Archbishop of York pays tribute to Pope FrancisChurch of England
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00:00Let us walk together, work together, pray together.
00:04These are the words Pope Francis said to me when we met in 2023
00:08and they sum up his vision for the Church,
00:11both the Roman Catholic Church but also ecumenically.
00:15Francis' whole life and ministry was centred on Jesus
00:19who comes among us not to be served but to serve.
00:23We saw that compellingly in Francis' service of the poor,
00:28his love of neighbour, especially the displaced, migrant, the asylum seeker,
00:34his deep compassion for the well-being of the earth
00:37and his desire to lead and build the Church in new ways.
00:42Francis showed us how to follow Jesus
00:44and encouraged us to go and do likewise.
00:49His encyclicals, writings and teachings
00:51were supported by his deeds and actions.
00:55In their humility and focus on those in the margins,
01:00those actions, his whole life was instantly recognisable
01:04as those of one who followed Jesus.
01:08Pope Francis was acutely aware of the divisions between our churches
01:13and how they stand in the way of seeing Jesus Christ more fully.
01:17I remember the powerful work the Pope did
01:20with the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby
01:23and the moderator of the Church of Scotland
01:25in promoting peace-building in South Sudan
01:29because he was a listening Pope
01:31whose commitment to the principle and the process of synodality
01:36will be a permanent legacy to the Roman Catholic Church
01:41and to all of us.
01:42I remember in the brief times I spent with him
01:46how this holy man of God was also very human.
01:52He was witty, lively, good to be with
01:55and the warmth of his personality
01:57and interest in others shone out from him.
02:02May he rest in peace
02:04and rise in glory.
02:06May he rest in peace