Diocesan Catholics Celebrate, Honor Pope Francis With Mass At Cathedral

With the words “Habemus Papam” – Latin for “We have a pope” – Bishop Charles C. Thompson began a special March 13 Mass in honor of Pope Francis’s papacy. Bishop Thompson was the main celebrant at the midday service, which was held at the St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville and saw parishioners from throughout the diocese gather in prayer and celebration along with the student body and faculty from St. Benedict Cathedral School.

“We gather here together in universal prayer for the universal Church,” Bishop Thompson told those in attendance. “ We have come to pray for Pope Francis, as he continues to lead us all to embrace the way of holiness and especially - as his name reminds us - to be attentive to the needs of others and to carry that missionary spirit with us as people of God.”

During the homily, Bishop Thompson addressed many of the remarks to the students in attendance. He spoke about St. Francis of Assisi, who inspired Pope Francis’s choice of names.

St. Francis of Assisi, the bishop told the students, “was born into a rather rich family, and he gave it all up for a life of poverty and a life of simplicity.”

“He cared greatly for the poor,” Bishop Thompson said. “He became one with them.”

Likewise, Bishop Thompson said, Pope Francis is a man who cares deeply for the poor and who has long been committed to living as simply and humbly as possible.

Bishop Thompson compared Pope Francis to Moses, who he defined as a “bridge leading his people to the promised land.”

“Like Moses, Pope Francis serves as a spiritual leader,” he said. “He is that bridge, he is that sign of our spiritual unity, of our oneness as a universal Church.                  

“And the fact that he was chosen as the first pope from South America reminds us of our universality and oneness throughout the whole world as one big Church – one family of God, one body of Christ.”

Bishop Thompson also pointed out the beauty and significance of Pope Francis’s decision to ask for a blessing before delivering a customary blessing.

“The fact that he asked for a blessing before he gave a blessing demonstrates his humility and that he recognizes his own need for God’s grace and mercy in his life. It is a powerful example for all of us.”