ROCHESTER, Minn. – The leader of southern Minnesota Catholics, Bishop Robert Barron, eulogized Pope Francis for a legacy of “mercy and evangelization.” The Pope, age 88, died at Vatican City overnight. Barron praised Francis as “a great pastor who spoke from the heart and with tender affection.” Barron met Pope Francis with other bishops several times. Barron said the Pope’s words “burned their way into my heart and mind.” Those words: “The first task of a bishop is to pray.”

Verbatim

Barron: “Pope Francis famously remarked that the Church is a field hospital to those wounded by our postmodern, relativistic society. It must, first and foremost, heal the wounds. Pope Francis had a keen awareness of the destructiveness of sin, and he encouraged the Church to show the world the merciful face of Christ. He also emphasized the importance of our personal witness to the light of faith, drawing others to the life-giving joy of the Gospel.”