Pope Francis on Leo XIV: ‘He gave so much to the Church by promoting brotherhood’

Vatican City (Vatican), 21 Apr. (LaPresse) – “On this first anniversary of his death, I would like to remember Pope Francis, who left behind a great legacy and gave so much to the Church through his life, his witness, his words and his deeds. For what he did by truly living in closeness to the poorest, the least, the sick, children and the elderly.” Thus, as reported by Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV remembered his predecessor, who died a year ago, whilst speaking to journalists on the flight from Angola to Equatorial Guinea. Francis, Prevost added, “has left so much to the Church through his witness and his words.” “Many things” could be recalled about Jorge Mario Bergoglio, but Leo XIV recalled above all his ceaseless call for “universal brotherhood”, because Francis truly sought to “promote genuine respect for all men and women, fostering a spirit of fraternity, of being brothers and sisters to one another, and of seeking to live out the message we find in the Gospel”. Prevost then recalled the message of “mercy” brought to the world by Pope Francis.