Pope Leo XIV smiles as he speaks with journalists aboard the papal flight from Angola to Equatorial Guinea April 21, 2026. Pope Leo paused to honor his predecessor on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, remembering the Argentine pope’s witness to mercy and closeness to the poor. (CNS p hoto/Lola Gomez) Flying over the west coast of central Africa on Tuesday, April 21, Pope Leo XIV paused to honor his predecessor on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, remembering the Argentine pope’s witness to mercy and closeness to the poor. On the papal flight from Luanda, Angola, to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, Pope Leo XIV spoke to journalists traveling with him, reflecting on the legacy of Pope Francis, who died April 21, 2025. “I would like to remember, on this first anniversary of his death, Pope Francis, who gave so much to the Church with his life, his testimony, his words and his gestures,” Pope Leo told reporters, speaking in Italian. He recalled how Pope Francis truly lived with “closeness to the poorest, the little ones, the sick, the children, the elderly.” “We can also remember his message of mercy,” Pope Leo said, remembering in particular how his predecessor invited the entire Church to join in the “beautiful celebration of an extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.” Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, led the Catholic Church from March 13, 2013, until his death on Easter Monday 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from Latin America. The late pope’s final public appearance was on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, when he unexpectedly came out on the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, raising his hands to wave to thousands of faithful gathered below in the square. “Happy Easter,” he told the crowd, before delivering what would be his last Easter blessing. The visibly frail pope then boarded his popemobile for a final pass through the square to greet the faithful. “We pray that he is already enjoying the mercy of the Lord, and we thank the Lord for the great gift of Francis’ life to the whole Church and to the whole world,” Pope Leo said on the flight. In Rome, the anniversary of Pope Francis’ death was marked with a Mass held in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the final resting place of the late pope. Pope Leo reflected on this predecessor’s legacy on the papal flight to Equatorial Guinea, the last African country on the pope’s 11-day apostolic journey to the continent. On Easter Monday in 2025, Pope Francis took his final ride in the popemobile, spending about 15 minutes among the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. But then, the next morning, which was a major holiday in Italy, church bells tolled the death knell after U.S. Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, announced that the pope had passed away. “His whole life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His Church,” Cardinal Farrell said in a video announcement broadcast from the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis lived. Elected March 13, 2013, Pope Francis was the first pope in history to come from the Southern Hemisphere, the first non-European to be elected in almost 1,300 years and the first Jesuit to serve as successor to St. Peter. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Pope Francis was an untiring voice for peace, urging an end to armed conflict, supporting dialogue and encouraging reconciliation. He gave new energy to millions of Catholics as he transformed the image of the papacy into a pastoral ministry based on personal encounters and strong convictions about poverty, mission and dialogue. He was elected after Pope Benedict XVI retired in 2013. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was already a known and respected figure within the College of Cardinals, so much so that no one disputed a respected Italian journal’s report that he had received the second-highest number of votes on all four ballots cast in the 2005 conclave that had elected Pope Benedict. Elected on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Bergoglio chose the name Francis to honor St. Francis of Assisi. “Go out” was Pope Francis’ constant plea to every Catholic, from curial cardinals to the people in the pews. More than once, he told people that while the Bible presents Jesus as knocking at the door of people’s hearts to get in, today Jesus is knocking at the doors of parish churches trying to get out and among the people. Catholic News Service contributed to this report. The post Pope Leo XIV Honors Pope Francis on Death Anniversary appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less