After celebrating Mass at noon April 21 for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Archbishop Bernard Hebda noted at a news conference several of the pope’s primary focuses in his 12-year papacy.
“His message has been so important, I think, for all of us,” the archbishop told members of the news media gathered in the Cathedral. “His emphasis on inclusion of all kinds of people, his great love for the poor, his great love for the Earth, for the environment, and his desire to help us to listen better to one another, even when we have differing opinions. I think that’s been very significant for this archdiocese, but for the Church around the world as well.”
The archbishop invited prayers for the pope and for the Church “that she be given another such fine leader. It’s interesting, just in my life with the popes that we’ve had, you see how each pope brings a different gift to that work of being the successor of Peter. Pope Francis, I think, especially in his love for the poor and those on the margins, has been so significant for us. I think he’s left a lasting imprint on us that I hope we’ll be able to honor in the days to come.”
Asked about his own interactions with Pope Francis, the archbishop noted the pope’s kindness and gentleness. “Before I came to the archdiocese, I was assigned a difficult assignment in another diocese, also by Pope Francis. When I went to see him the first time after that, he told me I just had to listen, listen, listen. That was his word of advice. I’ve tried to live by that, not just in that diocese, but in this diocese as well.”
Asked what he might like to see in a new pope, Archbishop Hebda said he would love to see someone “with the same passion that Pope Francis had.”
Catholics believe the Holy Spirit chooses a new pope through the work of the College of Cardinals, the archbishop said.
“And one of the things I know about our Holy Spirit is he’s a God of surprises. So, we never know exactly who’s going to come forward or what gifts they’re going to have, but I’m already excited to see what they might be,” Archbishop Hebda said. “Even as we spend these days of mourning, certainly we can begin to dream about what God might have in store for us in the future.”
Responding to another question, the archbishop reflected on Pope Francis’ public appearances in his last days, despite his increasingly frail health.
“He gave us a beautiful example,” Archbishop Hebda said. “At our liturgies throughout Holy Week, we talk about how Jesus emptied himself. … a Christian is supposed to empty himself or herself. That’s what we saw Pope Francis doing. I can only imagine his doctors were thinking, ‘This is crazy.’ And yet he wanted to be there, to be able to give a moment of joy to those in prison. He wanted to be able to go and to visit the faithful at (Basilica of) St. Mary Major in Rome and to spend one more time in that chapel that was so significant for him, at any time that he was making a big journey.
“Then just to be with the faithful in (St. Peter’s Square), I think, was one of those things where we realized that was taxing him, but yet it was so important for him to be with God’s people,” the archbishop said. “He knew that that’s what he had been chosen for.”
