Death of Pope Francis: follow our direct

“He made the gospel accessible”

Sister Christine Danel, former superior of the Xavières, expert during the Synod of Bishops

“That François asked that we pray for him from his election marked me a lot. It was the posture of a man who expected a lot of the others. We saw him at the Synod of Bishops; he wanted to change the decision -making process in the Church. That he decided not to conclude the synod by an apostolic exhortation, but rather to say that the final report was the right text for the Church. We have not measured the importance of this gesture enough.

At the same time, he could be authoritarian. To reform, he was able to dismiss people in a violent manner. If he always asked that we pray for him, it was also, I think, because he was aware of his fragility. He recognized himself a fisherman. After all, he devoted his first jubilee year to mercy.

At the synod, the Pope came before the scheduled time so that everyone could greet him. He had great simplicity. He made the Gospel accessible by his behavior. By choosing to live at the Sainte-Marthe house. By washing the prisoners’ feet. By going to the most isolated and suffering places, such as the Central African Republic or Lampedusa. He also made the Gospel accessible by his crystal clear writings. When I read Evangelii GaudiumI said to myself: “Finally, I understand an exhortation” (laughs). ” Collected by Pierre Wolf-Mandroux