The Archbishop of Liverpool has paid tribute to Pope Francis following his death.
It was confirmed on Monday that the 88-year-old, who became the first Latin American to hold the office in 2013, had passed away after a spell of short illness.
The late pontiff had recently appointed Bishop John Sherrington to succeed Archbishop Malcolm McMahon as the city’s leading catholic clergyman.
Ahead of handing over to his successor on May 27, Reverend McMahon spoke warmly of Francis as a ‘kind and welcoming’ figure during his time in the papacy.
“From the first moments of his pontificate, as a bishop from the peripheries on 13 March 2013, he has impacted the minds and hearts of many in the world seeking that we should all be “fratelli tutti” – brothers and sisters together, int his our common home,” read an open letter.
“The Catholic Church has lost its universal Pastor, and so today we pray for his eternal rest, we thank God for the much good he has done, and we pray for the Cardinals as they move to elect another successor of Saint Peter to continue to guide and lead the Church in 2025.
“I have many fond memories of meeting him, most recently in January at the first general audience of the Jubilee Year.
“I will remember him as a kind and welcoming priest and bishop. Francis asked everyone who met him to never to forget to pray for him.
“Let us assure him of our prayers that he would finally meet the good shepherd and gentle judge he so zealously served.”