Condolence from DDM Abbot President on Pope Francis's Passing: A Tribute to His Legacy

On the morning of April 21^st, 2025, Vatican time, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88, leaving the world in deep mourning. To express his heartfelt gratitude for Pope Francis's lifelong dedication to humanity, Ven. Guo Huei (果暉法師), Abbot President of Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM), offered his condolence on April 22^nd. He expressed his admiration for the Pope's commitment to interfaith dialogue, and his tireless pursuit of world peace. Ven. Guo Huei believes that the Pope's virtues are immeasurable, and his spirit will live on eternally.

Pope Francis has served as the 266^th Pope of the Catholic Church since 2013. Over the 12 years of his pontificate, he made 45 visits to more than 60 countries around the world. With his belief in bringing the Church closer to the people, he initiated a "reverse pilgrimage," allowing those unable to make a pilgrimage to the Vatican to receive his message of hope and peace in their own homelands.

Ven. Guo Huei pointed out that even on the day before his passing, the Pope appeared in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican to pray for world peace, despite his illness. Such unreserved dedication and devotion is truly moving. The Pope had long devoted himself to fostering world peace and interfaith dialogue. He visited military conflict zones to comfort those suffering, listened to the voices of refugees displaced by religious conflicts, and urged politicians across nations to end division and armed conflicts. In these compassionate acts, he resembled Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, revered in the Buddhist tradition as the one who hears the cries of all who suffer and strives to relieve the suffering of all sentient beings.

DDM and the Catholic Church have engaged in frequent exchanges in recent years. Most recently, in March 2024, Fr. Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, sx, Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, led a delegation to visit the DDM World Center for Buddhist Education and meet with Ven. Guo Huei. The delegation expressed their hope to continue interfaith dialogue and cooperation, building on the foundation of friendship established by Fr. Albert Poulet-Mathis and DDM founder Master Sheng Yen, with the shared goal of promoting world peace—an idea Ven. Guo Huei immediately supported. Earlier, in September 2018, a delegation led by Ven. Chang Hwa (常華法師), Director of DDM's Chan Meditation Center in New York, was invited to engage in interreligious exchanges at the Vatican, where they had the honor of meeting the Pope, who warmly greeted them and expressed his pleasure at seeing various Buddhist traditions cooperate with the Catholic Church in pursuing their shared goal of uplifting the spirituality of humanity.

In his final Easter message, Pope Francis affirmed that "Life is endless" and "Peace is possible," appealing to people to trust and help each other, and to work together to promote the integral development of each individual. Echoing the Pope's appeal, Ven. Guo Huei indicated that Buddhist teachings also acknowledge that life is endless and that great aspirations have no end. The spiritual legacy of a person of great compassion and virtue, like Pope Francis, will continue to inspire future generations to follow his footsteps. 




 

Original Chinese text and photo / Dharma Drum Mountain Cultural Center
Translation / Ven. Yan Siang (statement), Li Siang-ling (news article)
Editing / Ven. Yan Siang