In a solemn atmosphere of prayer and gratitude the faithful of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman along with Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, Bishop Emeritus of Port Blair, Bishop Alex Dias, the priests and religious of the Archdiocese, gathered at the Se Cathedral to pray for the eternal repose of Beloved Pope Francis, yesterday 24th April, 2025 at 9.00 am.
In His homily His eminence Cardinal Ferrao emphasised specially on some qualities and writings of Pope Francis, firstly that he was man of God deeply rooted in Jesus, his constant request to everyone was “Please pray for Me”. The archbishop also shared that his Holiness was not even bothered of his security, saying that “God will take care of me”. Secondly, he was a man for Others. His life was a perfect self gift of Love. In his apostolic exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ he exhorted the Church to soil their hands while serving the people and witnessing the Gospel. He himself put this into practice in his life, he lived a humble life and made himself available to all. He gave special attention to the Old, disabled and children, In his encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’ he highlighted that the church has to be merciful, Archbishop emphasised that the pope called us to make the church not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners. He wanted the Church to be an all embracing, inclusive church. He was also a pope of Peace hoping that there would be peace in the world. He was a man of Inter-religious dialogue. He wanted to build bridges of friendship. Finally through his encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ he called everyone to protect and preserve nature. He highlighted that the Pope often spoke of ecological Justice and intergenerational justice, calling earth as our home and that it is the duty of the members of the church to protect and preserve nature. He called upon everyone to thank God for such a humble, holy and exemplary Pope and pray that God may grant him eternal rest. He finally urged the people to carry on the Legacy of Pope Francis and urged them to follow him in becoming humble, loving, understanding and service oriented followers of Christ.
The Auxiliary Bishop Simiao Fernandes who is in Jerusalem for a seminar, through a communication, also expressed his grief and offered prayers for beloved Pope Francis while spiritually uniting himself with the faithful of the Archdiocese.
The atmosphere was filled with prayerful Gregorian chants and soul touching Konkani and Latin Hymns by the choir led by Fr. Romeo Monteiro. The Liturgy was organised by Fr. Afonso Mendonca and commentary was done by Fr. Henry Falcao.
