In his homily during a special mass of prayer for Pope Francis, the Local Ordinary of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Johannesburg described the 88-year-old Pontiff as a “remarkable and strong leader” whose voice has “transcended religious boundaries, reaching people of all faiths and even those of no faith.”

“We come to pray for him because he is our leader, our shepherd. Yet he does not only belong to us, he belongs to the world, for many people of different Christian denominations, other faiths, and people of no faith at all, recognize in Pope Francis a most remarkable and strong leader, a leader with vision at a time in the world when there is vacuum of visionary and inspiring leaders,” said Cardinal Stephen Brislin on Sunday, March 2.

As Catholics gathered at the Cathedral of Christ the King to pray for Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic since February 14, Cardinal Brislin reflected on Pope Francis leadership, describing the Pope as “a bridge who unites people, reconciles them, and is able to traverse differences in order to find common ground for the sake of humanity.”

The Archbishop of Johannesburg went on to mention some of Pope Francis teachings since his election on March 13, 2013. He recalled Pope Francis primary message of compassion and mercy, especially with the poor and marginalised.

Pope Francis, he said, has consistently preached a message of compassion, urging the Church not to be trapped in rigid legalism. “A little mercy,” he once said, “can make the world less cold and more just.” Noting that while Pope Francis respects Church law, he warns against “legalism that does not see the true purpose of the law and that excludes mercy and compassion.”

Cardinal Brislin noted how Pope Francis “challenged priests not to be inaccessibly to those they serve but to go out to people, to have the “smell of the sheep”, in terms of being among them, knowing them and giving them pastoral care and service that they deserve.”

As the Church journeys in a Synodal way during the Jubilee Year of Hope inaugurated by Pope Francis in December 2024, Cardinal Brislin called on the people of God to “embody in our own hearts what Pope Francis has in his,” and to allow to always have Jesus at “the centre of our lives so that we may understand the deep meaning of the Scriptures and so be true disciples of the one who came to save us.”

Pope Francis, said the Cardinal, “has given hope to the world. We too are pilgrims of hope. May we embody in our own hearts what Pope Francis has in his, and may Jesus always be the centre of our lives so that we may understand the deep meaning of the Scriptures and so be true disciples of the one who came to save us.”

In the latest updated on Pope Francis health, the Holy See Press Office said Pope Francis had another good night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he is being treated for bilateral pneumonia and is resting.

Cardinal Brislin concluded with a prayer for Pope Francis, that God through the intercession of Mother Mary give him “strength and courage in his suffering,” and that he may have “solace and consolation.”

“We pray for Pope Francis in the simplicity of hearts and with trust in the God who is Father of all. We commend our Pope to Him and we pray that he will be given strength and courage in his suffering. We pray that he will be healed and brought to the fullness of health. May our Mother Mary watch over him and intercede for him with her motherly love, that he may have solace and consolation,” he prayed.