Homily for the Requiem Mass of Pope Francis

On the evening of March 13, 2013, after days of seeing black smoke, I heard church bells ringing around 7:00 PM. Curious, I rushed to find out that all the churches in Rome ring their bells when white smoke appears, signalling a new Pope has been elected. We quickly headed to St. Peter’s Square to witness the announcement of the new Pope, saying “Habemus papam . . . “

In the square, we joined hundreds, maybe thousands, of people waiting in the cold evening. After an hour or two, Cardinal Bergoglio was introduced as the new Pope. Excitement erupted among us. A memorable moment was when he asked for prayers and blessings, and silence fell as everyone prayed together, creating a deeply moving experience. I was struck by his friendly, humble demeanor, which marked his twelve-year papacy.

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I am not an expert on the Pope, nor am I an ecclesiastical official who often meets and has a close relationship with him. My memories and appreciation for him come from an ordinary believer from afar who feels the effects and impact of what he has done all this time. It would not be an exaggeration if I remember Pope Francis as a Paschal human: a person who experiences, believes in, and lives the power of Christ’s resurrection, and is moved by Him.

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Paschal people are those who experience God’s mercy. The hymn Exultet heard during the Easter eve liturgy conveys “felix culpa,” which means a favorable mistake, thanks to the coming redeemer. The history of sin is understood from the perspective of the salvation brought by Jesus’ resurrection. This is also true for our Pope, who has had an uneasy, even controversial, past during his time as Jesuit provincial in Argentina. Even some of my Latin American Jesuit fellows were skeptical when Bergoglio was elected Pope.

However, the Pope is not trapped by mistakes or failures. In the homily, he reminded us not to be prisoners of our failures. The difficult past is viewed in terms of the mercy and forgiveness of the risen Jesus. Good Friday is understood in the context of Easter Sunday. Christ’s resurrection provides freedom and assurance that we are not trapped in difficult experiences. Everyone makes mistakes and has their dramas, yet that is not the end, as there is an Easter Sunday that saves us. Pope Francis invites us to enter into an experience of repentance and self-improvement that meets God’s forgiveness.

This experience of mercy and forgiveness was also felt when the Pope invited the Church to enter the Jubilee Year of Divine Mercy. He believed that even though we are tired of asking for forgiveness, God never tires of forgiving. The room of confession should be a place to meet with God’s mercy. Meeting the risen Christ does not mean we ignore sin, but it becomes an opportunity for forgiveness and self-improvement. This mystical experience helps us understand love and understanding, not harsh judgment. Today’s world desperately needs spiritual experiences like this.

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The gospel we read yesterday and today inspires us with the story of two disciples traveling to Emmaus. We see the inner feelings of these disciples, who are sad and affected by the events of Good Friday. Their hearts are empty because the Lord they followed died tragically on the cross. They have lost hope and are distancing themselves from Jerusalem, struggling to accept the women’s testimony about Jesus’ resurrection.

Similarly, the apostles also experienced emptiness and despair. In the Gospel of John 20, Peter and others decide to return to fishing after the events of Good Friday, perhaps wanting to go back to their old lives because Jesus, whom they followed, has died.

Yet, at the heart of this emptiness and despair, God is present. He walks with the two disciples to Emmaus, igniting their hearts. He reveals Himself to Peter and the others, helping them succeed in fishing. This is what Pope Francis conveyed in his sermon, “Do not look at your empty nets; look to Jesus! He will help you walk and succeed. Trust in Jesus!”

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Walking with the risen Jesus, like the two disciples from Emmaus comes to my mind when I recall that in recent years, Pope Francis has invited the Church to explore the theme of synodality. A synodal Church offers a broader opportunity for all its members to walk together in caring for the Church and God’s people while reducing clericalism. Spiritually, this synodality should embody walking with Christ, as experienced by the two disciples from Emmaus. It is a transformative journey, changing hearts from gloom and despair to warmth and enthusiasm, marked by listening to Jesus explaining the Scriptures and culminating with Him breaking bread. Listening to the Word and breaking bread symbolize the Eucharist, where the two disciples recognized the risen Jesus. This is where our synodality should both originate and reach fulfillment.

As we read in today’s Gospel, the two disciples returned from Emmaus with hearts ablaze and immediately shared their experiences with the other disciples. Their transformation from walking with Jesus turned them into witnesses of the resurrection for others. Being witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, sharing the joy of the Gospel and God’s mercy, is what I feel when recalling Pope Francis’ message at GBK about Pentecost. He said, “It is said in the Book of Acts that on Pentecost in Jerusalem, there was a great noise. And everyone made noise to preach the Gospel. I encourage you, dear friends, to make noise! Make a commotion!”

This commotion, the noise of being witnesses of the risen Christ from the grace of the Holy Spirit, is something we must continue to strive for. Our testimony should reflect a merciful and forgiving God, one who conquers death, and not a terrifying, judgmental God. By doing so, we share hope with others.

In this year of jubilee, the theme of hope is perhaps one of Pope Francis’ last legacies for us. Hope becomes essential in the face of despair and difficulties in the world. It answers the situation of the two disciples at the start of their journey to Emmaus. A French thinker stated that in the face of despair, hope declares that life is meaningful; it is not ruled by absurdity. Indeed, the meaning of life can be hidden, so let us seek it together. Seeking a meaningful life in hope means walking with the risen Jesus and listening to Him; it means being witnesses to the joy of the Gospel and the joy of Easter.

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Pope Francis, in my memory these days, is a person of Easter. He has experienced, believed in, and lived out the mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and joy of the risen Jesus.

Pope Francis embodies the spirit of Easter, having felt the joy of Christ’s resurrection, which conquers all death, including the death caused by sin. This Easter joy always brings a smile to him and invites us all to smile and be happy. It’s not a fake happiness hiding life’s troubles and failures, but a joy that believes in the joy of Easter Sunday above all Good Fridays in our lives.

Pope Francis is an Easter person. Someone who has experienced Easter becomes a witness of Christ’s resurrection, bringing hope to others. He emphasized in his homily at GBK, “Be builders of hope. Listen well: be builders of hope! The hope of the Gospel never disappoints and opens us to endless joy.”

Pope Francis is a Paschal person, and I believe he also calls us all to be Paschal people as well. Grazie, Papa Francesco! Veramente grazie di tutto. Prega per noi dal  cielo, con nostro Dio uno e trino e con la Vergine Maria, nostra Madonna della strada! Pope Francis! We do thank you for everything. Pray for us from heaven, with our Trinity God and the Virgin Mary, our Lady of the Way!

Church of St. Theresia-Jakarta, April 24, 2025

Contributor: Fr. F. Wawan Setyadi, S.J.