Archbishop Gomez on death of Pope Francis: His work is ‘still not finished’

In a statement following Pope Francis’ death on Easter Monday, Archbishop José H. Gomez called on Catholics to pray for the late pontiff’s soul and honor his legacy by carrying out the “urgent tasks” at the center of his pontificate. 

“In this time of mourning, my prayer is that all of us in the Church will honor Pope Francis’ legacy by remembering that he called us to urgent tasks that are still not finished,” said Archbishop Gomez in a statement. 

“We must continue our work of serving the poor, the migrant, and all who are forgotten on society’s ‘peripheries.’ ” said the archbishop in the April 21 statement. “We must persevere in caring for our common home, which is the earth, and in building a world that respects the sanctity and dignity of all human life and the Creator’s desire that we live in peace and fraternity as one human family.”

Archbishop Gomez pointed out that Francis had appointed nine auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles during his 12-year pontificate, and said he was grateful for the “many kindnesses and expressions of pastoral care” the pope made to Los Angeles Catholics during difficult times. 

“He was always quick to show his spiritual closeness to us in our times of need,” said the archbishop. “It was just in January that he offered prayers and words of consolation as we faced the destruction caused by the wildfires in the Palisades and Altadena. I will never forget his fraternal comfort as we mourned the sudden taking of our beloved Bishop David O’Connell in 2023.”

Recalling the pope’s “constant example” of devotion to the Virgin Mary, Archbishop Gomez invited LA Catholics to pray to her for the repose of the late pope’s soul, that she may “wrap our Holy Father in the mantle of her love.”

“In this beautiful Easter season, when we celebrate our hope in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we pray that the angels may lead Pope Francis into paradise, that the saints and martyrs welcome him, and that God in his mercy will make his face shine upon his faithful servant and grant him eternal rest in the love that never ends,” said the archbishop. 

The full text of Archbishop Gomez’s statement on the passing of Pope Francis can be found here.