Statement of Most Rev. James F. Checchio on the passing of Pope Francis

With heavy hearts the Diocese of Metuchen mourns the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. From the moment of his election as Supreme Pontiff when he took the name Francis, our Holy Father has emphasized the mercy of God, embracing in his Petrine ministry the poor, the migrant, the marginalized and all those broken by this world’s problems and concerns. We entrust his noble soul to the hands of our Blessed Mother to accompany him to our Father's house. In this Jubilee year in which Pope Francis called us to be Pilgrims of Hope, he has now made the ultimate pilgrimage to the embrace of our loving God.