There is a lesson to be learned from the various health ailments that Pope Francis endured not only in his final days but throughout his life, Father Gerald Murray told Newsmax on Monday.
"He suffered a lot," Murray, the pastor at St. Joseph's Church in New York City, told "Newsline." "And that's really a valuable lesson for us. When we suffer, we imitate Christ in a way that is very moving because we're, like him, carrying a cross that is not easy to bear."
Francis, 88, died Monday of a stroke and irreversible heart failure. His death followed more than two months of being in and out of hospitals in Rome because of severe respiratory infections. He was initially hospitalized with bronchitis Feb. 14.
In 1957, in his early 20s, Francis had surgery in his native Argentina to remove a portion of his lung that had been affected by a severe respiratory infection, The Vatican News reported Monday. As he aged, he frequently suffered bouts of respiratory illnesses, even canceling a planned visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2023 because of influenza and lung inflammation.
Murray said Francis' death is a "source of sadness" and added it was unexpected, even with his recent health issues.
"It's a source of sadness because the Pope is the Holy Father," Murray said. "So, the church views him not simply as an administrative official or a chief or a leader. And his passing, therefore, is the loss of a great member of our family. So, we do pray for him.
"It was unexpected in the sense that yesterday he looked pretty vigorous when he came out into Saint Peter's Square. He rode the Popemobile. He greeted families and children, but his voice was labored, and he couldn't really breathe too well. So, I think now's the time to mourn him, to pay our respects, to think about all the good things that he did."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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