Jesuits mourn, celebrate Pope Francis at requiem mass: 'Our Pope, Our Brother'

The Philippine Jesuit community gathered at the Church of the Gesù in Ateneo de Manila University on Friday, April 25, for a heartfelt Requiem Mass in honor of Pope Francis, described as "our Pope and our brother."

The Mass, organized by the Jesuit Provincial, was presided over by Father Provincial Xavier L. Olin, SJ and held at the Church of the Gesu at the Ateneo De Manila University campus in Quezon City.

In a deeply moving homily, Fr. Joel Tabora SJ captured the profound grief and gratitude felt by many at the passing of the beloved pontiff, who died a day after delivering his ‘Urbi et Orbi’ blessing during Easter.

Though visibly frail in his last public appearance, Pope Francis’s message remained powerful, proclaiming that "Love has triumphed over hatred; light over darkness; and truth over falsehood."

"Francis was bearing witness to the Resurrection even as death drew near," Fr. Tabora said, reflecting on the pope’s enduring faith and courage.

"His papacy was a long homily on that Easter shoreline," he added, drawing from the day’s Gospel reading in which the Risen Christ appears to the disciples.

The homily highlighted Pope Francis’s distinct approach to the Petrine ministry — shaped by his Jesuit formation and a lifelong commitment to humility, service, and proximity to the marginalized.

"We mourn a brother who never stopped being one of us, even as he carried the burden of Peter," Fr. Tabora said.

Pope Francis’s final Easter message was especially poignant as he called for peace in regions of conflict such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Myanmar, and mourned the victims of the earthquake in Sagaing.

Fr. Tabora praised the late pope for his steadfast hope even amid global suffering, emphasizing that "even in lament, he never despaired. He saw hope in the Risen One."

The Mass was not just a time of mourning but also a call to continue Pope Francis’s mission.

Fr. Tabora recalled the Holy Father’s 2015 meeting with Filipino Jesuits, where he urged them to "go to the peripheries" — a charge that remains at the heart of the Jesuit mission today.

"He was not only our Pope and brother. He was also our model in mission," Fr. Tabora said. "He called us to be servants of the joy of the Gospel."

Fr. Tabora also reflected on Pope Francis's major teachings — *Evangelii Gaudium*, *Fratelli Tutti*, *Laudato Si’*, and his leadership in promoting synodality within the Church. These, he said, remain blueprints for personal and communal conversion rooted in listening, solidarity, and service.

"Inspired by Francis — our Pope, our brother — we press on," Fr. Tabora concluded, urging the faithful to embody the pope's legacy by continuing the work of reconciliation, dialogue, and hope.

The Requiem Mass ended with a solemn commitment to live out Pope Francis’s call to mission: to walk with the poor, foster peace, care for creation, and proclaim with joy, "It is the Lord!"

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, picked the name "Francis" in honor of St. Francis of Assissi when he was elected as the first Jesuit and first Latin American pope.

Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released on Monday for the 88-year-old pontiff.

The certificate, which was published by the Vatican, said the pope had fallen into a coma before his death early on Easter Monday.

The beloved Pontiff will be buried on Saturday afternoon (Manila time), in a manner that he specified in his last will.

Pope Francis revealed his last wishes in his will published Monday, asking to be buried in a simple, unadorned tomb inside his beloved Roman basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore.

"The tomb must be in the earth; simple, without particular decoration and with the only inscription: Franciscus." — BAP, GMA Integrated News