Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Tuesday played “hooky” from discussions about the next pontiff at the Vatican to remain home long enough to lead a remembrance Mass for Pope Francis at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown.
Speaking from the pulpit before hundreds of faithful, the New York cardinal lauded Francis as a gift from God who was unafraid to show human frailty.
“We praise god for the gift of Pope Francis to all of us. We’re grateful to God for what he taught us by how he lived and by how he died,” said Dolan — who was set to fly to Rome hours later for the pontiff’s funeral and deliberations about who would replace him.
“Comfortable enough to let us see his weakness, his fragility, his stumbling, in a wheelchair, with his oxygen tank. Confident enough to let us see his struggle,” the cardinal said.
During the service, for which Mayor Eric Adams and the Rev. Al Sharpton were in the audience, people prayed in the pews and lined up to receive Communion. At different points between hymns, Dolan stopped to deliver a personal message.
“Our beloved Pope Francis, we ask him for consolation for our sadness and express our gratitude for the gift that he was,” he said.
“Now believe me, I could preach a lot longer, but Pope Francis always complained about preaching too long — no wonder he was so popular,” the charismatic clergyman quipped, drawing laughter from the crowd.
After the service, Dolan said jokingly that he was playing “hooky” from early discussions among his fellow cardinals leading up to the official papal conclave that will convene to elect the successor to Pope Francis.
When asked whether he knows who will be next in line to wear the papal miter, Dolan told reporters, “Only one person knows: the Holy Spirit.”
Of his participation in the choosing the next pope, Dolan said, “We gotta figure out who the Holy Spirit wants, and that’s a heavy responsibility.”
The conclave generally takes place between 15 and 20 days after the pontiff’s death. The College of Cardinals will soon assemble at the Vatican in Rome to begin its secretive voting process.
Dolan participated in the 2013 conclave which saw Pope Francis elected and said it was an honor to once again be a part of the hallowed decision-making process.
“These next days are extraordinarily important when we’re together, so the cardinals now meet every day. In fact, they met this morning,” he said.
“Tomorrow we meet again in the afternoon … and that’s very important because we get to know one another, we share the good that’s going on in our local churches, we share the challenges that we have.”
He spoke of Pope Francis’ unique hands-on approach to his role as the head of the Catholic Church, which gave high-ranking clergy members the opportunity to get up close and personal with him.
“I … worked closely with him, and we would meet for three days twice a year in Rome. And we were so grateful, because unlike in the past, Pope Francis actually came to those meetings and listened, so we got to know him better,” Dolan said.
The cardinal also reminisced on Pope Francis’ historic visit to New York City in September 2015, during which he went to Madison Square Garden, Central Park and the 9/11 memorial, as well as addressed the United Nations.
Dolan called the trip “a real high point” for Francis’s papacy.
“Remember he’s never been to the United States. He was amazed at the size of New York, and he would say to me, ‘Well, what are all these buildings?’ I said, ‘They’re homes where the people live,’ and then he would look out at the ecstatic crowds along the road, and he said, ‘But they all come to see me.’ “
As for what qualities Dolan hopes to see in the next pope, he said, “We have to make sure he has that same winning style that Pope Francis did.”
St. Pat’s worshipper Vidal Chavez, 51, of the West Village said he felt compelled to come to the cathedral Tuesday to celebrate the “very significant loss” of the 266th pontiff.
“Today’s passing, or the passing of the pope, was very significant and historical for a lot of people throughout the world,” he said. “He was a symbol of love and peace that he gave to everyone. Everyone, not just Catholics, but Christians, and every religion. When something occurs like this, a death occurs like him, it’s something to commemorate.”
He detailed some of the qualities of Pope Francis he hopes to see in the next pontiff, including “his love for everyone, no matter where, what religion, faith, or background that you come from.
“We’re all God’s children, and I think that’s the message that we have to give to everyone in this world at the moment, and I think it’s in the very turbulent times that we’re going through in the world at the moment that we do become a lot more godly, and I think that’s something that will resonate with any new pope,” Chaves said.
Pope Francis died Monday at age 88 — just one day after Easter Sunday — after a lengthy battle with respiratory illness that saw him hospitalized and sidelined from most official duties since February.
The Vatican said the pontiff’s cause of death was a stroke, which led to a coma and ultimately heart failure.
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