 2025

Christ our Hope is Risen. Alleluia.

As the world mourns the passing on of Pope Francis, I share with you my Easter Sunday reflection in which I referred to the Holy Father’s words about the effect of the Resurrection of the Lord on our journey of faith:

Our annual Lenten Pilgrimage has culminated once again in the solemn celebration of the Sacred Paschal Triduum. Renewed by the Spirit, we are now able to sing joyfully our alleluias. ‘We are an Easter people, and alleluia is our song’ (St John Paul II). Christ our Hope is risen! ‘Through him you now have faith in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory for that very reason – so that you would have faith and hope in God’ (1 Pet 1:21).

The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, that tomb given to Jesus on loan, is still empty. We cannot find him among the dead for he is risen in the flesh and lives forever. Providentially, in this Jubilee Year of Hope, in the Lord’s City, the Resurrection of Christ is observed on the same day by Catholic and Orthodox Christians. One great “alleluia” resounds throughout the world, leaving reverberations of hope in its sway.

Pope Francis, pointing us to the Risen Christ, the hope which does not disappoint, says: ‘Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross: “For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life” (Rom 5:19). That life becomes manifest in our own life of faith, which begins with Baptism, develops in openness to God’s grace and is enlivened by a hope constantly renewed and confirmed by the working of the Holy Spirit…The death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith and the basis of our hope’ (Spes non confundit, nn. 3, 20).

As pilgrims of hope, we were led into our darkened churches last by the light of the Paschal Candle during the Easter Vigil; we followed that flame of hope as if following the Lord Jesus himself, the conqueror of sin and death. He has opened for us the way to eternal life.

Just as the pilgrimage through the Holy Doors of the Eternal City ends with the Profession of Faith, our experience of forgiveness and conversion in these days, prepares us for the Profession of Faith holding lighted candles with little flames from the Easter Candle, proclaiming the one faith of all the baptised, who then celebrate together the Easter Eucharist, the banquet of unity and peace.

On Easter night, when Holy Mother Church rejoices in the re-birth of her children, modelling the ancient practice of Rome, the liturgy of baptism includes a dialogue by which we boldly profess with a three-fold assent - I believe – I believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. With this profession of faith comes a three-fold renunciation of Satan, sin, and the works of darkness.

Faith in the Risen Christ thus has a very real and life-changing effect on my life and the way in which I see the world. I give myself over to God and to the Church. Faith ‘is not something thought up by myself; it is something said to me [hence the question, do you believe], which hits me as something that has not been thought out [by myself] and could not be thought out and lays an obligation on me’ (Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Introduction to Christianity). That is why my own I believe becomes the we believe of the Church.

Our faith in the Risen Lord prompts us, who have been raised with Christ in baptism, ‘to seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand’ (cf. Col 3:1-4). The hope which we carry within us then helps us to confront the tombs which we encounter along the journey of faith. We cannot help but tremble before the senselessness of violence and war in our world today. Indifference in the face of such suffering would be like living among the "tombs". So, even in towns and villages which have been reduced to ruins, the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord brings healing and hope to the destitute – where Easter joy bursts through the rubble!

We have all faced some dead end at one point or another. But, as witnesses of the resurrection, we face these challenges bearing the cross, a symbol of victory, singing in our hearts the Jubilee refrain: ‘Like a flame my hope is burning, may my song arise to you: Source of life that has no ending, on life’s path I trust in you.’ Jesus, I trust in you!

The Pilgrim

Fr Runaine James Radine

Easter 2025