Join Father Andre for a unique perspective on Pope Francis’ contributions to the Church and his lasting legacy. The conversation delves into the significance of Pope Francis’ funeral and contemplates the future direction of the Catholic Church under new leadership. Carolina offers an eyewitness account from Rome, adding depth to this introspective dialogue about faith, leadership, and continuity in challenging times.
00:00:05 Introduction to Father Andre’s Early Life and Mission
At age 10, Father Andre escaped Christian massacres by living in caves in Mount Lebanon with his family. Today, Father Andre works tirelessly to encourage American leaders to keep God in the public square, defending religious freedom at home and abroad, so that all might live in peace for the glory of God. Founder and President of the Mission of Hope and Mercy, Father Andre has learned the secret to safety, joy, and peace. Love God and one another. Now, let us spend 33 minutes on the Lord’s Day, retuning ourselves to the truth of love in the hands of God.
SPEAKER 03 :
Praise be the most holy name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, now and forever and ever. Amen. Christ is risen. Christ is truly risen. A reading from a letter to the Corinthians by Pope St. Clement I. Having received their orders, the apostles went out, fully convinced by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting the word of God and assured by the Holy Spirit. They went out proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand throughout the countryside and in the cities. they tested in the spirit the first fruits of their preaching and appointed them to be bishops and deacons for those who would later come to believe. Our apostles knew also through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife over the office of the episcopate. And so with perfect foresight, When they ordained those men, the apostles gave them the mandate that when they pass away, other proven men should succeed them in their ministry. We pray for the soul of Pope Francis, and we say, Let us pray. hear whose favor our prayers, which we humbly offer, O Lord, for the salvation of the soul of Pope Francis, your servant and priest, that he who devoted a faithful ministry to your name may rejoice in the perpetual company of your saints, through Christ our Lord. Amen. My dear friends, I want to welcome you to this beautiful morning of Sunday of Divine Mercy. And of course, yesterday the whole world was watching the funeral of Pope Francis. I would like to welcome with me, due to the time restraints, so we can benefit from the maximum time we have, our collaborator from Rome, Carolina. Carolina, buona sera o buongiorno.
SPEAKER 04 :
Buonasera, buonasera.
SPEAKER 03 :
Sì, da voi buonasera, lo so, da noi è il mattino. Però come stai? Sì, infatti.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, well, it was an important day, there were the funerals of Pope Francis and it was a moment for the whole Christian community, a moment of absolute sharing and very important. In Rome, in my city, all the the main reference points of the whole world. There was President Trump, there were the presidents of all European nations and, in short, it was also an important opportunity to verify
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, I can translate a little bit of what you said in English, which is beautiful what you said. So the event of the funeral of Pope Francis is a significant event for the whole world, right? Not only for Italy. To Italy comes the entire world every so often. This is the only nation in the world where all the nations come from time to time to assist and to be present at the burial of a priest, a burial of a shepherd, a burial of the bishop of Rome, the burial of the vicar of Christ. As you said in Italian, what an acknowledgment from all the authorities of the world, whether they believe in Jesus Christ or not, whether they believe that the Pope is the vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome or not, but they come witness the funeral of the Bishop of Rome, the vicar of Peter, the vicar of Christ and successor of St. Peter. Go ahead, please comment on that in English. Can you hear me?
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, I try to do that in English. And it was very important for all the community, Christian community, because, as you said, it was clear to everybody that in this case, in this occasion, all the world, all the world, made from all the words that stay. It was completely unique. Unique.
SPEAKER 03 :
Unique. Unique. Unique. OK.
SPEAKER 04 :
and probably that’s to be sincerely I think God if see that from the heaven think that it was a good it was a very good occasion because all the people
SPEAKER 03 :
Regardless of the contradictions, regardless of the resistance and the problem inside the Christian world, right? Because Christians fight. Is the Pope a good Pope? Is the Pope a bad Pope? Did he stand for the good causes or really he was not standing for the good causes? What you’re saying, in the end, at the funeral, Christianity wins. The church wins. And the Pope is buried with dignity, the dignity of an apostle, basically, right? I mean, it’s an event.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yes, absolutely, yes, what I said. I think it was historical and a thing who make a very important historical for all the humanity.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s historical for all of humanity. And in fact, you know, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, who is in fact the dean of the cardinals, he is older, he is 91 years old. 91 years old, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. He is the Cardinal Dean of the College of the Cardinals. He presided the actual funeral of Pope Francis. And in fact, Cardinal Re, which I know you know of him as well. He served in the Curia of the Roman Empire. of the Roman Curia, meaning the offices of the Vatican, for 50 years, for 50 years. So he basically accompanied, let’s say, but who were the popes from 50 years ago to today? Well, he knew them all. He knew them all, no? Personally. Right, who were those popes from 50 years? Let’s go, subtract 50 years, so that would be 1970s, right? So this is still the time of a pope of the six, Pope Paolo VI. Then Pope John Paul I, Paolo I. Then John Paul II, Giovanni Paolo II. And then Benedict XVI. And then Pope Benedict XVI. And here’s Pope Francis. He served as a Curia priest, basically, for 50 years. So he was with all of these popes. All of them happened to be after Vatican II. So all these popes, 50 years ago, So this is a council of contradictions for many, but this is a council that led the church in all directions. You said when I spoke to you and we were watching the funeral, you personally and me with you through the waves, you said, La chiave per sapere chi è il Papa adesso, chi verrà come Papa, è dentro l’Omelia del Cardinale Re. So the key, you said, to know who is the upcoming pope after Pope Francis is actually inside the homily of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, which he pronounced during the actual funeral. Why did you say that?
SPEAKER 04 :
Just to know, I have to speak in English or is it possible to speak in Italian to explain? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
If you can speak in English, that’s fine. If you speak in Italian, every time I raise my hand, I stop so I can translate. Like this, the listeners will remain in the context of what you’re saying.
SPEAKER 04 :
So I speak in Italian. It’s better for me. Nell’Omelia del Cardinale Re è stato reso… He brought in a very official way and professional way the 12 years of service of Pope Francis. And he highlighted evidently all the actions, all the events, all the facts, every move and every word that Pope Francis did during his pontificate of 12 years. underlining the attention of this Pope, who was the Pope of the last, and who tried to bring the vast majority of people closer to the Church.
SPEAKER 03 :
So he highlighted them, he presented them as being the Pope degli ultimi, of the least, of the last. Of the least. You know, of the least and the last, I guess. And the last. When Jesus says the last becomes first, the least of these, my brothers and sisters, meaning… meaning the poor, the marginalized, the people who probably usually we don’t look at them as a people inside the church. So basically, according to Cardinal Ray, he highlighted in an evidential way that Pope Francis was the Pope of these least and last brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, right? And then of the people in all the world, regardless of their faith in Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER 04 :
In fact. vorrebbe dire che si è voluto soltanto santificare un Papa che non è quella l’occasione
SPEAKER 03 :
So Carolina, our collaborator for the Mission of Hope and Mercy in Rome was Giuseppe, a very good friend since the foundation of our Mission of Hope and Mercy have been with us, is interpreting that to know who is going to be the next Pope after Pope Francis now is entombed and is buried and the Christian funeral has been celebrated. for the rest of his soul. Yesterday, on Saturday, April 26, 2025, after 12 years of services, she’s telling us that basically the proper attention must be given to the homily, which was delivered and pronounced and written, obviously, by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Rea. who is the dean of the College of Cardinals, 91 years old. He served in the Vatican Curia for 50 years. And she’s telling us the reason why the homily is the key to know who is going to be the next pope, because the attention in this homily was given through the evident qualities and actions of Pope Francis to the pilgrimage that the church is doing in the world. The pilgrimage, the walk, the path. which is the pilgrimage in the world towards the poor, the marginalized, and the modern times. Carolina, what kind of pilgrimage is the Church taking? The Church is the center of attention within the homily of Cardinal Rey. So it wasn’t really a funeral about Pope Francis. It was also a statement about the centrality of the walk of the church inside the world through what Pope Francis has opened wide, the doors of the church.
SPEAKER 04 :
Exactly, exactly. That’s the focus. Because I think, and I’m not the only to think about that. Also, many, many… Vaticanist think like me that what Papa Francesco do it was the beginning of the next of the next church
SPEAKER 03 :
I wish, honestly, my assistants were with me. So really, Cardinal Ray stated that the ministry of Pope Francis is an inauguration for the new era of the church. It’s a new era. Exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER 04 :
So I think they want to…
SPEAKER 03 :
They want to continue, they want to continue in this progress, in this progressive movement, walk of the church.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely, yes. Con tutte le dovute cautele dovute al fatto che si tratta comunque della Chiesa Cattolica. Questo è molto chiaro, chiaramente, anche ai cardinali che voteranno dal 10 in poi, insomma.
SPEAKER 03 :
You think cautele vol dire prudence, right? Yeah, yeah. So they’re going to give a proper attention to all the, you may call them probably due diligence to make sure they walk towards modern times with paying enough attention to the Catholic identity, that this is the Catholic Church walking in modern time and no one else. Is that what you’re trying to say?
SPEAKER 04 :
I try to say that probably it will be possible that after the new Pope can be another Concilio Vaticano that can change more and more things of the Church. Because now the Church needs absolutely to be in that world, in that place, I want to make some examples. Many cardinals have, for instance, Facebook or X account. And they use… They use that to, I told about cardinals, not only the priest that needs that, of course, for work, but the cardinals directly. For instance, the cardinal of Philippine have the most important X profile from the other cardinals.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah, yeah, is it? Is it? And also other cardinals have the same profile and try to have an approach with the whole population.
SPEAKER 04 :
I realize that we are talking about the next pope, but the next pope is a next pope who must continue the path started by Francis. This is what the Church wants.
SPEAKER 03 :
So for sure, the centrality in the homily was given to the new era of the church, the centrality that the Pope is actually incorporating all the values, the principles, and is applying the Second Council of Vatican, which makes the church walk into the modern times, They are paying attention, according to what you’re saying, to the given due diligent attention, basically, that this is the Catholic Church walking in modern time. And Cardinal Ray, who presided the funeral of Pope Francis, basically, you’re saying the key in his homily is that the new pope has to walk. in the path of Pope Francis. So he’s speaking at the Dean of the Cardinals and he’s saying the next Pope will have to walk in the same path of Pope Francis. I want to tell you, you know, during his homily, It’s actually impressive. It’s actually impressive. Impressionante, veramente. To see that Pope Francis was almost pronounced dead two months before or three months, you know, since February, right? He was almost dead many times. Even in the world started the litigating and saying and making their way to Rome that, oh, the Pope is dead, the Pope is not dead. But I know I spoke to you and one of your friends was one of the nurses in the hospital where the Pope was. And he was telling me, his son actually was telling me, Pope Francis in February was really almost dead, was very sick.
SPEAKER 02 :
He was very sick.
SPEAKER 03 :
And then you told me, Father Andre, when they took him out of the hospital, you’re the only one who told me, actually, this is not a sign of improvement. This is a sign that he is already in terminal moments, but he wants to go back home. He wants to go back to the Vatican. And they want him to spend his last days in the Vatican, not in the hospital. It’s not a good sign that he left the hospital. It’s not that he’s been improving his health.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s not like he was… It’s exactly like what we do with our loved ones when they’re sick in the hospital, when there’s no hope left. They make them go home to be able to…
SPEAKER 03 :
to do with our elderly when we lose every hope medically, that there could be a solution for them medically. We actually, in a dignified way, we bring them back to their homes. And echo, in fact, Cardinal Ray said the same thing, that using the gospel of St. John, which was the gospel of Jesus asking Peter Peter, do you love me more than these?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
Three times. He said, Papa Francesco left the hospital, was very sick, but he also followed the footsteps. Ha fatto lo stesso cammino del Signore. He followed the footsteps of the Lord as a good shepherd. He was really an image of the good shepherd at the very end of his life and with a strength and serenity. he decided to die close to his flock. Actually, this struck my mind because in fact, you know, you and me, we’ve been in papal events for years now, you know, Matthew and Giuseppe. Usually the Pope dies behind the closed doors. Usually the Pope dies in his papal floor in the Apostolic Palace. And then we only have rumors, let’s pray, and the people will be gathered in the piazza, in big assemblies, praying to know what time is the Pope going to die. So sometimes the agony, the agony of the Pope, sometimes it took a week, with Pope John Paul II… We have followed this motion of accompanying the Pope as a dying Pope yet in his bed, in his bed of rest. And usually the Pope was already away from the public for a month, for two weeks. That’s not what happened with Pope Francis. It’s almost what Cardinal Ray is saying. He came back from the hospital. And he decided to practice his ministry to the very last moment of his life, including he met with the state officials. He met with J.D. Vance. He met with the public officials.
SPEAKER 04 :
He wanted to greet the square. He wanted to greet the square. He wanted to greet the square.
SPEAKER 02 :
He wanted to greet the square.
SPEAKER 04 :
He wanted to greet the square. He wanted to greet the square.
SPEAKER 03 :
He was very human.
SPEAKER 04 :
Human, absolutely very human. Because… We would have behaved like this with our grandfather who was leaving the hospital and we would have made him do the things he liked the most to be able to greet him well.
SPEAKER 03 :
The Pope died like he is the grandfather of many people in the world. He died almost in the hands of his own people. It’s like he is a grandfather and we are living in… home at home and the vatican turned to become this common house for all the populations of the world and everybody was there and the pope was close to them he even walked in their midst and him outside to the piazza and then he went to sleep and he died suddenly immediately he died in his bed and uh i think uh
SPEAKER 04 :
that what the Vatican people do for him and for all the Christians in that occasion, it’s very important. That’s also the great difference from the other Pope.
SPEAKER 03 :
Because… I want to thank you so much. I want to take a moment because some of our listeners now will leave us on KNUS radio station. After listening to your eyewitnessing of the funeral of Pope Francis, I want to say thank you so much for being such a representative for the Mission of Hope and Mercy. And I want to encourage people to go online, missionofhopeandmercy.org, and please follow us. as we continue doing our campaign for the mission of hope and mercy. And may you have all a wonderful day of divine mercy on this beautiful Sunday. And may God grant rest to the soul of Pope Francis. And may God give us a shepherd, a good shepherd for the Holy Church to keep it as one holy Catholic and apostolic church in the whole world without no doubt. difference at all in its deposit of faith and in its evangelization for all the nations of the world. Let Jesus be the way, the truth, and the life. Amen. Carolina, possiamo continuare, infatti. We can continue with our radio show. We have about six minutes left. I love this image. He is so unique from the other popes. What a courageous personality coming in the image of a grandfather. So this explains why they took the pope in his wheelchair on Easter vigil. He was in Borghese. He was in Borghese. He was just like with a little blanket on top of him. dressed up in pantaloni, like almost in pizza. And he was taken amongst his children. And he made St. Peter’s Basilica a home, a house.
SPEAKER 04 :
Exactly, exactly, exactly. Exactly as he did at the beginning of his pontificate, when, I don’t know if you remember, at the beginning of his pontificate, One of the first activities was to eat with the poor and let them enter the Basilica. I don’t know if you remember.
SPEAKER 03 :
Actually, if you remember, he opened the doors of the Basilica of St. Peter. He invited the homeless and he sat with them and he ate with them. He shared the bread with the poor, actually, and the marginalized. That was one of the very, very…
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s beautiful. This is really an event such as what the Pope Francis did in the beginning of his ministry as a Pope.
SPEAKER 03 :
back when 12 years ago, usually the gates and the Basilica of St. Peter is open and the people comes inside the Basilica for food. So it becomes like a big kitchen. And we have seen something like this during the days of great wars, big World War I, World War II, you know, when Rome was at war. We have seen popes opening the doors of the Basilica and transforming that Basilica to become a kitchen, to become like a sala da manjari, basically.
SPEAKER 04 :
To become exactly a house.
SPEAKER 03 :
A house, to become a house. Except that Pope Francis did it at the initiation of his ministry. He opened it and he made it a house and people actually ate inside the Basilica of St. Peter. The last event, he also walked again like a nonno, like a grandfather of the human family. And when he died, he wasn’t dying like in agony. There was no cardinals around him. There was no nuns around him. He wasn’t in his room in a papal palace. He did all his ministries. He went to sleep and he suffered immediately. Unfortunately… How did he die? Because, in my opinion, he suffered… He had a lictus. Oh, mamma mia.
SPEAKER 04 :
So… He suffered the brain injury first with the bleeding, and then he went in coma, and then he suffered irreversible heart attack, all suddenly like this. Exactly. It was, as they say, I don’t think he suffered. It was the death of the just.
SPEAKER 03 :
I don’t think that the Pope Francis suffered before his death. He died just death because it was all sudden after a long day, according to Cardinal Ray, after he had to spend the day following the footsteps of his Lord. He gave the blessing for Easter. He walked in the Piazza of St. Peter, which is the place of many, many world events. And he walked as a good shepherd who loved his sheep to the point of giving his life for them because he literally said, went that evening and he gave his life to his people. Carolina, we have a few minutes, due minuti. Voglio chiedere per Santa Maria Maggiore.
SPEAKER 04 :
Santa Maria Maggiore proprio perché… precisely because Pope Francis was a Pope different from the clergy who had brought him to be Pope and therefore as he did not live in So you have to say that in English in your own words. I do not want to translate it. Okay, okay. Why did you tell St. Mary Major to be buried there, not inside the walls of the Vatican? Exactly, because Pope Francesco was different from the other popes before, and he decided to leave his pontificate in Santa Marta, and not in the apartment of… He was totally different, he was different from beginning to end.
SPEAKER 03 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 04 :
To the end is exactly the good end because he wants to have, how do you say, the burial?
SPEAKER 03 :
The burial, yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
The burial in the Santa Maria Maggiore, his favorite church in Rome.
SPEAKER 03 :
So, secondo te, in 30 secondi, lui è stato il pastore di Roma, del popolo romano? Was he the shepherd of the people of Rome? Did the Romans feel that he was their shepherd?
SPEAKER 04 :
For all the Catholic Roman, all the Catholic. For me, Romans means all the Catholic, yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
He was. May God bless you, Carolina. Next week, I would love to host you again so we can speak a little more to follow the move of the conclave when the Cardinals will be gathered together. Absolutely, yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
It will be a pleasure.
SPEAKER 03 :
May God bless us all. And thank you so much for coming to the radio show. May you have all blessed and wonderful Divine Mercy Sunday. May God grant rest to the soul of Pope Francis and let us pray that the College of Cardinals will gather guided by the light of the Holy Spirit. They listen to the will of God. and they elect the good shepherd for the one holy catholic and apostolic church that will keep with its apostolic faith yet will take the church to all the nations of the world to bring them into faith hope and love in our lord and savior jesus christ in the witness and the testimony and the professional faith of peter you are jesus the son of the living god the savior of the world amen
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to 33 Minutes on the Lord’s Day. To hear previous programs, visit the show page at missionofhopeandmercy.org. Listen to Father Andre every Sunday morning at 7.30 on KLZ as he speaks on the unity of Christians, religious freedom, and the biblical foundation of Judeo-Christian values and traditions. Join him in bringing hope and freedom to people across the globe while also strengthening your own faith, family, and community right here in Colorado. Reawaken the spiritual strength of America. Go to missionofhopeandmercy.org.
