Carmelite Prior General, Fr Míceál O'Neill, has released a message to the Carmelite Family marking the death of Pope Francis. Noting the suddenness of the Pope's death, Fr Míceál draws attention to the Pope's witness to the mercy, compassion and love of God for all people:
Brothers and sisters in Carmel,
The world mourns the passing from this world of Pope Francis, on the morning of Easter Monday. On Easter Sunday he was fully alive in mind and heart, in a body that could not give any more. It is like a death in our family. He was so close to us.
His vision and his spirituality were very clear. They came from the Gospel. They were inspired by Mary and the holiness of the saints, the great saints and the saints next door. Salvation, mercy and peace are in Jesus Christ and they are given to those who look to Him and see in him the truth that can make us free. Children of the one Father, every one of us, we are sisters and brothers to one another. That is our greatest dignity and everything we need to know about one another, in order to build and live in a world where that dignity is the rule of law and no other. There is a cry in the human heart, and in the created world itself, that the followers of Christ, the pastors and the political leaders needs to hear. There is a way to treat other human beings and it is not the way of devious interests or the recourse to arms of violence but the way of tenderness and mercy for all. When we recognize that the Eucharist is not the reward for holiness but the greatest help we have towards holiness, we recognize the heart of Pope Francis' ministry and the way he himself celebrated every time he stood at the altar.
Carmelites around the world, let us give thanks to God for the life, witness and teaching of Pope Francis and pray for his eternal happiness, as we treasure our own vocation to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and preach his Gospel. Mary, mother of the word incarnate, salus populi, pray for us in our sorrow, and open our hearts in thanksgiving for the wonders of God's mercy shown to us in the life of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace.
Míceál O'Neill
Prior General
24 April 2025
Photo shows Fr Míceál meeting Pope Francis with other Carmelites in 2019
You can download Fr Míceál's message here: