WATCH | Archbishop Charles Scicluna: Pope Francis was an ‘apostle of mercy’

Visibly emotional, Archbishop Charles Scicluna said on Tuesday evening the late Pope Francis was an “apostle of mercy”.

In a mass at a packed St John’s Co-Cathedral for the repose of the soul of the late pontiff, Scicluna said Pope Francis preached “closeness, compassion, and tenderness”.

He noted how the Pope was concerned that many people felt that the message of Jesus “brings restriction, sadness, and imposition” and thus wished that, through his pontificate, he could “reunite the people of God with the mercy of the Father and the joy that the Gospel brings”.

St John's Co-Cathedral was packed on Tuesday evening

The Archbishop also referred to Pope Francis’ final encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus – Dilexit nos, meaning “he loved us”. “We can say that this phrase also applies to him, because everyone who met him loved him. We should feel fortunate to have been part of the family for whom he was a shepherd, and to be able to say that he loved us.”

Speaking on the Pope’s visit to Malta in 2022, Scicluna said he had described Malta as a place where dialogue flourishes.

“He encouraged us to welcome our brothers and sisters among us, because once they are among us, they are no longer strangers and to look at the phenomenon of migration as a sign of peace rather than a sign of conflict,” the Archbishop said.

The Archbishop concluded by quoting Pope Francis on what he thought about death: “If we believe in heaven, death no longer frightens us. If we truly believe this, death ceases to frighten us, and we can even hope to leave this world peacefully and full of trust. Whoever has encountered Jesus and come to know Him, fears nothing anymore.”

The concelebrants included Apostolic Nuncio Savio Hon Tai-Fai, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi, Archbishop Emeritus of Tirana-Durrës George Frendo OP, Bishop Emeritus of Garissa Joseph Alessandro OFM Cap, religious provincials, and a number of other diocesan and religious priests. The Mass was attended by the highest authorities of the State, led by the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono.

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday after suffering a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible heart failure. Only a day earlier, he had descended in St Peter's Square to meet pilgrims gathered there for Easter celebrations.

The pope was hospitalised in February after suffering a severe bout of pneumonia but was discharged a couple of weeks ago. He had been recovering at the Vatican.