Pope Francis lived a life of devotion to the Lord, Father Patrick Flanagan told Newsmax on Tuesday.
The chair of theology and religious studies at St. John's University, Flanagan said on "Newsline" that Francis had total dependence on God and relied heavily on prayer.
"He expected other people to pray for him also," Flanagan told host Bianca de la Garza.
Flanagan said Francis' relationship and solidarity with the poor was "beautiful." The late Pope also requested that he buried in a simple underground tomb outside the Vatican walls.
"The way we die is often the way we live," Flanagan said, discussing a sermon he gave about Francis after his death. "And very clearly the way he died, very simply and very beautifully pressing the flesh and engaging people was the way he lived and remarkable in so many ways that he did not want to be known as any extraordinary statesman, but he wanted to be known as just a simple, humble servant of the Lord. And there's something remarkable about that.
"So even in death, he's teaching the world how to live simply and beautifully. Our relationship with God that costs nothing."
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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