Pope Francis’ Legacy on Caring for the Poor and Creation; Divine Mercy Sunday

Requiescant in pace, Pope Francis

Following a blessed Easter Day in which we celebrated the resurrection of the Lord, we awoke on Easter Monday to learn of the passing of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

In a reflection I wrote on Monday morning, I invited the faithful of the Diocese of Fall River to join me in prayer for the repose of Pope Francis, a humble and faithful servant of God whose papacy touched hearts across the world. Reflecting on personal encounters with the Holy Father—including at World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013 and during the Ad Limina visit in Rome in 2019—I am reminded of his profound humility, his gentle spirit, and his commitment to dialogue and compassion. From his first appearance as pope on the balcony of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, Pope Francis made it clear that his leadership would be marked by deep humility and pastoral love.

The Holy Father’s legacy will continue to influence the Church. His emphasis on the mercy of God and the spirit of Synodality in the Church are trademarks of his papacy and his humble personality. He touched the hearts of countless people with his love, his faith, his humanity and his humility.  As a shepherd himself deeply committed to serving the poor and marginalized, I admired his ministry that prioritized those on the peripheries. 

Please join me Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m. in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River for a  Memorial Mass for Pope Francis, and for the next successor of St. Peter during this time of transition. We’ll gather as a diocesan family to remember our Holy Father and to pray for the repose of his soul.

Caring for the Marginalized and Creation

As the season (finally!) turns to spring with warmer weather and coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Holy Father’s encyclical Laudato Si’, we recognize that one of Pope Francis’ many enduring legacies will be his work in awakening the global community to the urgent need to care for our common home and to recognize the suffering of the poor caused by environmental devastation and the resulting climate change, especially in the developing world. While this issue has sparked intense debate and denial of scientific fact, the Holy Father consistently emphasized the moral and scientific realities of human-caused climate change.

Pope Francis addressed our responsibility to care for creation and the poor in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ and again in Laudate Deum in 2023. In these writings, we are reminded of the Church’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship.

In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis calls for an “integral ecology,” linking care for the environment with care for the poor. He reminds us that the Earth is a sacred trust, and the suffering of the planet is deeply connected to human suffering. We are called to act with compassion, justice, and urgency to protect both people and the planet.

Pope Francis in Laudate Deum, affirmed the Church’s long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship. He calls us to an “integral ecology” that unites care for creation with care for the most vulnerable, reminding us that the Earth is a sacred trust and that environmental and human suffering are deeply intertwined.

In these writings, Pope Francis warns that the clock is ticking to confront the climate crisis. He challenges all people of goodwill to see ecological responsibility as a moral and spiritual imperative—one that demands action, not just words. Let us honor the Holy Father’s legacy by embracing ecological conversion and renewing our commitment to care for our common home—for the glory of God and the good of all creation.

Feast of Divine Mercy

Image: Catholic Diocese of Cleveland

This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy. Shortly after the canonization of St. Faustina, the Vatican declared that the Second Sunday of Easter would be known as Divine Mercy Sunday. St. Faustina, through her visions and writings, helped bring this powerful message of God’s mercy to the world.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) webpage on Divine Mercy Sunday explains that Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in a vision with one hand raised in blessing and the other touching his heart, from which red and white rays flow—symbolizing the blood and water poured out for our salvation. Jesus asked that the image be painted with the words “Jesus, I trust in You” and venerated throughout the world. As recorded in St. Faustina’s diary, Jesus promised special graces to those who honor this image, saying, “The soul that will venerate this image will not perish” (Diary, no. 48) and “By means of this image I will grant many graces to souls” (Diary, no. 742)

With Easter Blessings,

+Bishop da Cunha