Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate records its sadness at the death, on 21 April 2025, of His Holiness Pope Francis, formerly Cardinal Jorje Mario Bergoglio, places on record its gratitude for his life of service, compassion and leadership, and tenders its sympathy to Australian Catholics and people of all faiths who mourn his passing.

Many were surprised when Pope Francis chose a papal name that no pontiff had chosen before. He chose to be named after St Francis of Assisi. As he told the waiting crowd, he wished to follow in the footsteps of 'the man of poverty, the man of peace and the man who loves and protects creation'—and so he did.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 1936, he was one of five children born to Italian immigrants. In his early years he worked as a janitor and studied to be a chemical technician, yet he soon found his true calling in the priesthood. Bergoglio joined the Jesuit order in 1958 and was ordained in 1969. When Argentina fell under military rule in 1976, he was forced to navigate the fraught intersection between faith and politics. The kidnapping and torture of two Jesuit priests during this time would leave an indelible mark on him.

In 1998 Bergoglio became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires and, in 2001, a cardinal. Amid Argentina's deep economic crisis in the early 2000s, Bergoglio lived simply, travelled by public transport and became known as the 'bishop of the slums' for his visits to the misfortunate. True to the spirit of his namesake, he embodied humility and solidarity with the poor.

When Bergoglio was elected the 266th pope in 2013, he made history as the first non-European pope in 1,200 years, the first Latin American pope and the first Jesuit pontiff. His papacy signalled a new direction for the Catholic Church, one focused on compassion, reform and inclusion.

Pope Francis inherited a Vatican in crisis, facing urgent questions about the role of women, sexuality, historic sexual abuse and financial scandals. He moved quickly to expand the role of women in the church, conferring the ministries of catechist, lector and acolyte upon women.

Pope Francis's words and example encouraged priests and the faithful to welcome all with open hearts. He confronted the church's past failings on sexual abuse, meeting victims personally and revising church law to hold those who covered up abuse accountable.

True to his Franciscan humility, he chose the Vatican guesthouse over the grand papal apartments and preferred a simple Ford Focus to the papal limousine. Pope Francis called for a 'poor church for the poor' and urged the clergy to be 'shepherds with the smell of their sheep'. Although his reforms were not without critics, his love for humanity and determination to leave the world a kinder, more just place were never in question. Pope Francis was indeed the people's pope.

It was the honour of my life to stand with my wife, among more than 200,000 mourners at St Peter's Basilica, together with the Governor-General and former deputy prime minister McCormack, as Australia's representatives to farewell Pope Francis. We had arrived in Rome just in time to sign the condolence book, on behalf of the Australian people, at the apostolic nunciature. We also witnessed the open coffin and touched the closed casket just before it was taken out for the funeral. Before our return to Australia, we visited the Pope's grave at the Basilica of St Mary Major and were among the first foreign delegates to pray at the grave.

I'm deeply grateful to have been raised in the Catholic tradition, and I mourn Pope Francis's passing alongside the entire Catholic community. I will remain forever in Pope Francis's debt for guiding the church through these challenging times with courage and compassion. May he rest in peace.

I wish His Holiness Pope Leo XIV—I have a grandson, now, called Leo—well in fulfilling the highest missions entrusted to anyone. May God bless them both.