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United Methodists were vocal in their praise of Pope Francis, who died Easter Monday at age 88. Church leaders noted that Roman Catholics and Methodists have been in continual dialogue since the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s.

Pope Francis died early in the morning on Easter Monday, April 21, after suffering a stroke that caused ‘irreversible heart failure.’ As the world mourns the passing of the Pope, UCC General Minister and President Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson released…

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[Anglican Communion News Service] In recent days, provinces and dioceses of the global Anglican Communion have been sharing Easter messages of hope. Here is a selection of messages from around the world. The Anglican Communion signs joint Easter Message The Anglican Communion is one of 12 world Christian communions that have released a unified message to mark the joint celebration of Easter and the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. The joint letter can be found here. A message from Sudan The Most Rev. Ezekiel Kumir Kondo, archbishop of the province of Sudan and bishop of Khartoum, shared a message of lamentation about the continued conflict in Sudan, writing: “This is the second Easter and the second anniversary many of us still celebrate Easter outside our country, churches and our homes. Many still celebrate Easter separated from their families and their loved ones.” His message also celebrated the hope Jesus brings: “May you know the love and the power of the Risen Christ this Easter. It is also my prayer and hope that we will celebrate Easter in our country, in our churches and with our families, friends and our loved ones the coming year 2026. May the Divine intervention bring peace to our beloved Sudan.” His message can be read here. Messages from Australia The Most Rev. Geoffrey Smith, archbishop of Adelaide and primate of Australia, shared a message of hope amid the recent turbulence in the world’s economy. “Our world desperately needs hope. But we also need a reason to have different attitudes and to live in a loving, generous, forgiving, gracious, and peace-filled way today.  The reason is what happened at Easter: the self-offering of Jesus, through which peace with God is possible, and the resurrection of Jesus, to prove that reconciliation is real and to begin the invasion of darkness by light and life.” Read his Easter message here. The Most Rev. Kay Goldsworthy, archbishop of Perth, shared a story about the parallels between the Easter story of resurrection and transformation and that of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis. She said, “It was a lovely, lovely reminder of the promise of Easter. Of the hope that sits within us who are believers, followers, disciples of Jesus.” She went on to encourage local communities to engage with the Anglican Church of Australia’s evangelism initiative, HOPE 25, between Easter and Pentecost. Watch her full address here. Find out more about HOPE 25 here. The Most Rev. Jeremy Greaves, archbishop of Brisbane, shared a hope-filled message in which he said, “Easter reminds us that God is not finished, that death and despair don’t have the final word. The resurrection is not an escape from the world’s pain but a defiant proclamation that love is stronger than hate, life is stronger than death, and hope is never in vain.” Watch his address here. A message from Jerusalem The Most Rev. Hosam Naoum, the Primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East states, “Divine justice is found at the core of the Resurrection. This is not a justice measured by earthly standards, but one that lifts the oppressed and liberates the captive. For while we witness the climax of injustice on the cross, we see the pinnacle of justice in the Resurrection. God did not leave Christ in the tomb. Likewise, God will not leave God’s people in oppression.” Read his message here. The province recently spoke out about the air strike on the al-Ahli hospital on Palm Sunday. Read it here. Messages from North America The Most Rev. Anne Germond, acting primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Rt. Rev. Susan Johnson, national bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, shared a joint message about the wonder of the Resurrection. Watch the joint message here. The Rt. Rev. Mary Irwin Gibson, bishop of Montreal, Canada, shared a reflective message for Easter. In her video address, she said, “I want to encourage you on your journey following Jesus to not be afraid […] but also to understand that the journey takes various turns and that sometimes we’re aware of Jesus’ presence and sometimes we’re not. And yet, He is with us always until the end of time.” Watch her address here. Messages from the Diocese in Europe The Rt. Rev.  Andrew Norman, shared his first Easter message as suffragan bishop in Europe. He highlights the repeated and hopeful use of the word “but” in the book of Acts in speeches by the Apostles. He encourages Christians to consider that word as they look around at the world this Easter. “Let’s keep in mind that ‘but.’ Destructive forces killed Jesus of Nazareth, but God raised him from the dead.” See his full address here Messages from Ireland The Most Rev. John McDowell (the archbishop of Armagh and primate of All Ireland) and the Most Rev. Eamon Martin (the archbishop of Armagh and primate of All Ireland in the Roman Catholic Church) reflect on the hope that springtime brings in terms of new life and growth and encourage followers of Jesus to “nurture the green shoots of reconciliation and peace.” They also highlighted that the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the common date of Easter this year reminds us that “despite long-lasting tensions and divisions at the time between Christians of different traditions, the council was able to find agreement on a common ‘Creed’ or statement of belief.” Read their full statement here. The Most Rev. Michael Jackson, the archbishop of Dublin, shared a message exploring how Christians can share Easter hope with a “disinterested world.” He reflects, “We are to start small and to start sincere. We are to continue strong and to share generously. We are to identify with the people we do not know or understand. We are to let ourselves be tested in the encounters that will be sprung upon us. We are to let God talk […]

With the faithful around the world, we join our hearts in prayer for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome.

The post Remembering Pope Francis appeared first on The Anglican Church of Canada.

[Episcopal News Service] Old North Church, the historic Episcopal church in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, celebrated its connection to the American Revolution on April 18 when it hosted an event marking the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride. “On this night 250 years ago, two men climbed Old North Church’s steeple. They held high two lanterns as a signal for Paul Revere that the British were heading to Concord by way of the Charles River,” the church said in a Facebook post for the occasion. The commemorative events included an evening lantern lighting in Old North Church’s steeple. A crowd gathered for speeches in a space adjacent to the church in the Paul Revere Mall, where a statue depicts Revere in action atop his horse. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu were among those who spoke. “Boston is a city where the past, present and future of our nation begin,” Wu said. “Revolution wasn’t just something we started. It’s how we’ve lived every day of the last two and a half centuries.” Revere is known for riding his horse, with other colonists, to alert their compatriots to the approach of British solders after a lantern-based signal was hung from Old North Church – “one if by land, two if by sea.” (The British came by the Charles River, therefore two lanterns.) The event was described most famously in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride” from 1861. “Those two signal lanterns set a complex alarm system into motion, a system that included many messengers fanning out across Massachusetts to spread the warning that night,” Old North Church said in an online description of that pivotal episode. “Once Revere got across the river, he began his own famous Midnight Ride as part of this system. Ultimately, when the British arrived in Lexington the next morning, they were met by local militia members, and the shots fired that morning ignited the American Revolutionary War.” The 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord were celebrated the next day, on April 19. Additional historical commemorations are planned in the coming years as other Revolutionary War battles and key mileposts in the nation’s founding reach their semiquincentennial. Old North Church’s history dates even earlier, to its founding in 1723 as Christ Church. It remains open both as an active Episcopal congregation and a popular historic site for tourists. The congregation also is in the middle of a restoration project, which is bringing back to life colonial-era artwork depicting angels high above the nave. The 16 cherubic figures were painted by early Old North Church member John Gibbs and are believed to be among the earliest surviving art from colonial Boston. They had been painted over in a 1912 renovation but were rediscovered several years ago and, starting last year, now uncovered. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

[Episcopal News Service] Pope Francis, who led the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.3 billion members worldwide since 2013, died the morning of April 21 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. He was 88. A day earlier, from a balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica, seated in a wheelchair, Francis blessed a crowd of tens of thousands gathered in the square to celebrate Easter. He spent Holy Thursday with inmates at a Rome prison, one he’d previously visited to perform the washing of the feet. Francis died of a cerebral stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible heart failure, according to the Vatican. He will be buried in a simple tomb in St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome’s Esquilino neighborhood. The papacy will remain vacant until a conclave convenes in Rome to elect the new pontiff. “My heart is heavy at the death of our brother in Christ, Pope Francis,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said in an April 21 statement. “Throughout his life and ministry, he has been a witness for the Gospel and a champion for the poor and marginalized. Especially in this season, I give thanks for his powerful advocacy on behalf of migrants and refugees. “Pope Francis, who was the first Latin American pope, understood these siblings in Christ are never at the edges, fearful and alone. As he once wrote, ‘In the faces of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, strangers and prisoners, we are called to see the face of Christ who pleads with us to help.’” Francis, a Jesuit, was known for his humility and for standing with people living outside the mainstream, those excluded from social, economic and political systems, including the poor and migrants, as well as for his steadfast commitment to the environment. The Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, the Anglican Communion’s secretary general, expressed the communion’s appreciation for the pope’s leadership of the Catholic Church and his witness to the wider world. “Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has consistently demonstrated a profound commitment to evangelization, to show justice, mercy, love and reconciliation. His words and actions have touched the hearts of millions, transcending the boundaries of Christian divisions and inspiring people of all faiths to join hands in pursuit of a more just and compassionate world,” Poggo said in an April 21 statement. “The late pope’s unwavering dedication to the plight of the poor, the refugee and the vulnerable has been an inspiration to us all. His calls for global solidarity, for the protection of our common home and for the pursuit of peace have resonated deeply within the hearts of people across continents and cultures, especially in my home country of South Sudan.” Francis called repeatedly for an end to civil war in South Sudan, last visiting in 2023 with the archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of Scotland’s moderator. That first-ever, historic visit bore “witness to his willingness to work with the Anglican Communion for the sake of peace and reconciliation in a world torn by war and violence,” the Rt. Rev. Ian Ernest, former director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and the personal representative of the archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See, told Episcopal News Service. Throughout his papacy, Francis remained true to his writings and acted with a compassionate and understanding heart, and he will be remembered as an imitator of Jesus, Ernest said, adding it was “his Christ-like attitude that enabled him to emerge as the most respected world leader, transcending the frontiers of all religions.” Francis was born Dec. 17, 1936, as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina; he was one of five children born to Italian immigrants. He studied chemistry and worked as a chemist before he entered the Society of Jesus as a novice in 1958. Before ordination to the priesthood, he earned a philosophy degree and taught literature and psychology. He also earned a degree in theology; in 1969, he was ordained a priest and made his final profession with the Jesuits in 1973. He became a bishop, cardinal and then archbishop of Buenos Aires. The College of Cardinals gathered in a papal conclave on March 12, 2013, and elected Bergoglio pope the following day. He chose to be called Francis, the first pontiff to take his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi, who dedicated his life to piety, the poor and rebuilding the church. Tributes came from leaders worldwide and mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square during what is a jubilee year, or a special time of spiritual renewal, reconciliation and forgiveness occurring every 25 years and drawing thousands of Catholic pilgrims to Rome. “With millions around the world, I mourn the death of His Holiness Pope Francis and give thanks for his extraordinary ministry,” said the Rt. Rev. Anthony Ball, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, in a statement. “His tireless efforts to work to promote the flourishing of the most marginalized, to reach out to those who feel forgotten and to advocate for the proper stewardship of God’s creation are amongst the charisms that have led him to be held in such affection.” Francis challenged Christians to examine the places where practices and governmental and institutional policies did not align with the Gospel’s call to respect the dignity of every human being, “and to work to close the gaps,” the Rt. Rev. Mark Edington, bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, said in a written statement. “We in the Convocation saw Pope Francis not only as a preeminent Christian leader, but as the bishop of Rome as a neighbor and friend,” he said. “Through the work of the Anglican Centre in Rome, we know the blessing of close and cordial contacts with the Vatican, and throughout his papacy we have been deeply touched by the pope’s eager engagement with the Anglican Communion.” Saint Paul’s Within the Walls, the Episcopal church in Rome, planned to hold a […]

EXPRESSION OF CONDOLENCESOn the Passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis – Head of the Catholic Church and Vatican City State. It is with deep sorrow and sacred reverence that we,...

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For decades, Palestinians have lived under occupation, facing violence, human rights abuses, systematic violations of international humanitarian law, and denial of their right to self-determination. After over a year of Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians in the aftermath of the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack against Israel, Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to one of the ... Read More

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) joined the global community in mourning the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. His death marks the end of a transformative papacy that touched the lives of countless people across faiths and continents. Pope Francis, who became the first […]

The post Remembering a Prophet for the Poor: WCRC Reflects on Pope Francis’ Legacy appeared first on WCRC.

The world today learned of the death of Pope Francis, the bishop of Rome and leader of the world’s 1.37 billion Catholics.