ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) 鈥� paid tribute to Pope Francis on Tuesday on the first , recalling his preaching about God鈥檚 mercy and his gestures of solidarity with poor people.
鈥淲e thank the Lord for the great gift of the life of Francis, to the church and the world,鈥� Leo said.
The American pope delivered the tribute in Italian while speaking with reporters aboard the papal plane heading from Angola to Equatorial Guinea, the final leg of his .
died on Easter Monday last year after suffering a stroke. He had been at the Vatican recovering from a for double pneumonia, and had managed to deliver a final Easter salute to the crowd with a popemobile romp through St. Peter鈥檚 Square.
His death, at 88, set the stage for the a few weeks later. It was an outcome for which Francis had laid the groundwork by promoting the former missionary priest, Robert Prevost, whom he considered 鈥渁 saint.鈥�
In his tribute, Leo recalled with precision , saying he 鈥済ave so much to the church with his life, with his witness, with his word and with his gestures.鈥�
鈥淪o many times what he did was live truly being close to the poorest, the smallest, the sick, children, the elderly,鈥� he said.
He cited Francis鈥� preaching promoting human fraternity and 鈥渁uthentic respect鈥� among all people, as well as a special Holy Year he called in 2015 to emphasize God鈥檚 mercy and forgiveness. Francis famously opened the year in the Central African Republic, and Leo delivered his tribute just as his plane was flying over that part of Africa.
Leo recalled Francis鈥� first Sunday noon prayer as pope, and a Mass he celebrated two days before his pontificate was officially inaugurated, when he preached about an adulterous woman 鈥渁nd how he spoke from the heart of the mercy of God.鈥�
鈥淟et us pray that he is still enjoying the mercy of the Lord,鈥� Leo said.
Books recall Francis鈥� life and what he thought of Prevost
The anniversary was being marked with commemorations in Rome, including the release of commemorative books about and recollections of Francis, and a Mass on Tuesday evening at St. Mary Major basilica, where Francis鈥� tomb is located.
Among the flurry of recollections, one by Salvatore Cernuzio stands out because it offers a view of the current pope from his predecessor.
Cernuzio, an Italian reporter with Vatican Media, the Holy See鈥檚 in-house news operation, developed a close personal relationship with Francis and often traveled in his entourage when the pope left the Vatican. However, the book, entitled 鈥淧adre,鈥� or 鈥淔ather,鈥� details the private side of their relationship, of Cernuzio鈥檚 visits with Francis at the Santa Marta hotel where he lived, and their conversations.
鈥淗im? He鈥檚 a saint,鈥� Francis told Cernuzio of the then-Cardinal Robert Prevost, whom Francis had brought to Rome in 2023 to take up the important job heading the Vatican鈥檚 bishop-vetting office.
Francis鈥� assessment, delivered in 2023 after he had announced Prevost would be included in his new batch of cardinals that year, adds even more weight to the hypothesis that Francis saw in Prevost a possible successor.
Cernuzio recalls that when Francis called someone a saint, it was usually 鈥渢o describe people who are able to handle conflicts, tensions, and complex situations with composure, and who are able to foster a sense of community.鈥�
Prevost was spotted and promoted by Francis
The hypothesis that Francis laid the groundwork for Prevost鈥檚 election is well-founded, given it鈥檚 clear Francis had his eye on Prevost from the start and greatly appreciated his experience as a missionary who spent two decades working in Peru.
After Prevost finished a second consecutive stint as head of the Order of St. Augustine, Francis sent him in 2014 to be bishop of the complicated diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, and he rose up within the Peruvian bishops conference from there to take on leadership roles.
Francis then moved Prevost to head one of the most important Vatican jobs 鈥� prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops 鈥� that gave Prevost crucial experience in the Vatican bureaucracy and contacts with the cardinals who would eventually choose Francis鈥� successor.
The combination made Prevost a viable contender in a future papal election, overcoming the otherwise impossible conclave hurdle of his American citizenship. There had long been a taboo in the church , given the geopolitical power the country already wields.
The two men, who later became good friends, had known each other from when Prevost was the Augustinian prior general and the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Prevost has recounted that at one point Bergoglio had expressed interest in assigning an Augustinian priest to a specific job in his archdiocese.
鈥淎nd I, as prior general, said 鈥業 understand, Your Eminence, but he鈥檚 got to do something else鈥� and so I transferred him somewhere else,鈥� Prevost told parishioners in his home state of Illinois in 2024.
Prevost said he 鈥渘aively鈥� thought the Francis wouldn鈥檛 remember him after his 2013 election as pope, and that regardless 鈥渉e鈥檒l never appoint me bishop鈥� due to the disagreement years earlier.
Bergoglio not only made him bishop, he laid the groundwork for Prevost to succeed him.
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