Durbin Reflects On The Life And Legacy Of The Late Pope Francis
Durbin: In a world of hate and fear, the Pope’s message of peace and understanding is needed now more than ever
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor commemorating and honoring the late Pope Francis. This weekend, Durbin attended the late Pope’s funeral in the Vatican along with U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
“Today I join people across the world and mourn the passing of Pope Francis. He was forgiving, hopeful, and committed to the notion of peace. Francis taught us that there is no one ‘right’ way to be a Catholic. That the Church can shape you, and you can shape the Church. And in the process, he made the Church stronger,” said Durbin.
During his speech, Durbin also noted he attended the Pope’s Joint Address to Congress in 2015—the first Pope to ever do so. Durbin then praised Pope Francis for using his platform to highlight the plight of immigrants and refugees, to ask compassion for those in the LGBTQ+ community whom the Church has historically shunned, and to advocate for peace in distant wars and to protect our environment.
“Like myself, Pope Francis was the child of immigrants, and he often reminded us of our responsibility to welcome the stranger. In a recent letter to American Catholic bishops, Pope Francis affirmed our nation’s right to ‘defend itself and keep communities safe.’ But he raised serious concerns about mass deportation, which ‘damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.’ His message is so timely as our government ignores due process and through an ‘administrative error,’ sends individuals to a hell-hole prison in El Salvador and deports a two-year-old to Honduras,” said Durbin.
Durbin praised Pope Francis for the speech he prepared for Easter Sunday—one day before he passed away. The Pope was so ill that he was unable to deliver the speech himself, so it was read by one of his aides.
Durbin continued, “It was a speech of peace. It was a speech of hope. It was the speech of a truly good man. In it, he pled, ‘On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas.’”
Durbin concluded by reflecting on the Pope’s funeral—where hundreds of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City to mourn the death of Pope Francis.
“The crowd was overwhelming. Estimated in the hundreds of thousands, they represented every corner of the Earth. Just in our small section was a delegation in business suits from Lesotho in Africa, Buddhists in bright orange robes, members of the Italian Parliament, a turbaned Sikh delegation from India, and our bipartisan House delegation led by Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader Steve Scalise. Thousands of Catholic clergy on the altar and in the audience wore vestments presenting every shade of scarlet and red. But the vast crowds of mourners and celebrants were simply admirers of Francis who, in his humble way, touched so many lives. At the front of the altar was his simple wooden casket,” Durbin continued.
“The funeral ceremony was in Latin, the language of the Catholic Church when I was a young altar boy at St. Elizabeth’s Church in East St. Louis, Illinois, in the 1950’s. As I witnessed this solemn mass and read from the text, I could hear in my mind the rusty hinges of an opening door taking me back to the Latin mass and Gregorian chant of my childhood. It is all still there, ‘deo gratias,’” said Durbin.
“How did this Mass differ from the Funeral of John Paul II decades ago? I remember the crowds of Polish mourners with their red and white flags for John Paul II,” Durbin continued. “But with Francis, what struck me were the many waves of spontaneous cheering from the vast crowd when reference was made to his simple message for immigrants, peace, understanding. Who can forget his five words: ‘Who am I to judge?’ defined his humility and humanity for so many of us. After the ceremony, I went back to my hotel room and turned on my TV. There was a recurring segment every few minutes. It showed a simple photograph of Francis and the Italian words: ‘Grazie Francesco, il Papa della gente.’ Translated to English: ‘Thank you, Francis. The Pope of the people.’ We must continue to hold fast to the message of Pope Francis to love and respect one another. In a world of hate and fear, his message of peace and understanding is needed now more than ever,”Durbin concluded.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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