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VP Sara mourns Pope Francis' death: The shepherd who taught us to be compassionate, forgiving

Philippines | National

VP Sara mourns Pope Francis' death: The shepherd who taught us to be compassionate, forgiving

Describing Pope Francis as the “shepherd” who taught the faithful to be “compassionate” and “forgiving,” Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, April 22, mourned the passing of the 88-year-old pontiff.

This photo shows Pope Francis celebrating Mass at the Manila Cathedral during his apostolic visit to the Philippines in January 2015. (Mark Balmores/MANILA BULLETIN)

“We pray as we mourn the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis, the shepherd who taught us to be compassionate, forgiving, and merciful in a world poisoned by social inequities, greed, hate and wars,” she said in a statement.

The Pope, she added, “led the Roman Catholics with humility, dedication, and faith as a disciple of God.”

“May we find strength and continue to live with the aspirations left by His Holiness as a man with the mission to bring the Gospel to the faithful, especially the poor, the sick, and the dying,” Duterte said as she called on everyone to pray for the Holy Father’s eternal repose.

His Holiness died on Easter Monday, April 21, of a stroke and irreversible heart failure. In February, he spent weeks in the hospital because of bilateral pneumonia and other health issues.

Though looking frail, the pope greeted thousands in St. Peter’s Square after Easter Mass in his open-air pope mobile.

A Marian devotee, the pontiff said he would like to be buried “in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major,” in a will published by the Vatican.

He also requested for his tomb to be unadorned except for a sole inscription of “Franciscus.”

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VP Sara Duterte ROMAN CATHOLICS Pope Francis

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