EDM 1133: Life of Pope Francis

That this House celebrates the life of Pope Francis, the 265th Pope, Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church; recognises his historic role as the first Jesuit and Latin American Pope; acknowledges that the Holy Father was a champion of Church reform, advocating for the inherent worth of every person, breaking tradition to wash the feet of women, refugees, victims of abuse, the homeless and prisoners on Maundy Thursdays, continuing in illness visiting Rome's Regina Coeli prison on Maundy Thursday on 17 April 2025; further recognises his efforts towards equity, encouraging steps toward allowing women to be deacons, inviting the homeless to celebrate his 80th birthday, creating a Vatican office for the care of refugees and migrants, urging the world in Laudato Si to develop a relationship with the Earth, Our Common Home describing an environmental-social crisis marked by the globalisation of indifference to the poor; honours his work to democratise the Church with the Synod on Synodality in October 2023 and 2024, and his decision to make it mandatory for all Catholic priests to report safeguarding cases to state authorities and the Church while protecting the seal of the confessional; notes his commitment to peace with daily calls to Father Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family Church in Gaza City for 18 months; and extends condolences to around 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and 6.2 million in the United Kingdom who mourn the loss of a spiritual leader whose legacy transcends religious boundaries.