The Catholic Diocese of Macau will be organising a Solemn Requiem Mass at the Cathedral next Tuesday at 7 pm to honour Pope Francis, who passed away from a stroke on Easter Monday at the age of 88.
In a statement yesterday, the diocese said the general public can “pay their respect” to His Holiness at the Cathedral “on the same day” between 9 am and 6 pm.
The Church said that it would not accept offerings such as wreaths, cards and bouquets. Instead, it urged those who would like to make a tribute to consider donating to Caritas Macau.
In a separate statement to announce the Pontiff’s death, the Diocese of Macau praised Francis for “setting an exemplary model of pastoral leadership,” noting that he “fervently proclaimed God’s boundless mercy, sowed seeds of hope among the faithful, journeyed to many lands, and ministered with tender care to the weak.”
The Church added that the Bishop of Macau, Stephen Lee, along with all other Christians, would be praying “for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis” and his entry into “the eternal Kingdom.”
As the first Catholic diocese in East Asia, Macao has been influenced by Catholicism for over 400 years, historically serving as a base for missionaries wishing to take their teachings into mainland China and other parts of the region, including Japan and Southeast Asia.
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The city continues to maintain a sizable Catholic population, with data from the Diocese of Macau revealing that there were roughly 32,921 Catholics as of 2023, of which 17,464 were locals and 15,457 were expatriates.
During his tenure, Pope Francis attempted to reach a compromise with the Chinese authorities, striking a provisional deal with the central government in 2018 on the selection of mainland Chinese bishops – a bone of contention between the Vatican and Beijing, which insists on having a say in their appointment.
Despite publicly expressing his desire to do so, Francis, along with all his predecessors, never visited China. The closest the Pontiff came was in 2014, when he flew over the country en route to South Korea, sending a telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people. He repeated the feat in 2023 during a trip to Mongolia.
In response to Francis’ passing, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the country’s condolences yesterday, noting that China and the Vatican had been maintaining a “constructive contact and engaged in beneficial exchanges” in recent years.
Elected into the papacy in 2013, Francis was the first Latin American pontiff. He was considered to be a trailblazer for reforming the Church, helping to liberalise its attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community and draw greater attention to the plight of the poor.
