Archbishop of Westminster pays tribute after Pope Francis dies aged 88

The leader of Catholics in England and Wales has paid tribute to Pope Francis as “a voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being”.

A senior Vatican official announced the pontiff died on Monday morning at the age of 88.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Archbishop of Westminster, said: “The death of Pope Francis brings great sadness to so many around the world, both within the Catholic Church and in societies in general.

“A voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being, especially those who are poor or marginalised, is now silent. The legacy he leaves is one we must seek to carry forward and strengthen.”

Francis had emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

He had recently resumed some official duties during his recovery from pneumonia.

The Pope made his first public appearance since his bout of double pneumonia on April 6, when he appeared in St Peter’s Square in a wheelchair during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick following his discharge from hospital two weeks previously.

The King and Queen visited the pontiff at the Vatican on April 9, the day Charles and Camilla celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.

Continuing his statement, Cardinal Nichols said: “Pope Francis was called to priesthood through his experience of the mercy and compassion of God. This remained the core of his ministry, as Priest, Bishop and Pontiff. Only in understanding the love and mercy of God towards each one of us can we fashion societies and communities that bear the mark of the ‘kingdom of God’.

“This same focus and emphasis lay at this desire to see membership of the Church as being rooted in ‘missionary discipleship’, a dynamic and powerful vision for every Christian and every community.

“Now we pray for the repose of his soul, that he may know, in full measure, the merciful and loving embrace of the Father, of the one God to whom he gave his life in unstinting service.

“May he now rest in peace and rise in glory.”

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell also paid tribute to Francis, whom he described as “witty, lively, good to be with”.

He said in a statement: “Pope Francis was acutely aware of the divisions between our churches and how they stand in the way of seeing Jesus Christ more fully.

“I remember the powerful work the Pope did with the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland in promoting peacebuilding in South Sudan.

“He was a listening Pope whose commitment to the principle and the process of synodality will be a permanent legacy to the Roman Catholic Church and to all of us.

“I remember, in the brief times I spent with him, how this holy man of God was also very human. He was witty, lively, good to be with, and the warmth of his personality and interest in others shone out from him.

“May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”