The 88-year-old pontiff died just a day after making a surprise Easter Sunday appearance in the Vatican's St Peter's Square. He had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia and had been released from hospital. He suffered a stroke and died of a cardiac arrest.
The Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Michael Dooley, said while the Pope’s death last night (NZ time) was not unexpected, it still came as a shock.
"With the death of a pope ... it’s the uncertainly of moving to the next stage. It’ll happen but it’s always a shock really.
Bishop Dooley had met the Pope in 2019 when a group of New Zealand bishops travelled to Rome.
"Looking back now, that was quite special to be able to meet with him," he said.
"It’s nice to have been able to engage with him on that level."
Bishop Dooley remembered Pope Francis as a warm and open man.
"For his age, even then, I was amazed at his stamina ... he’d be seeing hundreds of people during the day and with us he was fully concentrating.
Pope Francis had not been concerned what people thought of him and "went to his own drum," Bishop Dooley said.
"He interacted with people as they were ... as a person."
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis had encouraged the church to be more synodal - "to be a listening church."
"One of the themes he had was ... the church being welcoming and hospitable to people."
'Deep love of the faithful'
Throughout New Zealand, religious and political leaders have remembered Francis as a global figure of humility, courage and compassion, and honoured his commitment to social justice, advocacy for the poor and marginalised, and efforts to bring the Catholic Church closer to the people.
Auckland Bishop and president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, Steve Lowe, told RNZ that while Francis had not visited New Zealand, he had a deep love for the faithful worldwide.
"While he didn't set foot on our shores, we know the deep love that Pope Francis had for the Catholic faithful scattered across the world. Through his visits to places like Papua New Guinea, Mongolia and Indonesia, Francis knew the appeal and the impact of the papacy in all corners of the globe," he said.
Former Anglican archbishop, Sir David Moxham, was the Archbishop of Canterbury's Representative to the Holy See and met the Pope many times.
He said talking to the pontiff was like "sitting down with your favourite uncle".
"Always a Jesuit, always an educator, always a counsellor, always a friend. And in that way, I think it was just a pleasure to talk with someone in an ordinary kind of way."
The two would often discuss Anglican-Roman Catholic cooperation, especially in regard to combating slavery and supporting refugees.
Moxham said he had the pleasure of introducing the Pope to Kīngi Tūheitia.
"The [Kīngi] was given twenty minutes for the audience, and, actually, the Pope gave him forty minutes just because they sat down and chatted away about important things between them in private. That was a very special time."
Party leaders pay tribute
"I am saddened to hear of the passing of Pope Francis. A man of humility, his legacy includes an unwavering commitment to the vulnerable, to social justice and to interfaith dialogue. My thoughts are with Catholics and all those in New Zealand and around the world who mourn." - Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
"On behalf of the government and people of New Zealand, we extend our deepest condolences to the Holy See and the global Roman Catholic community on the passing of Pope Francis. We join in mourning his loss and honour his enduring legacy of humility and compassion." - Foreign Minister Winston Peters
"Throughout his papacy, he showed deep compassion and an unwavering commitment to social justice, inclusion, and the dignity of every person. His leadership challenged us all to build a fairer and more caring world. - Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins
New Zealand's flag will be flown at half-mast on all government and public buildings to mark the Pope's death. The flags will return to full mast at on Wednesday at 5pm.
- additional reporting RNZ
