The late Pope Francis was “a man of the heart” who preached tenderness and mercy to the world church, said the New York Archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Dolan spoke with Montse Alvarado, president and director of Operations of Ewtn News, in the papal basilica of San Pablo Extramuros in Rome. The Cardinal is one of the ten American purple that will vote in the conclave to choose the next Pope.
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
When reflecting on the three most recent potatoes – San Juan Pablo II, Benedict XVI and Francisco – the cardinal commented that John Paul II “revived the soul of the world” that was exhausted by the “lies” and “atrocities.” Benedict XVI, meanwhile, was known for joining “the mind, faith and reason.”
“And Pope Francis, I thought, spoke a lot about the heart,” said Dolan.
“I remember his first time in the window after his choice. I suppose we all thought there would be a theologically scholarly talk,” said Dolan. “And (on the other hand) he spoke of tenderness, tenderness.”
“We have a God who is tender with us and we have a God who wants us to be tender with each other,” Dollan continued.
The purple said that it was “magnificent” that Francisco’s last encyclical, Dilexit Nos, is a call to Catholics around the world to rediscover love and compassion found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“Do you remember when it was hospitalized so long?” Dollan questioned about Francisco’s hospitalization this year, before death. “When we received medical newsletters, doctors said: ‘Ah, but their heart is strong.’ And I replied: ‘Of course,’ he was a man of the heart.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA
Daniel Payne
Daniel Payne is a senior editor of Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.