Holy Mass for the eternal repose of the soul of His Holiness, Pope Francis
Holy Mass for the eternal repose of the soul of His Holiness, Pope Francis, on 25.4.25, at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Abuja. Introductory remarks by Archbishop I. A.Kaigama.
How hard it is for us to absorb the fact of the death of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis!
The truth is that Pope Francis has gone before us marked with the sign of a very great faith, but he left us legacies of radical love, mercy, forgiveness, hope, justice, etc.
May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.
As a family of God in the Archdiocese of Abuja, we are gathered this evening in communion with the over 1.4 billion Catholics, also in communion with men and women of other religions, and all those of good will in the world to pray for the eternal repose of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, and to pray also for a successful funeral tomorrow (Saturday , 26th April, 2025) in Rome as his mortal remains will be committed to mother earth.
It is appropriate to have our Apostolic Nuncio, in Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, preside at this Holy Mass, knowing that he was mandated on mission to Nigeria by Pope Francis. He knew Pope Francis perhaps better than any of us because of his encounters with him and his familiarity with the Vatican system.
I welcome you our priests, the female and male religious and our beloved lay faithful. The Auxiliary Bishop , Most Rev. Anselm Umoren, and I, thank you for coming to pray fervently for our dear departed gentle and compassionate father.
I welcome specially to this Mass the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), His Excellency, Mr. George Akume, Ambassadors and other members of the Diplomatic Community in Nigeria, senior Catholics, ladies and gentlemen.
May the Lord hear our individual and collective prayers so that Pope Francis will hear the words of Jesus in Mt 25, for when Jesus, represented in needy persons were hungry, Pope Francis gave them to eat, when in prison Pope Francis visited them and washed their feet, when at war, Pope Francis intervened preaching peace and reconciliation, helping in whatever way possible. Jesus will tell Pope Francis to take his share in the kingdom of God the Father.
May it be so through Christ our Lord. Amen.
