Deep sadness over the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis

Rev. Dr. Yoshinori Shinohara
Secretary General of Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP)

I am deeply saddened by the news of the demise of His Holiness Pope Francis. I express my deepest condolences to all Catholics around the world.

He was a symbol of hope and compassion for all humanity. In the current difficult international situation, more than any other, he has taken the strong initiative in conveying the message of trust, dialogue, cooperation, solidarity, reconciliation, and forgiveness, and in doing so, he has actually acted. We, Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (ACRP), a coalition of Asian and Pacific religious leaders, have received much encouragement and wisdom from his energetic actions to overcome the divisions and bring about reconciliation.

I was greatly moved by the following message given by Pope Francis on November 24, 2019 in Nagasaki, the A-bombed city of Japan.

 Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation. They can be achieved only on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family of today and tomorrow.

Pope Francis was always with vulnerable people. I deepen my awareness of mission as a religionist in the message of Pope Francis in Tokyo in 2019 as follows,

We are called to be a community that can learn and teach the importance of accepting “things that are not perfect, pure or ‘distilled’, yet no less worthy of love. 

These messages and actions have giving those who are working so hard to put their hearts and minds into the practice of peace, a sense of security arising from the unity of shared aspirations, and a sense of vitality for actions that springs from this sense of unity. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Pope Francisco for his many accomplishments.

In order to live up to the wishes of His Holiness Pope Francis, ACRP pledges to take a greater action for peace building through active dialogue and strong solidarity among the religions.

My deepest sympathies. I pray that His Holiness rests in peace.