"On the first anniversary of the death of our dear Pope Francis, his memory remains vivid in the Church and throughout the world."

Pope Leo XIV expressed this in the message he sent to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the College of Cardinals, on the first anniversary of Pope Francis' death.

Cardinal Re read Pope Leo's message to those gathered at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major - where Pope Francis is buried - during the Mass celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

Pope Leo lamented being absent from Rome on the occasion due to his 11-day Apostolic Journey to four African nations, but reassured those present of his spiritual closeness as he offered words of appreciation for his predecessor and friend.

"Death," the Holy Father first reminded the faithful, "is not a wall, but a door that opens wide onto the Mercy that Pope Francis tirelessly proclaimed."

In the message, Pope Leo remembered Pope Francis as a missionary, proclaiming the Gospel of mercy “to everyone, everyone, everyone,” as he said more than once.

"The fruits inspired by his witness as a devoted shepherd," he noted, "touched the hearts of so many people, even to the ends of the earth, also thanks to his Apostolic Journeys and especially to that final “journey” which was his illness and his death."

The Pope recognized that he served as Successor of Peter and Pastor of the universal Church "at a time that has marked—and continues to mark—a change of era, a change of which he was fully aware, offering all of us a courageous witness that represents a significant patrimony for the Church."

Pope Leo remembered how the late Pope's magisterium "was lived as that of a disciple-missionary, as he loved to say," as he underscored that Pope Francis "remained a disciple of the Lord, faithful to his Baptism and to his consecration in episcopal ministry until the end."

The Pope also said that Pope Francis, in continuity with his predecessors, took up the legacy of the Second Vatican Council.

In this context, Pope Leo remembered how the late Pope urged the Church "to be open to mission, a guardian of hope for the world, passionate in proclaiming that Gospel which is capable of giving fullness and happiness to every human life."

"We can still hear his exhortations resounding, expressed in vivid words that made the Good News more understandable: mercy, peace, fraternity, the smell of the sheep, a field hospital, and many others."

Each of these expressions, he said, brings us back to the Gospel he lived, with a new language that proclaims the same Gospel as ever.

In the message, Pope Leo also observed that the Lord called Pope Francis to Himself on April 21 of last year, "at the heart of the Easter light," thus Francis concluded his earthly pilgrimage "in the embrace of the Risen Christ, in that 'Joy of the Gospel' which inspired one of his most significant Apostolic Exhortations."

Pope Francis nourished a deep devotion to Mary throughout his life, Pope Leo recalled, highlighting how he went many times to Saint Mary Major, the place of his burial, and to many Marian shrines throughout the world.

Pope Leo XIV concluded by imploring the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to help us in every circumstance to be tireless apostles of her divine Son and prophets of His merciful love.

Pope Leo recalls Francis’ legacy of generosity, mercy for Church and world

“On this first anniversary of his death, I would like to remember Pope Francis, who left so much, who gave so much to the Church through his life, his witness, his words, and his gestures. He did so by truly living closeness to the poorest, to the least, to the sick, to children, and to the elderly.”

Pope Leo XIV offered those words about his predecessor to journalists as he flew from Angola to Equatorial Guinea, which marks the final leg of his Apostolic Journey to Africa.

The flight came on the first anniversary of the death of Pope Francis, who passed away at dawn on April 21, 2025.

The anniversary is being marked by the Church throughout the world.

Pope Leo offered words filled with affection and gratitude for the late Pope Francis, who “left so much to the Church through his witness and his words.”

Recalling many aspects of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Leo XIV first pointed out his tireless exhortation to “universal fraternity.”

Pope Francis, he said, truly sought to “promote authentic respect for all men and all women, promoting a spirit of fraternity, of being brothers and sisters, all of us, and of seeking how to live the message we find in the Gospel.”

He also recalled Pope Francis’ message of mercy, which the Argentine Pope expressed from his first Angelus on the Sunday after his election on March 13, 2013.

Pope Francis spoke about mercy “that first time at the Angelus, but also at the Holy Mass he celebrated before the inauguration of his pontificate on March 17, 2013.”

Pope Leo recalled that, in the Vatican parish of St. Anne, Pope Francis “preached on the woman caught in adultery” and “spoke from the heart of God’s mercy, from the heart of this great love, of forgiveness and of the Lord’s generous expression of mercy.”

Pope Francis wanted to share this “spirit” “with the whole Church,” Pope Leo continued, recalling the “beautiful celebration of an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.”

 “Let us pray that he is already enjoying the Lord’s mercy,” Pope Leo XIV concluded. “Let us thank the Lord for the great gift of Francis’ life to the whole Church and to the whole world.”