As news of Pope Francis’ death spread on Easter Monday, Catholics from coast to coast expressed sorrow, gratitude, and reverence for a Pontiff whose 12-year ministry shaped the Church with humility, compassion, and a call to mission.
In Toronto, Canada’s largest diocese, Cardinal Frank Leo offered heartfelt words about the Pope’s passing.
“Our Catholic family worldwide is in mourning following the death of our spiritual father, Pope Francis,” Cardinal Leo said.
“Since 2013, our shepherd has guided the flock lovingly and served as a global ambassador of peace, hope and love. The Holy Father’s humility, compassion and care for others, most especially the poor and marginalized, has served as a powerful witness and a reminder of our daily call to reflect the face of Jesus to all those whom we encounter.”
Cardinal Leo invited the faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto and all those mourning to pray for the repose of the Pope’s soul. “May we honour his legacy and lovingly embrace his invitation to be missionaries of mercy, sharing the light of Christ in abundance as we affirm the dignity of every human life and foster a culture of care and love,” he said.
“Our good and faithful servant has been called home to the Lord. May he rest in peace.”
Pope Francis died at 7:35 a.m. Rome time on April 21, Easter Monday, at his Vatican residence, Casa Santa Marta, the Holy See Press Office confirmed. He was 88.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, officially announced the Pope’s death in a video message:
“At 7:35 this morning, the bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”
The Vatican has not yet announced funeral arrangements. A conclave to elect a new Pope will follow the traditional nine days of mourning.
In Vancouver, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of Pope Francis’ death.
“He was a tireless shepherd of the Church, a beacon of hope, and a champion of the Gospel,” Archbishop Miller said. “It is with great sorrow that I join the faithful of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and Catholics around the world, in mourning the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis.”
Archbishop Miller will celebrate a memorial Mass for Pope Francis at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver, with details forthcoming.
In Edmonton, Archbishop Richard Smith, who will be installed as the next Archbishop of Vancouver on May 23, celebrated morning Mass at St. Joseph’s Basilica just hours after the Pope’s death. He acknowledged the grief while reflecting on the meaning of Easter Monday.
“For us as a Christian people, it really is tempered with a hope, and dare I say, even a joy,” he told reporters.
After a life “in service of the Risen Lord,” the Church now prays that Pope Francis “meets him face to face and has embraced the Lord’s mercy,” he said.
Archbishop Smith, who met the Pope multiple times and accompanied him on his 2022 visit to Canada, recalled the Holy Father as a man whose heart “bled for anybody that was suffering or in need.”
“I saw it personally,” he said. “He wore his heart on his sleeve.”
He described Pope Francis’ meetings with Indigenous delegates in Rome as deeply moving and instructive.
“That taught me the importance of listening in order to hear,” Smith said.
In Canada, he said, the Pope showed extraordinary determination.
“He wasn’t going to let [physical pain] stop him. So determined was he to bring healing and to touch and to be – not just to impact, but impacted – by the Indigenous peoples.”
He added that Francis’ decision to begin his Canadian visit not with state officials but with an apology at Maskwacis, Alberta, showed his priorities:
“He signalled right then and there … that the Indigenous peoples were his priority,” he said.
“He held them in his heart. And I hope people realize how precious they are — were to the Pope — but also, by extension, how precious they are in the eyes of Almighty God.”
Asked what he hoped to see in the next Pope, Smith replied, “A surprise. What I mean is – every Pope is a surprise.”
He said that while speculation always surrounds a conclave, the result often defies prediction.
“Pope Francis broke the mould,” Smith said, noting that the current College of Cardinals includes some from countries that had never before had a cardinal.
“So it really does add to that sense of wonderment as to who this could be.”
Bishop William McGrattan, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bishop of Calgary, recalled Pope Francis’ election in 2013 and the powerful message he brought to the Church.
“It is with profound sadness that I join my brother Bishops, as well as the Catholic faithful in Canada and those around the world, to mourn the loss of our Holy Father,” he said.
“Francis’ frequent consoling image of the Church as ‘a field hospital’ brought us a message of hope, peace, compassion and mercy.”
Archbishop of Regina Donald Bolen pronounced that Francis’ “twelve-year papacy was defined by an unwavering commitment to the mercy of God, made visible in the life of the Church and the world. His tireless concern for the poor, the marginalized, and those so often overlooked, has left an indelible mark on the lives of people around the world.”
Archbishop of Montreal Christian Lepine released a YouTube testimonial about how Francis moved him with his 2013 World Youth Day message to build “a world and civilization of encounter.”
“Why a civilization of encounter? Because of the value of each human person: to go and meet each other as a way to affirm the dignity of each human person,” said Archbishop Lepine. “Can we do that alone? No. It is only together that we can affirm the real value of each person. The differences that we have between each other are not an obstacle, they are a blessing. To see the value of the other is also to learn — to view the difference as a blessing for our own lives. That’s why Pope Francis’ message of the value of encounter and togetherness — so we can enrich our life and enrich our peace — is so important today.”
Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, the Archbishop of Quebec, remarked “We are saddened by the death of our beloved Pope Francis, a great servant of the Gospel and a lover of humanity. Despite the immense sadness of his departure, I give thanks to God for the life he gave. His life and his teaching brought us back to the source of the Gospel, Jesus Christ. May the Lord welcome him into eternal life.”
The recently installed Archbishop of Winnipeg Murray Chatlain greatly admired how The Pope “walked the walk.”
“He lived a life of simplicity and poverty remarkable for one in such a high position of leadership. He lived an option for the poor from visiting correctional centres, to visiting countries struggling with poverty and division, to simply greeting door holders along with dignitaries. I think this contributed to him beginning his leadership talking about the joy of the Gospel and then living it right up to yesterday with a spirit of joy and enthusiasm.”
Archdiocese of St. John’s Archbishop Peter Hundt commended Francis as a “devoted advocate of the poor and of the environment,” remarking that “he has led the Church with love, devotion, humour and courage. While we mourn his passing, we also thank God for the gift of his leadership these past twelve years and pray that he will receive the eternal reward promised to all those who serve the Lord faithfully.”
The Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall, under the stewardship of Archbishop Marcel Damphousse, acclaimed Francis for how he “inspired the faithful through his humility, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the Gospel, especially in service to the poor and marginalized.”
Campaign Life Coalition, the political arm of the Canadian pro-life movement, observed that “Pope Francis was a global advocate for human dignity, consistently upholding the sanctity of life in many of his teachings and public addresses. His words and actions reinforced the Catholic Church’s long-standing commitment to the defense of life, from conception to natural death.”
Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, the official international development and humanitarian aid agency of the Catholic Church in Canada, stated: “Let us pray that we are granted the strength to cope with the loss of the best friend the impoverished and the natural world had in our time. May his soul rest in eternal peace. And may we continue on the path of justice and peace upon which he sought to set us.”
Shari Guinta, the national president of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, wrote that “women of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada mourn the Holy Father’s passing with genuine love and gratitude for his leadership and support. Pope Francis was a man of God who believed in humanity and had true compassion for those in need, the less fortunate and those who could not or were not allowed to speak for themselves. He was the definition of humanitarian and will be missed.”
The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), the national lay Catholic organization that strives to defend the voices of Catholics in the public square, treasured how Francis “placed mercy at the heart of his ministry.
“His episcopal motto — Miserando atque eligendo, “Having mercy, He called him” — revealed a vision of the Church as the living instrument of God’s mercy in the world,” stated the CCRL. “His Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015 invited the faithful to rediscover the tender face of the Father, and his pastoral style continually urged the Church to go out to the peripheries, to accompany the suffering, and to speak with a voice of conscience and compassion.”
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis was the first Jesuit Pope, the first Latin American Pope, and the first to take the name Francis. He was elected on March 13, 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
His pontificate was marked by a focus on mercy, care for the poor and creation, and reaching the “peripheries” of society. He canonized 942 saints, published four encyclicals and seven apostolic exhortations, and made 47 apostolic journeys.
He will be especially remembered in Canada for his visit of apology and healing to Indigenous communities in 2022.
Despite declining health in recent years, he remained active, including presiding over the Jubilee Year of Hope, which began in 2025.
With files from Catholic News Agency
This is a developing story.
