SALT LAKE CITY — The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City joins the millions of faithful worldwide in prayer and in mourning the death of Pope Francis, who died this morning in Rome. I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Our Holy Father, coming the day after the most joyous morning of Easter. We pray that Our Lord, in His mercy, welcomes Pope Francis into His eternal Kingdom of rest, happiness and peace.

We have lost our humble shepherd, but even as we mourn, we remember his remarkable contributions to our Church and the world. Pope Francis spoke so often of the joy of the Gospel, and he repeatedly called us to share that Good News, the universal love and mercy of God to all people, especially with those living on the margins: the migrant, the poor, the lost and the least.

He was a man of God, a true pastor who lived the Gospel values and called on others to defend the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, to work for justice and peace, to protect the earth as our common home, to promote global humanity and social friendship, and perhaps most of all, to encounter the love of Jesus Christ. “Christ’s love can give a heart to our world and revive love wherever we think that the ability to love has been definitively lost,” the Holy Father wrote in his last encyclical, “Dilexit Nos.” It is this message that comes to mind when I think of him.

With his message for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis called us all to live as pilgrims of hope; let us live this call as his legacy.

We are deeply grateful for the prayers and messages of condolences we received sharing our grief in these days of mourning. Please join us in our prayers of gratitude to God for Pope Francis’ ministry to the whole Church. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Consolation, be with your son who so often showed his love for you.

A Memorial Mass of the Dead will be celebrated at 5:15 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, April 22, in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, SLC.