BISHOP of Galloway Frank Dougan has expressed his condolences following the passing of Pope Francis.
The Vatican announced the Pope’s death on Easter Monday after a period of ill-health that saw him spend five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.
Following the announcement Bishop Dougan, who is currently on pilgrimage in Lourdes, took to social media to offer his condolences. He said: “Like many of you, I’ve heard the news that the Holy Father Pope Francis has died. And the first thing is coming to terms with something like that, it’s the death of someone we love, it’s the death of someone who was gifted to us as a shepherd by God himself. So the first thing is to thank God for his life, for his ministry, for his expansive love and for the wisdom and the leadership he gave in the church.
“Then the other thing to do is do what we do for every Christian is to pray for him, that’s what he would ask. Remember when he was asked, the first thing he said was ‘I am a sinner’, and like everyone then he would want our prayers and ask for our prayers and ask the Lord to take him to himself.
“And here in Lourdes we celebrated Easter week with so many people from so many part of the world. The great joy that is the resurrection, the great joy that is the love of God, and it is with sorrow but also knowing that joy which is God’s expansive love we pass on our Holy Father to the careful and loving hands of God and we pray for him.”
