SVD
Generalate

A Fragile Church

During his pastoral leadership, Francis accepted the challenge of guiding a Church that showed clear signs of fragility. With a firm and human attitude, he brought to light situations that had wounded the people of God from within. The scourge of sexual abuse, along with allegations of financial scandal involving Vatican accounts, the pastoral issues brought forward by various groups within society, and the urgency of substantial changes in Vatican administration all filled his agenda—but without distracting him from the ecclesial vision he came to propose. With severity and compassion, he expanded his advisory network to envision new paths amid old wounds. The most symbolic gesture was his silent ascent across an empty St. Peter’s Square during the height of the COVID pandemic—a truly prophetic act that shook the Church from slumber, calling it to place its gaze and trust in God. Human fragility was a constant theme in how he presented himself to others. Afflicted by various ailments, he persevered in addressing diplomatic and pastoral matters. Even amid weakness, he showed another side of the Church—one present in many parts of the world—to strengthen one of his deepest convictions: “the joy of the Gospel.”

A Dialogical Church

Francis shared with the whole Church what he had long developed as a pastor in Argentina. Perhaps the clearest expression of his heart lies in his writings, which share a common theme: “The tenderness of God enables us to care for one another.” From this emerge two fundamental tenets of his teaching. The first is his steadfast belief in divine mercy (Dilexit nos)—mercy that transcends human judgment, reaches both the humble and the great sinners, restores dignity to those who have been degraded, and fills with hope those left by the wayside.

The second principle is equally profound: the “culture of care.” His papal name immediately connected him with “the poor man of Assisi” and “the Nazarene prophet.” These figures inspired his closeness to the marginalized—especially migrants and refugees, children and the elderly, prisoners and the sick. He extended this urgent need for care to all of creation (Laudato Si’) and to a renewed humanity (Fratelli Tutti), whose construction lies in our hands. This culture of care reaches across every layer of human life—family, education, institutions, government, Church community, and more—becoming a necessary response to so many signs of fragility.

Beyond his writings, Francis bore witness to a Church that reaches out in dialogue. His apostolic journeys to countries with small Catholic populations, his meetings with leaders of non-Western governments (remember his gesture of kissing the feet of feuding South Sudanese leaders), and his encounters with religious leaders—all emphasized the priority of human dignity over religion and violence. His convocation of the Synod on Synodality was truly Spirit-led, opening new spaces and opportunities for deeper communion, participation, and mission. For the first time in Church history, a Synod of Bishops actively listened to the people of God, represented by numerous laity, including committed women, religious sisters, and scholars.

A Missionary Church

Francis shared with us his dream of a Church that goes forth on mission to the existential peripheries. Using neologisms, he urged us to live as a Church open to all, committed to reaching the least among us, and marked by the wounds it bears from caring for the injured. Through powerful imagery, the Pope called on all of us to move beyond ecclesial triumphalism and clericalism—to embrace our fragile and ailing Church, to overcome outdated and rigid structures through renewed evangelization efforts, and to close the gap between clergy and laity so that we may grow together as the people of God in discerning the Spirit.

We, the Missionaries of the Divine Word, honor the memory of Francis also for the two moments he shared with our Congregation during our most recent General Chapters (2018 and 2024). In both addresses, Francis encouraged us to fully live out our missionary charism by promoting a synodal and outward-bound Church. Among other things, he urged us to be prophets of hope and peace, to stand firm against overpowering trends and ideologies that confuse and divide, and to root ourselves in the Word of God so that we may communicate a message that is simple, clear, close, and empathetic.

On behalf of the entire missionary family of the Divine Word—both religious and lay—we thank God for the many gestures of humanity, fraternity, and fatherhood that Francis has given us. We make his constant plea our own, now asking for his intercession: Francis, pray for us!

Fr. Marcelo Cattáneo, SVD
General Secretary of Mission