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“A pastor with a big heart”: Archbishop in Guinea Eulogizes Pope Francis, Hopeful that “humanity” Upholds His Legacy

Nicholas Waigwa

By Nicholas Waigwa

Conakry, 25 April, 2025 / 8:56 pm (ACI Africa).

The Archbishop of Guinea’s Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry has eulogized Pope Francis as a “pastor with a big heart,” highlighting the Holy Father’s commitment to promoting peaceful coexistence and interfaith dialogue.

In a video message to the People of God in his Metropolitan See following the passing on of the Holy Father on April 21, Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly recognizes the late Pope’s dedication to fostering universal peace, and expressed optimism that humanity would uphold the Holy Father's legacies.

He highlighted Pope Francis’ document on human fraternity as a testament to the Holy Father's commitment to universal peace.

“He accomplished great works,” Archbishop Coulibaly said in his Tuesday, April 22 message, recalling the late Pope as a Church leader who contributed significantly to the welfare of humanity, paying attention to “humanity, to nature, to all that concerns human dignity.”

He continued, “Among his many significant contributions, I’d like to highlight that in 2019, the Pope co-signed a document on Human Fraternity with (Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb) the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt, showing that fraternity is indeed universal.”

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Archbishop Coulibaly said the Document on Human Fraternity, released during the late Pope Francis’ Apostolic visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in February 2019, “promotes peaceful coexistence and interreligious dialogue.”

He continued, “I pray that the Lord grants strength to humanity today to continue walking in the path of this legacy.”

“We are called to love every person, regardless of their gender, religion, color, or background,” he emphasized, echoing the Document on Human Fraternity that was co-signed on 4 February 2019.

In the document, the Al-Azhar al-Sharif and Muslims from both East and West, together with the Catholic Church and Catholics worldwide affirmed their shared commitment to a culture of dialogue as the path forward, mutual cooperation as a guiding principle, and “reciprocal understanding as both their approach and benchmark.”

In his message, the Local Ordinary of the Conakry Metropolitan See since May 2003, expressed his spiritual solidarity with the Cardinals who will be gathering to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

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“The cardinals who are of voting age will gather in constant persevering, and intense prayer; they will ask God to reveal to them who among them is called to assume this responsibility today,” he said, and added, “It is through prayer that they will discern the Lord’s guidance.”

“We will also be praying to accompany the Cardinals in Rome, as they prepare and choose from among themselves—the successor of Pope Francis,” he said.

Thousands of pilgrims continue to pay homage to Pope Francis, whose coffin lies in St. Peter’s Basilica, where it will remain for three days of public viewing.

According to the Vatican, Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell, the Camerlengo, will preside over the rite of closing Pope Francis’ coffin on Friday, April 25, at 8 p.m. Rome time (2 p.m. ET) in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The funeral Mass for the Holy Father has been scheduled for Saturday, April 26 , in St. Peter’s Square. He is to be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, as he explained in his statement.

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Nicholas Waigwa

Nicholas Waigwa is a Kenyan multimedia journalist and broadcast technician with a professional background in creating engaging news stories and broadcasting content across multiple media platforms. He is passionate about the media apostolate and Catholic Church communication.