Seton Hall President Mourns Pope Francis: ‘Wisdom, Courage, Humility’

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Seton Hall University in South Orange has joined a chorus of mourners who are lamenting the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88.

Francis – who was highly praised for his humble style and concern for the poor – was hospitalized on Feb. 14 for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. His last public appearance was made on Easter Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

Joseph Richard Reilly, the president of Seton Hall University, penned a message of condolence to the school’s predominantly Catholic community in the wake of the pope’s death.

“Today, our university joins millions of Catholics and non-Catholics around the world in mourning the loss of our Holy Father, Pope Francis,” he wrote.

According to Reilly, the late pope “embodied the teachings” of Jesus Christ – while also acting against everything that opposed them.

“We will miss his voice, his wisdom, his courage, his humility and his mere presence in the world,” Reilly wrote.

Reilly noted that Francis was the first pope from the Society of Jesus, the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th century.

“Regardless of your religious beliefs, I invite you to continue the work begun by Francis, for certainly he was a pope for all people,” Reilly wrote.

Read the full statement online here.

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