Homily of Bishop Niall Coll at Mass for Pope Francis RIP, St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny
My phone started ringing within minutes following media reports of the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. Even though he has been ill, his death came as a shock to most of us. Immediately, a media statement had to be written, interviews with the local radio stations followed and, of course, the numerous discussions with family, friends and colleagues about his life and legacy. That done and having, like most of you, listened and read so much by way of comment, praise and criticism of Pope Francis, I don’t feel the need to give any big overview of his life and ministry just now. Instead, I want to highlight that when I used to talk to student teachers about Pope Francis, I found it helpful to put it all in a nutshell and say that as far as he (and others) were concerned, being a Christian is fundamentally about embracing our head, hands and heart. That if we want to understand what Christian faith really offers – not just as tradition, but as a way of life in the here and now – we must appreciate how these three elements work together. Pope Francis often spoke to this reality. He knew that the modern world is sceptical – Doubting Thomas in our Gospel today has many descendants!
First, the head and the need to think faithfully and honestly. Society today values the mind. Critical thinking, philosophy, science, reason – they are treasures. And, believe me, they are not enemies of faith. God gave us intelligence as a gift. Christian faith has always honoured reason – the oldest and most venerable universities like Bologna, Paris, Oxford were founded by the Church. But the Church asks that reason be open to wonder, not closed by cynicism. As Pope Francis said “Faith broadens the horizons of reason.” It does not replace it. It enlarges it.
Real faith is not blind obedience. It is not about shutting down difficult questions or pretending everything is easy. Faith invites us to think more deeply – about what truth is, what justice means, what it means to live well and fully. Pope Francis repeatedly reminded us that a faith which is just ‘theory’ – ideas floating far from life – becomes sterile. Our heads must search – and must also be humble. We must be willing to admit that not everything essential fits into a neat formula. Love, meaning, forgiveness – these cannot be measured like a scientific equation, but they are no less real.
Second, the hands – serving in practical ways. Pope Francis said often “A faith without solidarity is a dead faith.” Hands are how faith becomes visible. Words and ideas are important – but they must lead to action. Christianity, if it is true, must be seen not just in prayer and creeds, but in care. That’s why in his preaching, teaching and travels, the Pope constantly emphasised the importance of feeding the hungry, protecting the vulnerable, the migrant, the unborn, the sick, the elderly, building peace and living honestly. Happily, in his travels to the peripheries he was able to visit many hospitals and schools that were established (and often currently maintained) by church personnel – long before it was fashionable – out of his conviction that human life has dignity. Today, that same spirit is needed. When we as Church, you and me and all people of faith, stretch out our hands – to work for the poor, to lift up the refugee and the addicted, to heal divisions in our communities – then faith becomes visible again.
Third, the heart – loving with courage and tenderness. The head and the hands are still not enough, Pope Francis reminded us, without the heart. The heart is where our deepest desires live: the longing for love, for meaning, for home. The place of our intimate prayer. Scepticism often grows because people have seen a Christianity without heart — cold, judgmental, rigid. But that is not the Gospel. The Gospel is first and foremost a revolution of the heart. Pope Francis spoke of a ‘revolution of tenderness.’ He said tenderness is not weakness, but strength. It takes courage to love without walls. To trust. To forgive. To weep with those who weep. The heart, in the end, is where we meet Christ not as an idea, but as a person. Christianity is not about ideas in the sky. It is not about rules carved in stone. It is – as so boldly unfolded in the encounter with Doubting Thomas today – about meeting Jesus Christ – alive, present, calling us to love. As Pope Francis put it “God does not tire of forgiving us. We are the ones who tire of seeking His mercy.” Something we can rightly ponder on this ‘Mercy Sunday’.
The heart is where hope is born again. It is where scepticism can soften — not because every question has been answered, but because we have encountered a greater love than we could invent. And this brings conversion, change: discipleship expressed in love of both God and neighbour. We become ‘pilgrims of hope’ a theme close to the pope’s heart this Jubilee Year 2025. Let me include these words of Pope Francis:
“Brothers and sisters,
Christian faith does not impose – it proposes.
It invites, it opens a door, it calls.
It does not crush reason; it expands it.
It does not replace action; it animates it.
It does not kill the heart; it awakens it.
You do not have to leave your questions behind to follow Christ.
You do not have to erase your doubts to serve others.
You do not have to pretend life is simple.”
Pope Francis tells us again and again “The Church is not a museum for saints, but a field hospital for the wounded. If you feel wounded – if you feel sceptical – you are in the right place.” Here is where God wants to meet you – head, hands and heart – together. As to a simple path forward: might I suggest the following as daily practices:
- Feed your head: read a Gospel story, even if it’s just a few verses. Reflect, ponder, question. Let it speak to you.
- Move your hands: do one concrete act of service for a neighbour, a stranger, a colleague.
- Open your heart: pray, even simply, ‘Lord, I believe, help my unbelief’.
The Lord does not force the door open, but He stands there, knocking – not to control, but to invite you into a bigger, richer, more human life. Pope Francis spoke not as a man from another time, but as someone who understood the struggles and hopes of our time. He reminded us that faith is never about escaping the world but about loving it more deeply. That is the Christian life. That is the life worth living.
May we commend Pope Francis’s soul to the love and mercy of God and pray that the same Lord will open our heads, our hands, and our hearts anew — to the beauty of His love. Amen.
Niall Coll, Bishop of Ossory.
