Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials, I invite you all to join us in prayer for the late Pope Francis (1936-2025). I am sure you also share our deep gratitude for his life and his service to the Church and to humanity. He was understood by all—not only because he spoke in simple, relatable words or through his powerful prophetic gestures, but above all because of his profound human authenticity.

On this occasion, I invite each of you to recall one or two images or moments from his life that have touched you personally. For me, the first memory that comes to mind is his inaugural homily, in which he highlighted three Italian words beginning with “C”: camminare, costruire, confessare—to walk, to build, and to profess. A gesture that deeply moved me—and continues to symbolize his spirit—was the first time he washed and kissed the feet of prisoners at the Rome Youth Prison on Holy Thursday 2013, among them two women and two Muslims.

If you are in Brussels, I warmly invite you to an ecumenical evening prayer for Pope Francis with all our friends on Sunday, 27 April, at 18:00 at the Chapel for Europe.

May he rest in the peace of the merciful God of Jesus Christ, whose mercy he so faithfully proclaimed and lived.

Dalibor Renić SJ
JCEP President