Pope Francis dies at the age of 88

On April 21, Monday in the Octave of Easter, the Holy Father Pope Francis died at the age of 88. Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Executive Director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, offers the following statement in the wake of his death:

“Today we mourn the death of His Holiness Pope Francis—our faithful pastor, champion of mercy, and protagonist in the movement to abolish the death penalty.

There is much that will be remembered about Pope Francis’ historic papacy and the rich legacy he leaves behind. But nothing will reside with me more than his commitment to the dignity of life and staunch opposition to capital punishment.

We certainly cannot forget how he underscored the issue of the death penalty on the continuum of the consistent ethic of life: his historic challenge to Congress in 2015, his urging of the revision of the Catholic Catechism in 2018, his redoubled commitment to end the death penalty with Fratelli Tutti, his worldwide prayer intention for global abolition in 2022, his public support for federal death row commutations just a few months ago, and his call to end the death penalty as a tangible sign of hope this Jubilee Year 2025.

Pope Francis knew the collateral damage of capital punishment and he insisted on humanizing the issue because it deeply touched his heart. My prayer today is that Pope Francis’ steadfast witness will touch our hearts and inspire us to fulfill his prayer to end the death penalty.

Pope Francis’ faithful leadership and moral courage has strengthened us, guided us, and invited us to explore the depths of our commitment to the sanctity of all human life. Now, we must carry on his legacy.

Just days ago, these words from Pope Francis’ Easter homily were read: ‘Christ indeed conquered sin and destroyed death, yet in our earthly history the power of his Resurrection is still being brought to fulfilment. And that fulfilment, like a small seed of light, has been entrusted to us, to protect it and to make it grow.’

The Risen Christ reminds us that we have been given the seeds of hope, mercy, and redemption. Pope Francis showed us what it looks like to nourish these seeds in the world today. May we be inspired to follow his example.”