News of the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday has been received with great sadness, grief, and mourning by the predominantly Roman Catholic population in Portugal, as elsewhere.
The “People’s Pope” was 88 years old. He had suffered a health crisis earlier this year and was then hospitalised for five weeks with double pneumonia. His life in recent years held special significance in this country.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said on Monday that Francis was “an extraordinary pope who leaves a unique legacy of humanism, empathy, compassion, and a closeness to people.” Following Francis’s teachings and example, he added, would be the best way to honour his memory.
Originally from Argentina, Pope Francis never returned to his home country after his papal inauguration in Rome in 2013, but he made two special visits to Portugal. Perhaps the most notable was when he presided over the World Youth Day celebrations in Lisbon from 1st to 6th August 2023. Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world attended in a spirit of harmony and joy.
By then, Francis had become known as the “Green Pope” for his concern for the environment. However, the Catholic Church angered many farmers by urging young people to abstain from eating meat for a year to offset global warming emissions.
Francis had difficulty weathering the widespread outrage caused by revelations of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy during the papacy of his predecessor, Benedict XVI. In a televised interview in Portugal, Francis stated that the Catholic Church had “zero tolerance for abuse,” and that “a priest cannot remain a priest if he is an abuser.” His statements were quietly debated on the sidelines of the Lisbon youth celebrations.
It was during that week-long stay in Portugal that Pope Francis made his second visit to the Fátima Sanctuary, the first having taken place in 2017 for the centenary of the apparitions reported by three young children.
Deep sorrow is currently being felt amid the prayers beside the shrine in front of the Fátima Basilica.
Written by Len Port,
Edited by Catriona Anderson.
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