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VATICAN // The last Mass of the Novemdiales celebrated at the Vatican Basilica on Sunday afternoon was dedicated to reflecting on the legacy and example set by Pope Francis, who died on April 21 after 12 years as Bishop of Rome.
During the last Mass of the traditional nine-day period of mourning for Pope Francis, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, Protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, delivered a homily focused on the spirit of dedication and sacrifice that the late pontiff exhibited in carrying out his mission.
Cardinal Mamberti recalled the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, who once described his papal mission as a daily dialogue with Christ marked by both human fragility and trust in God. Mamberti drew a direct parallel to Pope Francis, emphasizing that the heart of the papal mission is “love itself, which becomes a service to the Church and to all humanity.”
“We have all admired how Pope Francis, animated by the love of the Lord and carried by His grace, has been faithful to his Mission to the extreme consumption of his strength,” Mamberti said, highlighting Pope Francis’ unwavering commitment even in the face of suffering and physical decline.
The French Cardinal, who will be the one to announce the name of the new Pope to the world, offered a personal testimony from Easter Sunday, recalling his presence beside Pope Francis on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. He described being a witness not only to the Pope’s suffering but “above all to his courage and his determination to serve the People of God until the end.”
Cardinal Mamberti pointed to the Pope’s “intense pastoral life” and “countless meetings,” all sustained by “long moments of prayer that the Ignatian discipline had imprinted in him.” The Cardinal reminded the faithful of Pope Francis’ frequent teaching that contemplation is “a dynamism of love” that “raises us to God, not to detach us from the earth, but to make Him dwell in depth.”
Mamberti also recalled Pope Francis’ deep Marian devotion, specifically his 126 visits to the icon of Salus Populi Romani.
“Everything he did, he did under the gaze of Mary,” the Cardinal said, expressing hope that this legacy would remain “in our memory and in our hearts.”
As the Mass concluded, Cardinal Mamberti entrusted the late Pope to the intercession of the Mother of the Lord, stating, “Now that he rests near the beloved image, we entrust him with gratitude and trust to the intercession of the Mother of the Lord and our Mother.”