Pope commends Cardinal Tscherrig‘s witness of hope at Funeral Mass

Vatican News 

At the Altar of the Chair in St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Funeral Mass for Cardinal Paul Emil Tscherrig, who died aged 79 on 12 May, giving thanks for the late Swiss Cardinal’s decades of faithful service to the Holy See and entrusting him to the mercy of God.

In his homily, the Pope reflected on the “great and solemn moment” in which the Cardinal now stands before the Lord “to receive the reward for the good accomplished in this life and forgiveness for the shortcomings caused by human frailty.”

Pope Leo described Cardinal Tscherrig as a devoted servant of the Church who spent more than half of his life in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, working in Pontifical Representations across the world and in the Secretariat of State. Though often carried out away from public attention, the Pope said, his ministry contributed tirelessly to the growth of the Kingdom of God.

Drawing on the day’s First Reading from the Book of Revelation, the Pope recalled the vision of the new Jerusalem, “built upon the foundation of the Apostles, illuminated by the light of the Lamb and adorned by the merits of the Saints.” Cardinal Tscherrig, he said, helped prepare that Kingdom through patient and faithful service.

A pastor and a diplomat

The Holy Father praised the late Cardinal’s vocation both as a pastor and as a diplomat, noting how he worked “with patience and self-sacrifice” to foster concord among peoples and strengthen communion between local Churches and the Apostolic See.

Tracing the Cardinal’s long diplomatic ministry, Pope Leo recalled his service in Burundi, Trinidad and Tobago and several Caribbean nations, South Korea and Mongolia, the Nordic countries, Argentina, and finally Italy and San Marino. Such assignments, the Pope said, testified to Cardinal Tscherrig’s adaptability, generosity, and pastoral charity in widely differing cultures and circumstances.

Pope Leo also recalled that Cardinal Tscherrig had known Pope Francis from the time when the late Pontiff was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Referring to Pope Francis’ address to the Diplomatic Corps earlier this year, he repeated the invitation for diplomats to help “make hope flourish” among people longing for peace and goodness.

“Our world,” the Pope said, “has great need of messengers who help it rediscover trust,” adding that the witness of those chosen by God for ministry can strengthen others in responding to that call.

At the same time, Pope Leo emphasised that Christian hope extends beyond history and earthly affairs, finding its foundation in the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s victory over sin and death.

“Spes mea Christus”

Reflecting on the Gospel account of the raising of Lazarus, the Pope said the miracle points to the greater promise of the resurrection to eternal life, “which crowns every effort and labour of this life and fulfils them beyond the limits of time.”

The Holy Father underlined that this eternal perspective lies at the heart of the Church’s mission, which works within history while directing all things toward Christ, “the one head,” and toward the complete redemption promised by God.

Concluding his homily, Pope Leo entrusted Cardinal Tscherrig to the risen Lord and recalled the episcopal motto the Cardinal chose thirty years ago: Spes mea Christus — “Christ my hope.”

“Christ, our Lord, was his hope throughout his life,” the Pope said, “a hope that did not disappoint him because it was rooted in the love God poured into his heart through the Holy Spirit, and which today is fulfilled forever.”