Staten Island, NYC Politicians Express Their Condolences For Pope Francis After His Passing This Morning
Pope Francis’ Death Announced By Vatican This Morning – Catholics Around The World Mourn
We recently reported on the pope’s attendance of an interreligious dialogue, where he talked about accepting people of all faiths.
According to the statement and article released by Vatican News:
Dubbed “the Pope of the peripheries,” Pope Francis always took the time to remember those suffering from conflict. While praying for peace in areas that gain most of the media attention, he also never failed to channel his prayers to some of the areas most hard-hit, yet most forgotten by the world.
One of his most symbolic gestures, and a particularly striking moment of his pontificate, was in April 2019, when he knelt to kiss the feet of South Sudanese leaders at the head of a country grappling with a horrific civil war. As he greeted President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar in the Vatican, the Pope, in his humility, kissed their feet, urging the leaders to lay down their weapons and pursue paths of peace….
Then, as he addressed the nation’s authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps at the Presidential Palace in Juba, he warned them: “Future generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on what you now do”.
His cry for peace also looked to the legacy of wars past, the scars inflicted by the violent atrocities committed between nations and peoples, and ensuring that certain mistakes are never repeated. During his visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in November 2019, Pope Francis delivered a powerful plea against nuclear weapons.
According to Reporting from Detroit Catholic News about Pope Francis’ influence on the Church:
The same day Pope Francis was discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital after a five-week stay for treatment for double pneumonia, a group of Vatican doctors took their Lenten alms initiative a step further and helped provide medical care to a group of migrants.
“The time of Lent is a special time of almsgiving, when we share ourselves with others. This almsgiving must cost us, must hurt us,” Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity, told OSV News…
The Vatican health clinic for the needy was opened in St. Peter’s Square next to St. Peter’s Basilica right before Christmas in 2018 to assist the homeless and those impoverished, furthering Pope Francis’ commitment to supporting those in need at the very heart of the Catholic Church.
The Mother of Mercy clinic followed previous efforts by Cardinal Krajewski — the installation of showers and a barbershop…
He added: “But it is also a time when we become more beautiful by sharing what we have received from God and his gifts with others.”
From the UK’s Independent, this passage demonstrates the pope’s concern for the poor, the homeless, and the marginalized:
Pope Francis is offering the homeless population of Vatican City a shower and haircut.
On Friday the Pope’s grand renovation of the St Peter’s Square public bathrooms was unveiled, and it included the addition of a barber shop.
It was first announced last week.
The “homeless pilgrims” for whom this was designed can access the showers every day but Wednesday, when the piazza is reserved for the pope’s general audience.
Clients will be given a free toiletry kit — soap, deodorant, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream and even fresh pair of underwear….
Krajewski’s office distributed 400 sleeping bags to the homeless over Christmas, gave 1,600 phone cards to new migrants on the island of Lampedusa, and just this week gave away 300 umbrellas that had been left behind at the Vatican Museums to help the homeless cope with the rain.
A Statement from Borough President Vito Fossella on the Passing of Pope Francis
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella issued the following statement regarding the passing of Pope Francis:
“Our hearts are joined with fellow Catholics and all people of faith with the passing of Pope Francis, a beacon of humility and compassion.
Statement from Assemblyman Fall on the Passing of Pope Francis:
Staten Island, NY – “I join millions around the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a spiritual leader who led with humility, courage, and compassion. As the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, he broke barriers and brought the Church closer to the people – championing the poor, advocating for the environment, and calling on all of us to walk with mercy and grace. His legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched through his message of peace, justice, and love.”
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis issued the following statement this morning:
We join the Catholic community & the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. May we reflect on and be inspired by his words of hope, his dedication to peace, his acts of charity and his love for others.
MAYOR ADAMS’ STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS:
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis.
“It is with great sadness that I mourn with billions around the world after learning of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. As someone deeply connected to my faith and who represents a city of millions of Catholics, my visit to the Vatican to meet with and hear directly from Pope Francis last year was one of the most sacred and special moments of my life. Pope Francis led with kindness, grace, and faith as he helped build a better world and unite all people, regardless of their background. His decades of spreading peace and love will forever be remembered.”
Mayor Adams today is ordering all flags on all city buildings, as well as stationary flagstaffs throughout the five boroughs, to be lowered to half-staff, beginning immediately.
AMNY Reported the following statement by Cardinal Dolan in New York:
“I can’t claim to have been on the phone with him every day, but I sure felt close to him as a cardinal,” Dolan told host Gus Lloyd during an April 21 interview. “And just the times I would’ve been with him, his sensitivity and outreach, you know, he calls when my mom died. He called me in COVID to see how New York was doing. He called me on Oct. 7 and said, ‘How’s the Jewish community and New York doing?’ He wrote a note to my brother-in-law. He was just very personal, very attentive.”
Banner Image: Mayor Adams meets with Pope Francis last year. Image Credit – NYC Mayor
I meet so many Catholic who disrespected the Pope during his life. They are not Catholics they are now into some political stuff and really they think they can tel;l the Church what is right adn wrong at this point. And they think the new pope will be 180 on everything bc the Church needs to get with the times. They are blind.