Praying for Pope Francis

An email message sent to the Assumption Community on April 21, 2025:

Dear Assumption Community,

Assumption University joins the universal Church, our brother and sister Catholic institutions, Catholics worldwide and, indeed, all humanity in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. Drawing on the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, Pope Francis’s papacy bore witness to the Church’s humble and steadfast solidarity with all those suffering from physical and spiritual poverty. Throughout his pastoral ministry, the Holy Father emphasized both the enduring fact of sin and the eternal possibility of hope and redemption. As a Catholic institution, Assumption can best pay tribute to the Pope’s legacy by living those virtues together as an academic community.

The passing of a Pope—and, consequently, the passing of the chalice to a successor—serves as a compelling reminder of how the Church binds the eternal to the past, present, and future. From the moment Christ established St. Peter as the “rock” on which He would build his Church, the Bishop of Rome has been called to exercise the cardinal virtue of prudence when speaking to the contemporary world from a commitment to the eternal. Holding the weight of this Office, which runs through an unbroken tradition connecting St. Peter to Pope Francis to the next Holy Father, is a responsibility few of us can imagine. Pope Francis viewed this charge as a gift that he undertook with joy.

In my religion, we say of those we have lost: “May their memory be for a blessing.” Pope Francis’ memory confers that blessing. Our challenge is to receive it by living his example of pastoral care, true love, and genuine charity for one another.

In the midst of these Easter days, we pray that God blesses Pope Francis, the Catholic Church, and the next rock on whom it rests.

Sincerely,

Greg Weiner, Ph.D.
President
Assumption University