There is local reaction to the death of Pope Francis.

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese said “we mourn the death of our beloved Holy Father with much sadness, but also the inner joy that springs from our hope in eternal life.” He said the late Pope had been “a shining example for the Church” during his 12 years in the role.

Notre Dame President Reverend Robert Dowd said the Notre Dame community joined with the Church and the world in mourning his passing, and recalled that when the Pope met with the university’s Board of Trustees last year he urged Notre Dame to continue educating students through three languages: “The head, the heart, and the hands.”

Full statement from Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend:

“Today, Easter Monday, Pope Francis, reached the end of his earthly pilgrimage. He passed from this life to the one promised by our Risen Lord.  We mourn the death of our beloved Holy Father with much sadness but also with the inner joy that springs from our hope in eternal life. 

For the past 12 years, Pope Francis has been a shining example for the Church and the world of the joy and hope of the Gospel.  He has been a tireless voice for the poor, the suffering, and the forgotten, calling all of us to be witnesses of Christ our hope through our love for all those who are in need.  He has repeatedly taught us by his words and actions that the preferential option for the poor is at the center of the Gospel and of the Church’s mission.  I think this will be Pope Francis’ most enduring legacy.

The last time I spoke with the Holy Father was this past October, at the end of the Synod in Rome, when I thanked him for his latest encyclical on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It was his fourth and last encyclical, a beautiful reflection on the love of Christ, the love that conquers sin and death.  He taught how the Church and the world need that love. Yesterday, in his Easter message, Pope Francis wrote that all who put their hope in God are to be witnesses of the victory of love.  Death is the moment of great encounter with the God of love.  As we mourn the death of Pope Francis, let us pray that the Lord in His love will welcome him into His glory, the eternal joy of heaven.”

Bishop Rhoades will also be holding a special Mass on Wednesday, April 23, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne at 6 p.m. The media is invited and encouraged to attend.