A Tribute to Pope Francis by Dani Alvarez

 It’s almost as if he waited.

home.

 Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday. The timing felt too tender to be coincidence—like he held on just long enough to hear the Alleluia one last time. To witness the Church rejoice in the Resurrection before quietly letting go. As if he needed to see the stone rolled away before stepping into the promise he had spent his life proclaiming.

 He carried so much. The wounds of a divided Church. The ache of the poor and the forgotten. The weight of hope—for a world more merciful, more human, more like Christ. He walked with a limp, both in body and in spirit, but never without grace. He wasn’t perfect. But he was present. And he kept showing up.

 And he was different.

 He chose the simple path when grandeur was expected. He rode the bus. Paid his own hotel bill. Lived in a guesthouse instead of the papal palace. His first act as Pope was to bow and ask for our prayers. From the beginning, he showed us that true authority kneels. That greatness can look like humility.

 He disrupted systems and comforted outcasts. He spoke boldly on justice, embraced the disabled, welcomed migrants, washed the feet of prisoners. He didn’t just talk about mercy—he embodied it. He made the Church feel like a place where the last could be first, and the forgotten, finally seen.

 He taught us that holiness isn’t perfection—it’s presence. That the Gospel is clearest when it sounds like compassion. That faith, at its best, looks like love with skin on.

 And now, just after Easter, he’s gone.

 But maybe that was his final homily. Not delivered from a pulpit, but through the quiet timing of his death—a soft Amen to a life spent preaching hope.

 It brings to mind these words:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

 And he did. He fought—not with anger, but with mercy. He ran—not to be praised, but to make space for others. And he kept the faith—not flawlessly, but fiercely.

 So yes, we grieve. But we also remember.

 We remember how he made us believe again—in a Church that walks with the wounded, in a Gospel wide enough for the doubting, in a God whose love meets us right where we are.

 He reminded us that faith isn’t something we hold onto for ourselves.

It’s something we hand off with open hands and open hearts.

 Pope Francis has finished his race.

And what he leaves behind isn’t just a memory—

It’s the echo of a life poured out.

The kind of life that makes you want to live differently.

More gently.

More boldly.

More like him.

More like Christ.

He waited for Easter—because he believed in the promise.

And now, that promise is his.

Light has found him.

And Love has brought him

The Vatican Needs a Complete Reset, Not Another Conclave, Mary Hunt

 My Response: I agree . It is time for a conversation and mutual blessing! Bridget Mary

https://religiondispatches.org/what-the-roman-catholic-church-needs-is-a-wholesale-reset-not-a-new-pope/

….”Meanwhile, the successor to Francis, in addition to continuing ministry focused on those who are marginalized, could demonstrate his papal bona fides as a unifier. He could begin by thanking and embracing ordained women priests, apologizing for their ex-communication, and asking them if he might concelebrate the Eucharist with them as a sign of a new moment of shared leadership. He could apologize to and welcome LGBTQIA+ Catholics as full church members with access to all sacraments including marriage and ordination. He could embrace divorced and remarried people, commending them on their choice to remain part of a large and diverse communion. He could abolish tombstones to the unborn at Catholic parishes. He could assure people who chose abortions that their choices are their own and that they are free to make them in good conscience. 

The reset necessary is thorough-going and structural. If it sounds like a dream, it is. But that’s how change happens. 

Without an overhaul of structures from a hierarchical to an egalitarian church, dreams of synodality cannot come true. As the Synod’s Final Document demonstrated, the hard issues that face an institution poisoned by prejudice and riven by sexual abuse need more changes than were embraced by Francis at the Synod. But it was a start. 

Millions of people prayed for Pope Francis in his last month, making him a unifying symbol not as a pope but as a person dealing with life’s inevitable end. I admire that he did it his way. He seemed to set aside his doctors’ orders of two months of complete repose in favor of one last Holy Thursday visit to prisoners, public blessings through labored breathing, and a final tour around Saint Peter’s Square in the Popemobile to greet his people. 

I suspect that Francis knew that his days were numbered—all of ours are—and made his own choices. In that sense, he was much like women who want to be priests, or people who choose to have abortions, or those who love people of the same sex, or immigrants choosing another country. To be human is to choose. I haven’t heard anyone critique his choices. Let it be a lesson to the judgmental as we reset our communal moral compass. 

Pluses and minuses notwithstanding, Francis exited the earthly orbit at a time when moral leadership is at a premium. In his February 10, 2025 letter to the United States Catholic Bishops supporting immigrants and refugees, he insisted on “the dignity of every human being, without exception.” A massive Catholic reset would hasten that day. “

Make your voice heard. 5 Calls is the easiest and most effective way for U.S. constituents to make a political impact.

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Please call your representatives and express your opposition to the proposed budget:

 

• $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid which will result in 36 million poor people losing their healthcare coverage and the closure of rural medical facilities.
• $230 billion in cuts to food stamps or SNAP which could impact over 40 million hungry families
• The dissolution of HeadStart which provides childcare for 650,000 poor and low-income children

AT THE SAME TIME, Congress is proposing:

• $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for billionaires, while requiring the poorest 20 percent of Americans to pay more in taxes
• Hundreds of billions of dollars for increased militarization of our communities, deportations of our immigrant neighbors, and war abroad.  
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I just called the three legislators from Florida and left them this message.

An aide in Rep. Steube's office answered the phone.

Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP

Maryland Catholic Churchgoers and Clergy Reflect on the Passing of Pope Francis - NPR-Janice Sevre-Duszynska ARCWP

https://www.wypr.org/show/midday/2025-04-22/maryland-catholic-churchgoers-and-clergy-reflect-on-the-passing-of-pope-francis

Janice Sevre-Duszynska ARCWP:

Pope Francis was the most progressive pope I’ve known — and I’m 75.
I really supported him on environmental issues, climate, immigration, the poor and preventing war. I wish he would have supported women priests as I am one in the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.
I’m an activist priest with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. I work with the Baltimore Nonviolence Center and the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington, D.C.

Oregonians react to the death of Pope Francis

https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/21/oregonians-react-to-the-death-of-pope-francis/ 

By Kristian Foden-Vencil (OPB)

April 21, 2025 5:52 p.m.

Oregonians remember Pope Francis as a champion for the poor, for action on climate change and for a more inclusive world.

Pope Francis, 88, died Monday following a stroke. Many Oregonians say they will miss him. 

“I was shocked. We saw him up and recuperating from his illness,” said Suzanne Theil, a Bishop with Roman Catholic Women Priests USA. “I don’t think we expected him to have died quite so suddenly.”

Easter Homily by Bishop Budde

 https://youtu.be/BCq6bgGVgcY?si=smrhgYSpjPUzC9Th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 2025 The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) Mourns the Death of Pope Francis, Honors His Legacy of Inclusion and Justice

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 21, 2025

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) Mourns the Death of Pope Francis, Honors His Legacy of Inclusion and Justice

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests joins Catholics and people of goodwill across the globe in mourning the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025. We give thanks for his courageous leadership and compassionate heart, and for his transformative vision of a Synodal Church—a Church that listens, learns, and walks together with all, especially those on the margins.

Pope Francis was a shepherd of profound humility and Gospel-centered faithfulness. His papacy was marked by a deep commitment to the poor, to ecological justice, to interreligious dialogue, and to the full dignity of all people—including LGBTQ+ Catholics, refugees, and those historically excluded from full participation in the Church. His historic encyclical Laudato Si’ called the global community to care for our “common home” and inspired urgent ecological action rooted in a spirituality of kinship with creation.

Francis’s deep pastoral presence, his efforts to decentralize clerical power, and his emphasis on dialogue and mutual respect opened doors long closed in Church tradition. He embodied a theology of encounter—one that echoes the ministry of Jesus—drawing near to the wounded, the overlooked, and the oppressed.

Pope Francis was not only a pope for the Roman Catholic Church—he was a moral leader for humanity. Now we mourn the passing of a holy man—a prophet who, amid tremendous resistance, sought to steer the Church back to the radical love and inclusion at the heart of Jesus' message.

As women priests serving inclusive Catholic communities across the world, we at ARCWP honor Pope Francis’ efforts to lead the Church toward justice, compassion, and reform. We share his longing for a Church that fully reflects the Gospel’s call to equality and welcome. While we grieve his loss, we also reaffirm our commitment to continuing the work he so boldly began: building a Church where all voices are heard, all vocations are honored, and no one is left behind.

May Pope Francis now rejoice in the eternal embrace of the God he served with tenderness and truth. And may his legacy continue to inspire the global Church to rise, to reform, and to remember that the Church is always at its best when it is a Church for all.

Media Contact:

Bridget Mary Meehan
Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
www.arcwp.org

sofiabmm.bmm@gmail.com

703-505-0004

Pope Francis died today, May he dance with the angels and continue to bless us!

 https://youtu.be/biXz3cMbw94?si=0qirbtQell3ggYEX

May Pope Francis dance with the angels and continue to bless us!

I give thanks for his pastoral presence and vision of a Synodal church for everyone. This is the reason we ordain women in the international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement to create an inclusive Church of baptized equals called to follow Jesus in ordained ministries .

Interview with Christina Moreira ARCWP

 https://www.galiciapress.es/articulo/movimientos/2025-04-20/5259695-christina-moreira-quien-hecho-dano-iglesia-sido-curas-machos-privilegios

Easter Homily by Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP for Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community

Alleluia! Let us rejoice in the good news of the Easter message.

"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb… (Luke 24:2) 

So, the women left the tomb quickly with great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And they came to him took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. (Mt. 28-29)

Mary Magdalene went out and told those who had been with him while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. (Mk: 16:10-11)

The Risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene, not to Caesar or the chief priests. A woman, once silenced, is entrusted with the message: He is risen! Today we proclaim Christ rises again and again in us and in the chaos and turmoil of our world.

Elizabeth Johnson, feminist theologian, reminds us:

“Resurrection does not cancel the crucifixion but reveals God’s presence precisely in its midst, turning suffering into hope.”
(Elizabeth Johnson, Consider Jesus)

And so, we honor the wounds of the world—not by ignoring them, but by allowing resurrection to rise from within them.

Christ is present  amidst the suffering, death, and chaos prevalent in our world. We believe all shall be well because death will not prevail. In our living and dying we are held in love.

I saw that today in the thousands of women and men who held up signs to resist oppression and stand up for justice for all in our peaceful demonstration in Sarasota, Florida.

Ilia Delio invites us to see the Resurrection as a cosmic event, a sign of God's creative presence unfolding throughout the entire universe. “The Resurrection of Jesus is the unleashing of a new reality, a new potentiality for life, for creation,” she writes. For Delio, Christ's resurrection is not just about overcoming death but about opening all of creation to its full potential for life in God. As she beautifully states, “Resurrection reveals a new creation, where death is not the end, but the beginning of a deeper life.”

As we reflect on the meaning of Resurrection today, we can turn to the insights of Richard Rohr, who urges us to see Christ rising not just in the past but in the present. He writes, “We see the risen Christ today, wherever transformation is happening, in places and people that show the power of new life emerging from death.” 

In a powerful way, Pope Francis reminds us that the risen Christ is especially present in the poor and marginalized For the Pope, the resurrection is most clearly visible in those who are suffering, those who have been forgotten by society.

Here are four strong examples of living resurrection amid today's struggles:

1. Marches for Fair Representation and Justice

The resurrection is not just about life after death — it’s about new life rising from systems of oppression. When people organize to support democratic institutions, such as advocating for Social Security and Medicaid amidst discussions of budget cuts, they emphasize the significance of individual participation in society. This is resurrection power: reclaiming equity and inclusion. 

 2. Survivors of Violence Becoming Healers

Women and LGBTQ+ leaders in post-conflict regions (like Colombia, Rwanda, and South Sudan) are turning trauma into transformation. Their reconciliation truth-telling initiatives promote healing and awareness. These efforts are the initial steps toward improved relationships and understanding.

3. Church Communities Welcoming the Marginalized

Inclusive Catholic communities like MMOJ and those affiliated with ARCWP and Roman Catholic Women Priests offer Eucharist to all — especially those long excluded. Every time a person who was once rejected finds home at the table, resurrection happens.

 4. Inner Resurrections: Awakening from Shame or Fear

As Lisa Miller describes in The Awakened Brain, when a person moves from spiritual numbness to a felt sense of purpose, connection, and love — they are experiencing resurrection from within. New life bursts forth when someone finally knows: I am beloved.

This Easter let's work together for everyone's well-being and rise with Christ to embrace new life within and around us!

Let us become witnesses to the Resurrection not only in word, but in the way we live: 

When we stand for justice, we rise with Christ.
When we welcome the outcast and refugees, we rise with Christ.
When we speak truth with love and resist systems of domination, we rise with Christ.
When we build inclusive, coequal communities of faith, we rise with Christ.

Beloved community, we are rising with Christ in love and action for justice every day! Alleluia! Happy Easter!

(Bridget Mary with assistance from Chat GPT)

Community Sharing: What in the readings or video awakens to your call to encounter the Risen One ‘s call/message for our world today!