The Patriarch of the West has Died

On the Repose of Pope Francis

Pope Francis, the Bishop of Rome, reposed early this first Monday of Easter, April 21st, 2025 A.D.

As an Anglican, most assume that our churches do not feel impacted by this. However, this notion would be false. The death of the Patriarch of the West is a mournful day for the whole of Christendom, and we should all be brought low in prayer for the repose of Pope Francis.

For Anglicans in particular, the Bishop of Rome has had a significant role in our own history and in the preservation of orthodoxy. It is my conviction that had Pope Gregory the Great not sent St. Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury, into our lands to evangelize us, our existing churches would have fallen into heterodoxy and paganism, which had already begun to infect them. It is, therefore, my belief that Anglican orthodoxy—yes, even the orthodoxy that characterized our Reformation—was rooted in the faith that we received through the evangelical zeal of Pope Gregory. I therefore honor the office of the Roman Pontiff, even if its current definition has innovated beyond the role it once had in the Church.

And so, today, I mourn with my Roman Catholic brethren. Though I certainly disagreed with much of what Pope Francis said and did, I would be hard-pressed to argue that the man lacked pastoral instinct and a sensitive heart. His care for the oppressed, marginalized, and brokenhearted very much reflected the saint whose name he bore. He clearly loved the Church, loved people, and loved Christ. May his memory be eternal, and may he pass with grace through the fires of cleansing into the loving presence of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now, join me in praying for the upcoming conclave. The next Pope will determine a great deal. The tensions in the Church are high, and further schism is not impossible.

May God direct the election, and may the next Patriarch of the West be a bulwark of orthodoxy for the sake of Christ and of His Church. Amen.