Transcript

It's been confirmed that Pope Francis has passed away, and so I'd ask you, please pray for the repose of his soul.

For me, there are two words that summarize Pope Francis' pontificate: heart and humility.

On the latter, I remember in 2013 watching the election of Pope Francis at the Catholic Answers office alongside the rest of the staff.

I was struck by the almost forlorn way that Pope Francis addressed the crowds in St. Peter's Square.

Some memes even contrasted his reserve with the more joyful expressions of Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

It seemed that in this moment, Pope Francis focused almost entirely on the weight of the office given to him and the responsibility that lay before him.

A few months after his election, Laura and I got married, and on our honeymoon, we took part in a tradition called Sposi NovellI.

This is where the pope greets newlywed couples who attend his Wednesday audience wearing their wedding attire.

We followed a priest friend's advice and went to Gammarelli's, the pope's official tailor, to purchase a white papal zucchetto.

When we met the pope, which was unusual because Benedict often greeted the newlyweds as a group, we offered to trade Pope Francis our zucchetto for his.

Pope Francis then took Laura's bridal tiara and jokingly said, I take this instead?

To which I blurted out, You're the pope.

You can have whatever you want.

Laura then went in to hug the pope, which threw the papal security into disarray.

I could tell in that moment that Pope Francis was a man who liked to think with his heart.

In his pontificate, this led to many joyful and humorous moments, as well as other incidents that could have benefited from more clarity and a headfirst approach.

However, there is something endearing about someone who values speaking and acting from the heart, and throughout his papacy, Pope Francis' embrace of the most marginalized and vulnerable shows how he led with not just his own heart, but the heart of Christ.

In fact, I would say his greatest encyclical was the last one he wrote, Dilexit Nos, a meditation on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Now, there's a lot more that can be said and will be said about Pope Francis in the coming weeks, but in spite of my occasional disagreements with him, I firmly maintain that Pope Francis has been a blessing to the church in many ways, and he will be missed.

And so now, we should pray for the bishops of the world, and especially the cardinal electors as they prepare to gather to elect a new pope.

The Holy Spirit doesn't automatically select the next pope.

Instead, the Spirit gives the cardinals grace to guide their decision.

Scandalous popes in the past may have been a consequence of the cardinals resisting that grace.

So, let's pray that they not be tempted by politics or petty interests, but turn to prayer and listen to how God wants to lead his church.

If you have other questions on papal elections or the papacy itself, I recommend you check out the website of Catholic Answers at catholic.com.

Thank you all so much, and I hope you have a very blessed day.