By Tracey Primrose
(April 28, 2025) Following the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, millions around the globe have expressed their love for the humble servant of God who occupied the chair of St. Peter.
Last week, at the Roman Curia, a short walk from the Vatican, Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, held a news conference to commemorate the life and legacy of his Jesuit brother, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ. Later that day, Jesuits gathered at the Church of the Gesù, the mother church of the Society of Jesus in Rome, to offer a Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Francis.
News Conference
Before a group of international journalists assembled in the Curia’s Aula, Fr. Sosa said in his introductory remarks that he hoped to highlight Pope Francis as a “man of God” because his approach to people is “only grasped in its depth from the recognition of his spiritual experience.” He added that once the pope chose to be a disciple of Jesus, his focus was on contributing “to the transformation of humanity to make this world a worthy home for all human beings.”
Fr. Sosa said that Pope Francis knew that his actions and decisions would not always be popular. Rather, “the important thing was to listen to one another, to dialogue within the complexity of reality, to scrutinize the signs of the times, and in prayer, in familiarity with the Lord, to discern what is most appropriate at any given moment.”
Speaking in English, Spanish and Italian, the superior general was asked about the pope’s legacy. He said it is “the commitment to follow the will of God” but was quick to point out that “we are not attached to the legacy of Papa Francesco or Papa Benedicto or Papa Giovanni. We are attached to the Gospel. What we have heard from Pope Francis helps us to be closer to the Gospels and the life of Jesus. From my point of view, that is what is important.”
Asked about how his Jesuit formation might have influenced Pope Francis, Fr. Sosa said, “I think the openness of his papacy; he is not a pope who closed himself, he went out to find people, to give his hand, to listen to people and to learn. This kind of ministry really tried to be in contact with the reality of people.”
While Fr. Sosa acknowledged that it was tempting to consider questions about the future of the Church, he is confident that the Holy Spirit will be in charge. “The conclave meets to elect Peter’s successor, not Francis’ successor. The Society of Jesus was born to serve the mission of the Church under the direct direction of the pope. … As soon as the new pope is elected, we will make ourselves available to him, as we have done for more than 450 years.”
You can view Fr. General’s news conference here.
Mass of Thanksgiving
Erected between 1568 and 1584, the Church of the Gesù is the first Jesuit church in Rome. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, is interred here in a chapel on the left side of the transept. The painting above his tomb portrays Jesus Christ giving the flag of his mission to Ignatius. The image of St. Ignatius accepting his mission from Christ is reminiscent of another Jesuit “who wore the sandals of the fisherman,” as Fr. Sosa said in his homily at the Jesuits’ Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Francis.
Concelebrated by many Jesuits who live and work in Rome, the Mass honored Pope Francis’ pontificate, his Jesuit vocation, and his enduring message of mercy, justice, and compassion. Fr. Sosa said it was a tribute to a man “whose life was founded on the rock that is Christ, not on the sand of his own ideas or intuitions.”
Speaking of Pope Francis confirming the Society of Jesus’ Universal Apostolic Preferences in 2019, Fr. Sosa said that the pope “made it very clear that, in order for them to illuminate our life-mission, it was necessary to be based on the first of them: to show the way to God through the Spiritual Exercises and discernment. The path to God is shown only by those who walk it and by experiencing the Lord at work in their lives.”
Fr. Sosa added, “Francis is not afraid to swim against the tide in defense of human rights or the struggle to reverse human actions that mistreat the environment. With words and gestures he invites us to welcome migrants as brothers and sisters, to become close to those imprisoned and those discarded by society. His voice constantly cries out for peace and points out how every war is a failure of humanity. Dialogue is the way to build just relations while violence destroys bridges between peoples.”
From the earliest moments of his pontificate, Pope Francis asked people to pray for him. Fr. Sosa said, “He said this because he felt sustained by the prayer of the people of God. Many times, he repeated his need to go to the sacrament of reconciliation and recommended us all to do so frequently. Hence also his insistence on ordained ministers to make themselves a mirror of the merciful face of God, to avoid judging, instead welcoming everyone with open arms.”
Fr. Sosa closed his homily with this message: “Our brother and pope, Francis, is now totally in God’s hands. Let us allow his witness to continue to inspire the Church to share in the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ and the Society of Jesus to desire in all things to love and serve.”
You can view the Mass of Thanksgiving here.
To access photos, videos and writings of Pope Francis from the Curia in Rome, visit here.
