I remember when I was first entering the Church, I had loathed and reviled you, thinking you were a scourage to the Chair of St. Peter.
I didn’t know the tender, courageous, loving shepherd you were this entire time, and my heart broke knowing I had cursed a man who embodied what it means to be the Vicar of Christ.
I swore upon the Tridentine Creed and the intercession of St. Padre Pio, that for the rest of my life, I would defend you and all of Christ’s Vicars to my dying breath.
You showed me Papa how tender God’s mercy is and what it means to love my neighbor. You showed courage in the face of a godless world to uphold the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church. You reminded me just how much God loves with an infinite love, and that no one is too far gone to be saved.
I love you Pope Francis with all of my heart, and you will always be my Father in Faith and one of my greatest witnesses in following Jesus Christ. I can only pray I get to see you in Heaven one day.
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.”
- Matthew 25:21