Pope Francis dies of stroke, confirms Vatican doctor, nine days of mourning begin and Dublin-born cardinal with a key role

Irish Independent

21-04-2025

'He brought a freshness and radical freedom' - Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell
Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell said Pope Francis had great empathy and sympathy for people who found themselves in 'harsh' and 'difficult' environments.
He added that despite being a sad day today following the pope's death, he thanked God for his leader's ministry since his election in 2013.
'He has brought a great energy and vitality to the church right up until yesterday,' he told RTÉ's News at One.
'From the moment of his election, it was obvious things were going to be very different.
'He brought both a freshness and radical freedom to do things that his predecessors hadn't. He had a great humanity. When he was talking to you, he was talking to you.
'Even though there might be thousands of other people around, he could focus on the individual and he came very much to life when he met people and individuals,' he said.
Dr Farrell said Pope Francis brought humility and simplicity to the papacy, through wearing simple vestments, by going around in a simple car and by paying his own bills.
He noted that the first thing Pope Francis did on his visit to Ireland in 2018 was to apologise regarding child sexual abuse and other abuses from the church.
'He wrote his own introduction when he was at the Phoenix Park, which was the penitential rite. That was the mark of the man. He made mistakes in his own life.
'He was a little bit harsh when he was superior general of the Jesuits in Argentina, but he learned from that. That brought that forgiveness which was very important in his life, like humility and looking out for the poor, looking out for those who are disadvantaged," he said.