CEBU, Philippines – An ecumenical group composed of non-Catholic churches on Wednesday, April 23, paid tribute to the late Pope Francis, calling him a beacon of Christian unity who championed peace and environmental stewardship.
“It is deeply profound that the pontiff who issued Laudato Si, a call and prayer for the protection and renewal of our common home, died on Easter Monday, a day after the celebration of the Resurrected Christ, and on the eve of Earth Day,” said the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), a network of non-Roman Catholic denominations founded in 1963.
The NCCP said Pope Francis “fearlessly spoke against the exploitation of workers and farmers across the world, and called for a global economy to prioritize dignity, a hope to be in solidarity with them.”
“His legacy will continue to guide us as a true prophet and a Pope of the Poor. As members of the Christian community, we commit to carrying forward the goodness of his heart and walking in the light of the Pope’s radical compassion and hope,” the NCCP said.
Meanwhile, the Most Reverend Joel Porlares, Obispo Maximo (Supreme Bishop) of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), said, “Pope Francis exemplified what it means to lead by serving, to love without condition, and to walk with the broken and the forgotten.”
“In his life, Pope Francis exemplified what it means to lead by serving, to love without condition, and to walk with the broken and the forgotten. A Pope of the people at the margins, his voice echoed the Gospel’s invitation to walk humbly and love deeply, opened wide the doors of the Church to those once shut out, and called upon the world never to forget those left behind,” Porlares said in a statement on the church’s Facebook page.
“As one in the shared heritage of the apostolic faith, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente gives thanks for Pope Francis’ legacy of revolutionary love and radical simplicity,” he added.
The IFI, also known as the Aglipayan Church, broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in 1902.
The 88-year-old Pope Francis died on Monday, April 21, in Vatican City after suffering a stroke, coma, and irreversible cardiovascular collapse, compounded by pre-existing health conditions, the Vatican said.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, the late pontiff was widely regarded as a radical reformer who championed the marginalized within the Church. – Rappler.com
