Catherine Field: Europe Correspondent on the legacy of Pope Francis, public mourning

Crowds are gathering to mourn following the death of the Pope. 

The head of the Catholic Church died overnight at the age of 88, following a stroke, coma, and subsequent heart failure following a battle with double pneumonia. 

Nine days of mourning is now underway before his funeral and his burial at Saint Mary Major. 

Newstalk ZB's Catherine Field is in Paris – one of many parts of the Catholic world now mourning the Pope's loss. 

She told Mike Hosking while Francis divided opinion in Europe, everyone agrees he was a man of humility and compassion. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And in France, Catherine feel very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Make claims amazing, doesn't it. I mean, I'm sure you
were watching as I was yesterday and he's in the popemobile,
he's blessing babies. Jad Barnce was in his plate and
suddenly he's.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Gone incredible, wasn't it. Yes, Europe woke up on Easter
Monday to discover that Pope Francis, who of course has
you know, has got a max sort of following here
in Europe. But I think the one thing that has
come across today and when we look at the reaction
from people like Vonderlion, head of the European Commission, talking

(00:32):
about his humility, his compassion, German Chancellor and Waiting Mets
talking about the Pope's commitment to justice and reconciliation. And
I think you just sort of keep seeing that, Mike,
this idea that this was a pope who was pope
at a time when moral values were really being questioned,
someone who cared about the vulnerable. And when you look

(00:56):
at the you know, the aspects that he brought to
the four when he was talking not just Europeans but
also his whole legacy.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Will we very much.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
The environment. Remember back in what twenty fourteen he came
to Strasburg in France and made that big announcement about
the need for something to be done about the environment,
the need for people to start taking climate change more carefully,
to actually recognize that it has been getting worse. So
I think that's what we've really been seeing throughout the day.

(01:26):
I mean here in Paris, of course, Notre Dame through
its doors open, people have been there all day, They've
had special masses. It will stay open till midnight for
the faithful to go and just have say a prayer
to be part of the morning for this pope and
the Marror of parents has ordered that the Eiffel Tower
lights be turned off all tonight to commemorate his death.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
One of the interesting things you mentioned Strasbourg. Of course,
what he didn't do is he never went to Paris
and Notre Dame. He never went there for the reopening
eye which I mean, is that widely now and if
it is, what, what's what do we make of it?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Indeed, he did not come for the reopening in December
of Notre Dame, and not just a week later he
went to Corsica, which was that he went there for
a gathering of Catholic people involved with the migrant crisis.
I might I'll be honest with you, if they could
have done anything to get him to go to the

(02:22):
reopening of Notre Dame last December, they would have done it.
We heard all sorts of things that President Macrome asked
him personally. The Archbishop of Paris asked him. They said
they would build a ramp for his wheelchair. They said
they would whitened doors. But he said, and he made
it very clear to an Italian journalist, he said, I
will never go to Paris. I'm not going to Paris.

(02:42):
I'm not going to the opening of Notre Dame. Several
things on that one is it was widely known that
he just really had no interest in rich Western countries.
He preferred the periphery. He preferred the poor, He preferred
the to deal with people who were on the mark
ugeons of society. Don't forget. Also, there was a very

(03:04):
big here the clerical sexual abuse. Not so very long ago,
they came out this Commission on Sexual Abuse in the
Catholic Church said there was systematic abuse of children by
clergymen in France. Two hundred and sixteen thousand cases since
nineteen fifty. So that, of course was another big thing
that the Pope was very ashamed of said he actually

(03:26):
used the word shame. Also, secularism. Europe is far more
secular than it has been in the past. The Church
doesn't have that role in society that the well Pipe
France has wanted it to.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Very good insight, Catherine, appreciate your time as always, Catherine Field,
who is in France for us this morning. By the way,
there is no clear candidate to replace them, but i'll
work you through a couple of possible names. After a
seven o'clock will go to Royme. Just out of Europe
in general, a couple of things have happened over the
weekend that are moderately positive. I think Ukraine signed this
what they call the basis of a minerals deal. This
is this member go back to Zelensky in the White House.

(04:01):
It all turned pair shape anyway, it was that deal.
They've finally got round to signing memorandum of intent basis
for a larger agreement. So we'll be interested to see
where that goes. I know Prime Minister Luxon, by the
ways with us after seven to thirty said overnight that
we're extending our cooperation to train the troops in Britain
for Ukraine until December of next year. So in other words,

(04:22):
we see, I assume the war carrying on this year
and next, which then leads you to go what happened
to the peace deal? Meantime, speaking of peace the United
States in Iran, Witcoff, this is they're forever traveling around
the world. I knowe that to Jeddie Barnces in India
this morning he's traveling in as well. But anyway, Whitcock,
they talked Iran and the States. They're going to talk

(04:43):
again this week. They're moving from Rome to Oman, but
things in that particular area look positive as well. For
more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks.
It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.