Pope Francis: Dozens gather at Perth’s St Mary’s Cathedral to celebrate Pope’s ‘achievements and humility’

Dozens of mourners have gathered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Perth to honour Pope Francis following his passing.

The 88-year-old Pontiff died on Monday morning after battling bouts of ill health for the past two years.

Father Kenneth Acosta led the 8am mass and said the Pope would be celebrated for his “achievements and humility”.

He also held a minute silence.

“The Lord has taken him at such a special time when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, because in the end . . . the promise of eternal life is awaiting all of us,” Father Acosta said.

“Pope Francis himself, this weekend, was speaking of the power of the resurrection, how beyond the limitations of humanity, the life of Christ goes before us.

“Today we pay respect and celebrate his memory for his achievements, for his humility . . . and how to love.

“Pope Francis has done so much for the church . . . not just for Catholics, but for many people around the world.

“We pray for his soul, that he may rest in peace and for us, that we may keep praying for our church as we mourn him and as we look forward to the next Pope the Lord will give us.

“We pray for the church in this time and for all of us, that the joy and restoration may be a source of strength for all of you.”

Parishioner Christine said the Pope’s passing came as a shock but said she wasn’t 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.

Churchgoer Rosemary said she prayed the Pope would “rest in peace and rise in glory”.

“He appeared at the balcony on Sunday when there was a mass at the Vatican,” she said.

“It’s good for me to come down and to be able to pay my respects and see his photo.

“I just pray for us that he rest in peace and rise in glory.”

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.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remembered the Pope as a devout “modernist”.

“Pope Francis lived out his faith and vocation in word and deed,” he said.

“(His) love for humanity was powerful and profound.”

“The memory and example of his compassion will long endure as we mourn his death.”

Speaking in Perth, deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the Pope was “one of the most consequential people of this century”.

“It is a very historic day for millions of Catholics around Australia, but (also) in fact millions of other Australians, as we remember, acknowledge, mourn, but also celebrate the life of Pope Francis,” he said.

“He was a tireless advocate for the poor, he was a Pope who was focused on the rights of working people.

“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.

“Pope Francis was somebody who brought to bear in every decision he made, every action he took, a simple humility which characterised his papacy and the message contained in that is enormously powerful.

“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.”

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.

His death was confirmed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber.

Vatican City State health and hygiene director of the directorate Dr Andrea Arcangeli on Monday evening confirmed Francis had a stroke before suffering a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.

According to the medical report, the Pope had a history of acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes.

The cause of death was confirmed through electrocardiographic thanatography.

Elected Pope in 2013 after the shock resignation of his predecessor Benedict XVI, Francis was a progressive leader of the Catholic Church, taking a more open approach to women and the LGBTQI+ community.

In his final spiritual testament from June 2022, published by the Vatican, Francis requested that his tomb be in the ground and not be adorned with lavish ornamentation.