Pope Francis: Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe leads midday mass ahead of flying to Rome for the funeral

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe has led a midday mass of more than a thousand mourners as he prepares to fly to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral. More than 1300 parishioners filled the halls of St Mary’s Cathedral on Tuesday where a special service was held to remember the 88-year-old who died on Easter Monday. Archbishop Costelloe — who is also the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference — said he would fly to Rome on Tuesday night and would stay in the Vatican until after the funeral. “The funeral needs to take place within a week of the Pope’s death . . . so St Peter’s Square will be packed with people,” he said. “There’ll be enormous crowds wanting to pay their respects to him so it will be busy, but the main event, so to speak, will be the funeral itself.” The midday mass commenced with the procession of the clergy followed by the Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton and Archbishop Costelloe. Archbishop Costelloe said he was still coming to terms with the “sad news.” “We had been told that he came very close to death twice during his recent time in hospital, and I think we knew in our heart of hearts that was his return to his home in the Vatican and we were witnessing the beginning of the last chapter of his life,” he said. “But then, when we saw the footage of his appearance on the balcony overlooking St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday morning, we heard his simple message to the crowds ... we dared to hope that perhaps he had turned the corner. “So it was with a sense of shock that the news came through yesterday afternoon that the Pope had died. “Yesterday, while many of us were undoubtedly enjoying a relaxed lunch here in Perth after the busyness of Easter, the Lord once again called and chose Francis.” Archbishop Costelloe said the Pope was a man of compassion, even in the final days of his life. “(Compassion) is perhaps the quality of Pope Francis which stands out throughout his whole life . . . the beautiful words he so often spoke were matched with practical concern and concrete action,” he said. “We see this in the Pope’s decision just a few days ago to visit the prisoners in one of Rome’s prisons and to assure them of his closeness to them and their families, even though he was no longer able to get down on his hands and knees to wash their feet.” Archbishop Costelloe described the Pope as “very warm and engaging” and said they shared some fond memories together. “He’s strong but gentle and has a great sense of humour, so there are some really, really good memories for me. “He was aware of the challenges we face with the scandal and the horror of the sexual abuse crisis which has affected (the Catholic Church) so badly, but he was also aware of some of the positive things in Australia.” Archbishop Costello said Pope Francis had an “inclusive” leadership style which he hoped would be adopted by the next pontiff. “One of the things that I’ve reflected on is that he’s modelled a new style of leadership in the church,” he said. “He has modelled a new style of leadership (which is) a down to earth, approachable and inclusive style. “That’s always been our aim — we haven’t always succeeded, but he set us on a journey and there’s no going back from that.” Parishioner Christine — who attended the 8am mass — said the Pope’s passing came as a shock but said she was not surprised because he had been ill for so long. “I was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church and I had drifted away, I’m a lapsed Catholic now, but I have always had an interest in the Pope and what he does and what he doesn’t do,” she said. “(His death) was a bit of a shock but I wasn’t really surprised because he had been very ill.” Christine described the Pope as “down to Earth” and said she respected his efforts in “trying to make a difference.” “(Francis) tried to implement changes; they didn’t always go down with the Catholic priority, but I think he tried to make a difference,” she said. “He didn’t have a flashy car, he didn’t wear the pants and robes when he came out onto the balcony ... he wanted to relate to people; the poor people in particular.” Christine said she wanted Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson to become the next pope. “I think it would be a great encouragement . . . it would be good for African countries and it would be interesting to see if he follows in Francis’ footsteps,” she said. Premier Roger Cook described the Pope as a “great humanitarian” and said his thoughts were with the WA Catholic community. “The passing of Pope Francis impacts us all,” he said. “He was a great humanitarian, a humble man, and a man that embraced the whole community as part of his great time as the Pope. “Everyone in Western Australia . . . has their thoughts with the Western Australian Catholic community today.” Speaking in Perth, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the Pope was “one of the most consequential people of this century”. “He was a tireless advocate for the poor, he was a Pope who was focused on the rights of working people,” he said. “He was a pope who made climate change action a centrepiece of his papacy, understanding that climate change was a matter of inter-generational justice. “I know resonated he with so many people around the world and mattered so much in a world where we face many difficulties and many challenges.” WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas, who met the Pope last year, said he lived a life of devotion.