On the ninth and concluding day of Novendiales—the traditional nine-day period of mourning for a deceased pope—French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti offered a heartfelt tribute to Pope Francis, praising him as a pontiff who lived out his mission with unwavering love and sacrificial service to both the Church and humanity.

Presiding over the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, which coincided with the third Sunday of Easter, Cardinal Mamberti reflected on the profound calling of the papacy. “The pope’s mission is love incarnate—love that becomes selfless service,” he declared.

Drawing from the day’s Gospel, in which Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” the cardinal unpacked the emotional depth of this exchange. He noted that Jesus initially uses the strong form of “love,” while Peter, still humbled by his past denial, responds with a gentler term, “to care.” Mamberti, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, highlighted that Jesus eventually mirrors Peter’s language—an act of divine tenderness that “gives hope to the disciple.”

Referencing St. John Paul II, Mamberti shared that he, too, felt this inner dialogue daily, where Christ invites love not through perfection, but through honesty and faith. “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you,” he echoed from the Gospel of John.

Mamberti then turned to Pope Francis, affirming how the late pontiff embodied this Christ-like mission with every fiber of his being. “He poured himself out to the very limit of his strength,” Mamberti said, lauding the pope’s tireless preaching of the Gospel, his challenge to world powers to obey God over man, and his deep compassion for the marginalized.

The cardinal recalled standing beside Francis on Easter Sunday, April 20, during the pontiff’s final “urbi et orbi” blessing, just one day before his death. “I saw not only his suffering,” Mamberti said, “but his courage and his resolve to serve the people of God until his final breath.”

He emphasized that Pope Francis’ intense pastoral schedule was deeply rooted in prayer, shaped by his Jesuit formation. Mamberti also noted the pope’s strong Marian devotion, citing his 126 visits to the icon of Salus Populi Romani at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Now resting near the image he so dearly loved, Pope Francis was commended by Mamberti to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “With gratitude and trust,” the cardinal said, “we place him under her maternal gaze.”

The Mass marked a solemn but hope-filled close to the mourning period—honoring a pope whose legacy is etched in acts of compassion, humility, and undying love for the Church.