“Ka mea a Īhu ki a ia, “Ko ahau te aranga, te ora. Ko ia e whakapono ana ki ahau, ahakoa kua mate, e ora anō.”- Hoani 11:25* * *Pope Francis, spiritual leader and Holy Father to the more than 1.3 billion Catholics in the world today, has passed away.May he rest in eternal peace.Pope Francis was an extraordinary Christian leader and servant, and those who were close to him knew how truly humble and compassionate he really was.Our own Archbishop Sir David Moxon, who served for a time in Rome as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, formed a close friendship with Pope Francis while there. ++David would often regale us with stories of Pope Francis’ humility and compassion, and the way he would show grace and kindness to humble workers and servants and to visitors young and old.I’ve heard too from other Māori leaders who were blessed enough to have met Pope Francis, and how in awe they became of his humility and graciousness.I was blessed enough myself to have met him only last year, alongside some of my fellow Archbishops and Primates from around the world who were invited to gather at the Vatican in April 2024.His opening words to us were “Pray for me. This is a hard job.” Most of us chuckled because we understood in our own lesser ways what it must be like for him. He went on to share some of his hopes and dreams for Christian unity and servanthood, and encouraged us to strive for that unity and to make peace real in the world. We shared in discussion for more than an hour.I’ll never forget how humble and gracious he was, and how earnest he was in his encouragement to us.The Christian Church is as imperfect and troubled and flawed and broken as any other historic movement may be, and probably even more so. But among the many there are a few who actually come to embody the faith to which we all aspire. Pope Francis was one of those.May he rest in eternal peace.May God bless our Catholic brothers and sisters, in Aotearoa and beyond, who now mourn his passing.And may we all find a way to bring a little more peace and kindness into the world.