Cardinal Stephen Brislin leads Memorial Mass for Pope before heading to Rome
Memorial Mass Pope Francis at Christ the King Cathedral in Johannesburg
By Kati Dijane – Priests, the faithful and dignitaries from different political parties came in their numbers to pay their last respects to Pope Francis at a memorial Mass on 23 April at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg.
Some of the politicians who came to support the church in mourning included Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, the national spokesperson of the African National Congress (ANC), Fikile Mbalula, the secretary-general of the ANC, Nomvula Mokonyane, first deputy-secretary-general of the ANC, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, member of the IFP and deputy minister of transport and Faith Mazibuko, the MEC for social development.
The solemn Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Stephen Brislin, who was joined by Fr Paul Beukes OMI, the vicar-general, Fr Jean Marie Kuzituka Did-Ho, the chancellor, Father Lawrence Ndlovu, the administrator of the Cathedral of Christ the King Church and other priests within the Archdiocese. Also in attendance was Father Robert Bissell, the Cathedral administrator and vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Cape Town, as well as Cape Town-based Juan Luis Cabral the magistral delegate of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Excerpts from Cardinal Stephen Brislin’s homily
Thank you, everyone, for being with us this morning at such short notice. As we gather together to pray for Pope Francis, but also to give thanks to God for the blessings and graces that he has given to us through the late Pope.
I would like to express my appreciation to the leaders of different Christian denominations and interfaith leaders, to leaders of civil society, the representatives of government and different political parties. We truly appreciate the presence of all of you. Pope Francis belonged to all of us and not just the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose, as is customary in the Catholic Church, the name of the saint by which he would be known in his papacy.
He chose Saint Francis, the 12th-century saint, who is renowned for his life of poverty, his concern for the sick and the poor, and his sense of communion with the creation, with the entire universe. Saint Francis, in his poverty, expressed his utter trust and dependence on God and God’s providence. And these are all characteristics of the papacy of Pope Francis, who from the outset expressed his concern and challenged the consciences of leaders of nations, champions of the economy and ordinary citizens in their attitudes and behaviour towards the vulnerable of the world. His words were upheld by actions, many of them deeply symbolic.
His first visit outside of the Vatican to Lampedusa (Italy) showed his special empathy for the plight of refugees and migrants, the dangers they face, their exploitation at the hands of smugglers and traffickers, and the poor reception they receive from countries to which they have fled.
His challenge to all countries to welcome, promote, accompany, and integrate refugees has been the theme of his entire legacy since 1934. Sadly, there remains a great deal of discrimination against migrants. They continue to receive harsh treatment in many places and are easily made into the scapegoats for all the ills and woes of different countries and communities.
Pope Francis frequently spoke of the needs of the marginalised, those who he termed were at the peripheries of society. His call was to recognise the humanity of each and every person, and not to judge or discriminate against others because of their appearances or because of the struggles that they might be going through. His willingness to confront thorny and controversial issues led some to distrust him, and they feared that he would be changing the doctrines and teachings of the Church, which have been handed on since the time of Christ.
Francis never condoned sin, never intended to change what we believe as Christians and Catholics. But he appealed for compassion and charity, he had a deep sense of the imperfections, frailty and sinfulness of mankind. On different occasions, he referred to himself as a sinner in need of prayer, showing both his own sense of sin and a need for redemption.
Mercy was at the heart of his teaching, and it is there that it resonates in so many thousands of millions of people throughout the world. Because he frequently spoke about the loneliness in which many people live and the anonymity of life in the big cities. His message of mercy carried on to many, since the world we live in is particularly harsh in this day and age.
Those who felt themselves to be on the margins felt understood and accepted by Pope Francis. His vision was of a pilgrim church, of all of us on a journey together towards God and his kingdom. And that our task is not to make the journey alone, but to be with others to accompany those struggling and not leave them behind. To help carry each other’s burdens, so beautifully encapsulated in the gospel of today’s Mass.
As the disciples, feeling alone, distraught, unhappy and sad, met with Jesus, whom they did not recognise, but they journeyed together and he shared and broke the Word to them so that they received the encouragement and joy of understanding what God had to do.
Pope Francis was probably the pope who received the most abuse in the modern era. Sadly, very often, within the Catholic church rather than outside. He was denigrated by some, told that he was a heretic or a populist and called names that are not worth mentioning. But that never deterred him. He continued to teach in words that everyone could understand and which touched the hearts of those who listened. Despite the negativity, he remained always a person of joy within himself and the joy he shared with others. And that joy was often expressed in his sense of humour and that very warm smile.
One of the reasons for criticism was the synod on synodality. Some felt that this was a departure from the structures of the Catholic Church and an abdication of leadership. Critics neglected to acknowledge the need to listen to others, most especially to the quiet voices of the little people. God’s spirit blows where He wills. And we, whether we are in leadership or not, cannot attempt to put limits on God’s Holy Spirit. Listening to the Holy Spirit and to others is one foot of the pot. The pot of the synod of synodality. Listening. The second foot of the pot is discernment, discovering together what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. And the third foot of that pot is the understanding that we are all Church together. Laity, consecrated persons, priests, bishops and deacons, we all share the mission of the church entrusted to us by Christ.
His courage saw him through the negativity, including that of nations and governments who rejected his message of peace, his denunciation of war and conflict, and his appeal for dialogue and peace. The destruction of life truly disturbed, saddened and angered him. The arrogance of nations or groups, which sees their power in terms of the ability to destroy and kill was obnoxious to him and against everything he believed in and taught, and he was not afraid to say so.
Neither was he afraid to promote the care of our common home and the protection of the environment. His voice was an encouragement to many and a nuisance to some. There are so many things to be said about Pope Francis, including his great love for Africa, the visits he made, especially to some of the poorest countries of Africa and war-torn countries in conflict. We could speak so much about his devotion to Our Lady, to Mary, to the extent that he asked to be buried, not at the Vatican, not at St Peter’s, but to be buried at St Mary Major’s Basilica.
Pope Francis was a person of faith, one who had a deep and unwavering faith in God and in God’s goodness. He believed in the certainty of Christ’s ultimate victory and the kingdom of God. This is what he offered to the world, as we heard in the first reading, he offered Christ to the world.
During a media briefing, the Cardinal, the president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said the conference joins the Universal Church in mourning the death of Pope Francis.
“We are deeply grateful to God for giving us such a strong, deeply spiritual leader, a man rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, grounded in the Gospel. His death came a day after he once again turned to the world to seek peace, a fitting final public message for a man whose papacy was defined by his tireless call to return to our humanity.”
At a media briefing, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri hailed Pope Francis as a great icon of our times and somebody associated with service and speaking truth, especially for the voiceless. She added that the pope committed himself to lifting up the challenges facing Africa, fighting for the rights of refugee communities all over the world and calling for an end to conflict in the world. “These things leave behind a template for how to do things right, whether political or church leaders and as ordinary members.”
Nomvula Mokonyane, a member of the St Anne Sodality, said as Catholics, we should be proud to have been led by Pope Francis, who helped us embrace diversity, taught us to be tolerant and taught us that the church is ecumenical and it must be a church of the poor and those whose voices are silenced. She added that she was grateful to have been led by the late pope, whose teachings, she says, will guide her own mission of serving the community, the church and the sodality.
