Archbishop of Westminster pays tribute after Pope Francis dies aged 88

Belfast Telegraph - 21/04
The leader of Catholics in England and Wales has paid tribute to Pope Francis as “a voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being”.

A senior Vatican official announced the pontiff died on Monday morning at the age of 88.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Archbishop of Westminster, said: “The death of Pope Francis brings great sadness to so many around the world, both within the Catholic Church and in societies in general.

“A voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being, especially those who are poor or marginalised, is now silent. The legacy he leaves is one we must seek to carry forward and strengthen.”

Francis had emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

He had recently resumed some official duties during his recovery from pneumonia.

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols said the Pope’s legacy ‘is one we must seek to carry forward and strengthen’ (Victoria Jones/PA)

The Pope made his first public appearance since his bout of double pneumonia on April 6, when he appeared in St Peter’s Square in a wheelchair during a special Jubilee Mass for the sick following his discharge from hospital two weeks previously.

The King and Queen visited the pontiff at the Va...
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