Rocio Granados / FC Archbishop Thomas Wenski speaks about the legacy of Pope Francis during a press conference at the Pastoral Center on April 21, 2025.
CV NEWS FEED // As the world mourns the passing of Pope Francis, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami has offered a moving reflection on the Holy Father’s life, legacy, and final days.
“We join Catholics around the world in mourning the loss of the Holy Father and praying for the repose of his soul,” Archbishop Wenski stated at an April 21 press conference held at the Miami archdiocese’s Pastoral Center in Miami Shores.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, a date laden with spiritual symbolism.
“It is significant that Pope Francis died during Easter Week,” Archbishop Wenski noted, adding that Christ’s resurrection reminds man of the promise for his own resurrection. “As St. Paul tells us, ‘If we die with Christ, we will also rise with Him.’”
The timing evoked poignant memories of another beloved pope, the archdiocese’s article added: St. John Paul II, who also passed away during Easter Week, exactly two decades earlier.
Just one day before his passing, Pope Francis made his final public appearance on Easter Sunday. Though unable to preside over the Mass, he managed to offer his Easter greeting: “Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!”
Reflecting on the moment, Archbishop Wenski remarked, “We could say that Pope Francis ‘died with his boots on.’” He emphasized how Easter Sunday traditionally calls the pope to address global concerns and deliver a message of peace, a duty Pope Francis fulfilled for his final time.
>> In final hours, Pope Francis thanked nurse who took him to St. Peter’s Square one last time <<
Archbishop Wenski shared personal memories of meeting Pope Francis five or six times, beginning shortly after his election in 2013. One encounter took place in Rome during a commemoration for Haiti, another in Cuba during Francis’ historic 2015 trip, and again in 2020 during an ad limina visit with bishops.
During that first meeting, Archbishop Wenski recounted telling the Pope, “You know, the best thing about Miami is that it’s so close to the United States.” He chuckled remembering Francis’ hearty reaction: “He laughed, and he laughed very loudly because, being from Latin America, he would understand what Miami represents to the hemisphere.”
Describing their final meeting in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Archbishop Wenski said, “The Pope was very relaxed and very open to listening to our opinion and sharing his own.”
Archbishop Wenski noted that one of Pope Francis’ greatest achievements is that during his papacy, people began returning to the Catholic Church.
“Perhaps one of Pope Francis’ greatest achievements is that people are returning to the Church,” he said. “We may be on the cusp of a renaissance.”
>> New Catholics welcomed in record numbers at Easter Vigil across US dioceses <<
Pope Francis’ simple gestures and genuine humility, Archbishop Wenski suggested, opened many hearts, even among those outside the faith: “Many people were deeply moved by the Pope; I have heard that many non-Catholics liked him.”
As preparations for Pope Francis’ April 26 funeral begin, Archbishop Wenski called the faithful to prayer.
“After the burial,” he said, “we will begin another time of prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide the cardinals as they vote to elect a new Pope in the conclave.”
>> Pope Francis’ funeral set for Saturday; public viewing begins Wednesday <<
