Pope Leo in Africa remembers Francis’s legacy of mercy
Pope Leo XIV reflected on Pope Francis's legacy of mercy during his flight from Luanda to Malabo, marking the first anniversary of Francis's death. He praised Francis for his commitment to the poor, sick, children, and elderly, emphasizing human fraternity and respect for all. Leo highlighted Francis's focus on God's mercy and forgiveness, citing his first Angelus address and the Jubilee of Mercy celebrations. The Pope recalled Francis's choice to open the Jubilee of Mercy in Bangui, Congo, instead of St. Peter’s Basilica, underscoring his global outreach.
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Pope Leo XIV used the first anniversary of Pope Francis’s death (21 April 2025) while travelling through Africa to reaffirm his predecessor’s focus on mercy, fraternity and service to the poor, and to outline ongoing pastoral initiatives in Angola and Equatorial Guinea. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Pope Leo XIV addressed journalists aboard the ITA Airways plane from Luanda to Malabo, stating that Pope Francis “gave so much to the Church with his life, his testimony, his words and his gestures,” living “close to the poorest, the smallest, the sick, the children and the elderly.” He asked that prayers be offered for Francis to “enjoy the mercy of God” and thanked the world for his “great gift.” 1 2 4 6
Leo recalled Francis’s early Angelus (13 March 2013) and the Mass on 17 March 2013 where the pope preached on the woman caught in adultery, emphasizing God’s mercy. He noted the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, inaugurated in Bangui, Central African Republic, in November 2015, as a hallmark of Francis’s pontificate. 1 2 4 6
The new pope stressed Francis’s call for “authentic respect for all men and women” and a spirit of brother‑sisterhood rooted in the Gospel. 1 2 4 6
Francis was described as a “devoted shepherd” who “touched many hearts” and who proclaimed the Gospel of mercy “to everyone, everyone, everyone.” 5 3
Leo said Angola’s Catholic community is expanding rapidly, a contrast to declines elsewhere. He called this growth “a joy” and a prompt for continued evangelisation, not proselytism. He indicated that local bishops, together with the papal nuncio, should propose new dioceses and bishops to serve the faithful more closely. He mentioned the possibility of a future cardinal for Angola, though any decision would be made at the global level. He also highlighted collaboration with the Angolan president on health‑care and education projects, stressing the Church’s role in defending universal rights. 1 4
After arriving in Malabo, Leo’s itinerary included:
These events conclude his 11‑day African apostolic journey, which also covered Algeria, Cameroon and Angola. 4 5 6
While on the African tour, Leo sent a written message to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, read at St. Mary Major, where Pope Francis is buried. The message portrayed Francis as a “missionary of mercy,” a disciple faithful to his baptism and episcopal consecration, and a guardian of the Second Vatican Council’s legacy. It also invoked the Virgin Mary to inspire the Church as “tireless apostles of her divine Son.” 5
Investigate Pope Francis’s emphasis on mercy and fraternity in Catholic doctrine
Pope Francis consistently presents mercy and fraternity not as optional “attitudes,” but as core dimensions of Catholic life and doctrine—grounded in what God has revealed, expressed in the Church’s pastoral actions, and verified by concrete practices toward others.
Francis frames mercy as something intrinsic to the Church’s very identity:
“Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life. All of her pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers; nothing in her preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy.”
This is a doctrinal claim about how the Church must act and preach: mercy is not merely a supplementary theme; it is portrayed as the Church’s credibility before the world.
Francis explicitly addresses a possible doctrinal confusion: some people can focus only on justice and forget that justice is “the first… step,” but not the final goal of Christian pastoral witness.
He thus articulates a hierarchy: justice is necessary, yet mercy must “go beyond and strive for a higher and more important goal.”
This theme resonates with the Church’s teaching on mercy as something meant to transform relationships, not only individual guilt: the Catechism is quoted in a way that makes mercy relational—peace with God requires forgiveness of neighbor.
Francis insists that divine mercy is not an idea floating above history; it is shown in salvation history as healing, freeing, lifting up, and caring for the vulnerable.
He even stresses that mercy reveals God’s omnipotence: for Aquinas (as quoted by Francis), God’s mercy is the mark of God’s power, not a sign of weakness.
A key Franciscan pastoral logic is that mercy must move from the interior life to exterior charity. In a General Audience catechesis, Francis summarizes this as:
“mercy is a journey that goes from the heart to the hands.”
He then connects that inward reception of mercy to works of mercy—so mercy is not only received but enacted.
Francis also applies mercy to ordained ministry and pastoral planning—not by changing the sacraments, but by insisting that mercy must shape how ministers serve God’s people.
In a priestly retreat meditation, he states:
“Mercy is our way of making the entire life of God’s people a sacrament.”
He further teaches that being merciful is not merely “a way of life,” but “the way of life,” and ties this to a “father’s gaze” that can see needs, provide relief, and even anticipate needs.
He even makes a practical pastoral assessment criterion: plans that fail may be failing because they “lack mercy,” and he warns against sharp criticism that turns people away instead of opening a door to God.
Francis treats fraternity as both deeply human and specifically Christian. A 2015 address to the Order of Friars Minor states that fraternity belongs to Gospel witness, because Christians in the early Church were “astonished” by unity and charity:
“so willing to give and to forgive one another, in such a fellowship of mercy… unanimous in sharing the joys, sufferings and experiences of life.”
This is significant theologically: fraternity is not merely social harmony; it is presented as the public sign that Gospel charity is real.
Francis emphasizes a concrete dimension: fraternity must restore mutual trust in relationships. That is described as a Gospel witness that makes the world “see and believe” that Jesus’ love heals wounds and renders people “as one.”
At the World Meeting on Human Fraternity (2023), Francis ties fraternity to concrete social and political outcomes. He argues that when societies choose fraternity, policies change such that the person takes precedence over profit, and justice opens to reparation; he also highlights reconciliation between victims and perpetrators as part of healing memory.
He also frames peace as requiring fraternity, and fraternity as requiring encounter:
“peace needs fraternity and fraternity needs encounter.”
In that same address, Francis calls for “concrete gestures and shared decisions” rather than abstract theory, including acts such as reconciling with others, praying for those who hurt, recognizing and helping those in need, and speaking words of peace publicly.
Francis applies the priority of fraternity to formation and apostolic choices. In 2024, he tells the Capuchins:
“make fraternity your priority… even if it means giving up projects and achievements of another kind… Fraternity comes first.”
The point is doctrinally meaningful: fraternity is not a peripheral value; it shapes discernment and governance in the Church.
Francis’s approach consistently binds the two themes:
In other words: mercy is the engine of fraternity, because mercy teaches believers (and the Church’s ministers) how to draw near, forgive, heal, and practically include others—thereby making real communion possible.
From Francis’s own wording across these documents, the doctrinal emphasis can be summarized as three claims:
Pope Francis emphasizes mercy and fraternity as central to Catholic doctrine as lived reality: mercy is the Church’s foundation, God’s concrete power revealed in salvation, and the pastoral criterion shaping the Church’s ministers; fraternity is the Gospel sign that unity and charity are real, and it must translate into trust, encounter, and concrete gestures that build peace.