The Bishops of Galway and Tuam have paid tribute this week to Pope Francis following his death on Monday morning.
Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Michael Duignan described the late Pontiff as "an ever faithful servant in the vineyard of the Lord".
"In word and deed, he pointed to a loving and merciful God who reaches out to embrace all people," Bishop Duignan said. "He had a big heart for the poor, the migrant, the marginalised. He dreamed of a Church as the people of God working together to make this often darkened world of ours a better place. I pray that he now enjoys the presence of God himself whom he loved with all his heart and served so faithfully in this life."
Technically, Bishop Duignan, and previous Bishops of Galway, administers the diocese of Kilfenora on behalf of the Pope, who is also nominally the Bishop of Kilfenora under Canon Law.
Meanwhile, Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy revealed a parishioner had described the late Pople to him as "the parish priest of the world".
"For people of good will everywhere, a courageous, loving, welcoming, and challenging public figure has died," Archbishop Duffy said. "The outpouring of affection and grief at the death of Pope Francis is quite understandable and not at all unexpected.
"Above all, it is Pope Francis’ love for God’s people, especially those in poverty and on the margins, and those who experience rejection because of personal circumstances, that will long live in the memories of all who observed him."
