Archbishop Lucas: Pope Francis challenged us, in a good way

Like many other Catholics, Archbishop George J. Lucas awoke to jolting news on Easter Monday.

For Archbishop Lucas the news of Pope Francis’ death came early, about 5:15 a.m. CDT.

“I was not surprised in one sense, because he’s been in such frail health,” the archbishop told reporters. “But we saw pictures of him yesterday at St. Peter’s Square welcoming everyone who had come to celebrate Easter there.”

Archbishop Lucas offered a Mass for the pope Monday morning at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha and afterward held the brief press conference. During that time the archbishop recalled his memories of the pope and the ways he impacted the Church during his time as pontiff.

“Pope Francis was a wonderful shepherd for us in the Church,” Archbishop Lucas said. “I found him challenging in a lot of really good ways. He was always inviting us, and sometimes pushing us, to look to the peripheries, to notice people who maybe weren’t being noticed in other ways … especially the poor and people on the margins.”

The pope “challenged us, I think, to address issues in our world, in our society, that are really moral issues,” but that sometimes have political overtones.

“He really addressed them as a pastor,” the archbishop said, “as a messenger of the Gospel, and I think challenges us to do the same.”

Though he was able to meet with the Holy Father on a couple of occasions, he said, one of his fondest memories was “just seeing the way that he would wade into crowds.”

“He just seemed to be delighted to be with people of all kinds, and people were delighted to be with him.”

Archbishop Lucas also recalled a required ad limina visit he and other bishops from the Midwest had with Pope Francis five years ago.

Pope Francis meets with U.S. bishops from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska during their ad limina visits to the Vatican on Jan. 16, 2020. The bishops made the visit to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses to the pope and Vatican officials. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

It was “a very fraternal meeting” that lasted two and a half hours, with the pope eager to hear about what was happening in their local churches, asking questions and commenting.

Pope Francis would have been 83 at the time, “so not a kid,” but he had a lot of energy in his kindness, curiosity and graciousness, the archbishop said.

During the press conference at the cathedral, Archbishop Lucas was asked about the impact of Pope Francis’ death on the people of the archdiocese.

“I think a lot of us take his passing very personally,” he said. “He was a real Holy Father to us and our family of faith, but really to the human family, too.”

The archbishop also was asked about Pope Francis’ embrace of all people, including those with controversial lifestyles.

“I think he tried as well as he could to imitate the Lord Himself,” the archbishop responded, “Who came for all of us … to extend the mercy of God to all of us. So the pope was not shy, as we know, about talking about things that were somewhat controversial.” 

On many hot-button issues, the Holy Father spoke not from a political perspective or with a certain social agenda, Archbishop Lucas said,“but really from the point of view of the Gospel and of the mercy that God extends to us in Jesus Christ.”

Pope Francis’ death altered plans for events around the world, including the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which has been postponed. But the archbishop said he expected the May 7 installation of Archbishop-elect Michael G. McGovern to go on as planned.

In a separate interview with the Catholic Voice, Archbishop Lucas acknowledged the changes the Church will be facing in the days ahead.

“It certainly is a time of transition for all of us in the Church,” he said. “Very much so for us locally in the archdiocese, but also for the whole Church.

“We are confident that the Holy Spirit is with us and guiding all these events,” he said. “God’s not confounded by things that seem kind of confusing or overwhelming to us.  I trust we’ll be given the grace that we need, and I think there will be many joys and consolations in these changes that we experience.”

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