MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE DEATH OF CARD. FRANCISZEK MACHARSKI

To my Venerable Brother
Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz
Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow

I was sad to learn of the death of Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, Archbishop emeritus of Krakow. I join you, Dear Brother, the Presbyterate and the faithful of the Church of Poland in the prayer of thanksgiving for the life and the pastoral commitment of this most worthy Minister of the Gospel.

Iesu, in te confido! — Jesus, I trust in you! — this episcopal motto guided his life and his ministry. Today, in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, it has become an eloquent invocation which proclaims the fulfillment of the work that the Lord had already entrusted to him at Baptism, introducing him into the ranks of those sealed with His Redeeming Blood, and later together with the gift of priesthood, when He sent him forth with the task of sanctifying the People with the word and with the grace of the sacraments. He carried out this mission zealously as pastor, professor, rector of the Seminary, until the day in which the Lord called him to assume the task of the legacy of St Stanislaw and of his immediate predecessor Karol Wojtyła, today St John Paul II, in the Episcopal See of Krakow. With trust in Divine Mercy he carried out this work as father to the priests and to the faithful entrusted to his care. He guided the Church in Krakow in the difficult period of political and social transformation, with wisdom, with a healthy detachment from reality, promoting respect for each person, for the good of the community of the Church, and above all keeping faith alive in the hearts of mankind.

I am grateful to Providence, that I was able to visit him during my recent journey to Krakow. In the last phase of life he was greatly tried by suffering which he accepted with peace of mind. Even in this trial he remained a faithful witness to trust in the goodness and the mercy of God. He will thus remain in my memory and prayers. May the Lord welcome him into his glory!

To you, Venerable Brother, to the Cardinals and Bishops of Poland, to the relatives of the Deceased, and to all the faithful of Poland I impart my heartfelt blessing: in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

From the Vatican, 2 August 2016

Francis