Hawke’s Bay priests remember Pope Francis, hope for continued reform

Catholic priests in Hawke’s Bay have paid tribute to their fallen Pope, saying he showed courage to the end in “dying with his boots on”.

Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff died at his Santa Marta residence in the Vatican of what doctors believe was a stroke on Monday evening (NZ time).

It was almost a month after he left hospital following a five-week stay battling double pneumonia, and one day after he greeted Easter crowds in St Peter’s Square.

The 88-year-old reformer inspired devotion but occasionally riled traditionalists during his 12 years leading the Catholic Church.

Father Barry Scannell, parish priest of the Catholic Parish of Napier, said Catholics in the region were in mourning.

Scannell said the Pope had given a direction to the church which he hoped the new pontiff, once selected, would continue to build on.

“He certainly showed tremendous courage in being able to go out among the people on Easter Sunday, probably the most important day of the year,” he said.

“But I think he was a man that was really keen on dying with his boots on and that’s what he did.

Scannell said he’d be remembered not just for his courage but also for his care for the poor and the marginalised.

Father Marcus Francis, parish priest of the Catholic Parish of Hastings, said Hawke’s Bay Catholics admired and were inspired by the Pope.

“[The Pope got] people to know God as a God of love and a God of mercy, and even though he spoke of the traditional church teachings and adhered to those, he also wanted everyone to know that God loves everybody and absolutely everybody,” he said.

“I hope that the next Pope continues the programme ... which was ultimately to strengthen the church and its communion and empower all believers to participate in the mission of the church, and to also open up dialogue with non-Christians and Christians who aren’t Catholic, so that we can find unity and work together and to bring peace to the world and work to meet the suffering of the world.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.