In an atmosphere of deep emotion and prayer, the entire Academic Community of the Pontifical Salesian University united spiritually to remember and pay tribute to Pope Francesco, a shepherd with a great heart and an unwavering guide for the universal Church.
During the Easter season—a time of hope and resurrection—the UPS celebrated a Holy Mass of suffrage on Monday, April 28, in the Upper Church of the Campus, gathering professors, students, staff, and friends around the altar, united in remembrance of a Pontiff who embodied the Gospel with courage, humility, and dedication. Numerous priests, wearing the purple stole—a liturgical sign of mourning and hope—participated in the celebration, expressing their filial affection for the Pope.
In the Gospel of John, the Risen Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me?” (Jn 21:15-19). It is from this radical and personal question that the mission of Peter’s successor is understood. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, like Peter by the Sea of Galilee, heard that voice: “Feed my sheep.” And, as a Shepherd, he responded with his life.
Francesco left an indelible mark, bearing witness to the Gospel in the wounds of humanity—the poor, migrants, prisoners, and the marginalized. He denounced the ‘piecemeal Third World War,’ promoted a Church that goes forth, merciful, close, and capable of welcoming everyone. He opened paths of fraternity and dialogue, strongly emphasizing the need for ecological and social conversion.
During the homily, the Rector Magnificus, Prof. Don Andrea Bozzolo, recalled the last encyclical, Dilexit nos, dedicated to the human and divine love of Christ’s Heart, revealing the vital center of his pontificate: love. It was love, not protagonism, that led him—already weary—to the prisons on Holy Thursday, or to bless the world on Easter morning, just hours before his passing. A love expressed through gestures, words, and closeness. A love that made his death, like Peter’s, a glory given to God.
Pope Francesco was truly a reflection of the Good Shepherd—a sign of the Risen One, a caress of God upon wounded humanity. His figure united tenderness and strength, sweetness and evangelical radicality. In life and in death, he pointed to the way of the Gospel. And even today, like the Lord on the shore of the lake, he whispers to us: “Follow me”.