General News
23 April, 2025
Catholic leaders mourn the passing of Pope Francis
North Queensland's senior Catholic figures paid tribute to Pope Francis on Tuesday morning.
Catholic Bishop Tim Harris has pressed on with a planned tour of Mount Isa and Cloncurry this week amid the passing of Pope Francis.
“The show must go on,” the head of the Townsville Catholic Diocese said on Tuesday.
“I was shocked when I heard the news like everyone else, because we had seen (Pope Francis) at Easter celebrations just the day before.
“But he has been very ill for quite a long time.
“We must now remember the legacy of this extraordinary individual who brought real gifts to the Church and whatever Pope comes next, I am joined to him.
“But I am also a local person, so I need to be thinking globally but acting locally.
“We still have work to do and that is what we need to continue with at this time.”
Bishop Tim visited Catholic schools in Mount Isa and Cloncurry as students returned from the Easter break and he also held a Confirmation Mass at Good Shepherd Parish.
Bishop Tim said he was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as the head of the Townsville Diocese in 2017 and he had met him on several occasions.
He said the death of Pope Francis coincided with the anniversary of the passing of his own mother, adding to the poignancy of the occasion.
“I hope my mother and Pope Francis will meet each other in heaven,” Bishop Tim said.
“Pope Francis often said we need to be people who are welcoming.
“He brought a true sense that everyone matters and that humanity matters – he believed in the best in people.
“There is a continuity in our Popes – I think Pope Francis was the right man at the right time, and I think that is the way it has always been. The Holy Spirit is alive and well in this process and will be needed to help the Cardinals to discern as they follow the process for appointing the next Pope.”
Father Mick Lowcock said he believed Pope Francis steered a compassionate Church that focused on serving those on the edges of the community.
“He focused on acts of mercy like no one else before,” he said.
Father Mick said plans for a memorial Mass at Good Shepherd Parish were still being finalised.
Good Shepherd associate priest Father Nnaemeka Njezi said Catholics around the globe will watch the proceedings at the Vatican with great interest over the coming weeks.
“Pope Francis inverted the pyramid of the Church so that the people were at the top,” he said.
“There will be a new Pope and there is a sense of wonder at what changes he will bring.”