Bishop Robert Brennan honored the death of Pope Francis, who died on April 21, or Easter Monday, at the age of 88.
Brennan, the eighth Bishop of Brooklyn, who serves the people of Brooklyn and Queens, said the late pontiff served as the leader of the Catholic Church "with great humility."
"The first pope from South America and the first Jesuit pope, Pope Francis will always be remembered for his profound respect for the dignity of all people," Bishop Brennan said in a statement. "Throughout his papacy that spanned 12 years, Pope Francis was committed to efforts to improve the environment, promote unity among people of faith and make better the lives of the poor and oppressed."
Bishop Brennan and many Brooklyn Catholics gathered at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn on Monday for a noon mass.
Brennan shared some of his key memories of Pope Francis, including the 2015 mass at Madison Square Garden and a photo of him standing alone in an eerily empty St. Peter’s Square on a rainy day in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic while the world was in lockdown, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
“From that moment, [Pope Francis] led the whole world in prayer,” Brennan said at the mass. “That image of him has always stayed with me because it showed confident leadership but, at the same time, a certain tenderness. Those images really marked his pontificate.”
Brennan said he was struck by the pope’s “fraternal style and friendliness” during an ad limina visit — an obligatory trip all bishops make to Rome, the paper reported.
"Pope Francis’ earthly pilgrimage has ended, but his Heavenly journey has just begun," Brennan continued in his statement. "May God be good to him and reward him for the compassion he exhibited to His people."
