Manila: Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete called on the Catholic faithful to offer prayers for Pope Francis, who passed away due to a lingering illness at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning (local time). Cortes delivered his message during a Holy Mass on Easter Monday at his residence, paying tribute to the late Holy Father.

According to Philippines News Agency, Cortes remarked that Pope Francis, as the successor of Peter and Shepherd of the Universal Church, was a witness to the Gospel, urging mercy, compassion, and synodality. He emphasized the Pope's leadership marked by humility, courage, and a love for the poor, creation, and the People of God.

Cortes pledged that the vision of a synodal Church espoused by the late Pontiff would persist within the Diocese and in the hearts of its people. He also highlighted a recent event as a blessing for the diocese, recalling the Pope's generosity in appointing Bishop-elect Glenn Corsiga as the Bishop of Ipil, marking Pope Francis's last appointee from the Philippines.

For liturgical accuracy, Cortes noted that the name of the late Pope Francis should no longer be mentioned in the Eucharistic prayer of all Masses. He invited parishes, religious communities, and lay faithful in the diocese to pray for the eternal repose of the 88-year-old Argentinian pope's soul.

"Let us commend Pope Francis to the tender mercy of the Good Shepherd he faithfully served," Cortes added.