A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for having accepted the pontificate at a complex moment in the history of the Church and the world, and at an advanced age, giving the best of yourself until the last moment.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your example of humility, for your simple lifestyle, for your rejection of luxuries, for your closeness and authenticity, and for having taught us to live detached from our possessions.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your charismatic and global leadership, for your firm defense of peace in a world full of conflicts, for your call to dialogue and reconciliation that has filled us with hope in times of crisis.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for taking care of the most needy, for teaching us that the poor are the heart of the Church, for your denunciation of the throwaway culture, for having guided so many people towards charity and community service, for reminding us of the need for the Church to reach out to the peripheries.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your unfailing defense of human life, for teaching us that each of us is a love story, for having declared the death penalty inadmissible, and for your firm condemnation of abortion and euthanasia.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your invitation to care for our common home, planet Earth, as our own, and for promote sustainability, environmental responsibility and an integral Economics based on the culture of love.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for having reminded us of the centrality of the family, the place where one learns to love, the relevance of the home, the revolution of tenderness, and for having incorporated love for the enemy into political language.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for taking care of our elders and teaching us to appreciate in them the rich tradition of the past and the beauty that the passage of time brings us.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for having worked tirelessly for the union of Christians - Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants - for having fostered an open and fruitful dialogue between the different religions, and for having conversed with so many religious leaders.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for inviting us to live unconditional love, for leading us to the mercy of the Heart of Jesus Christ and for reminding us of the importance of compassion and solidarity in every moment of our lives.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your inclusive pastoral approach , in which every person counts and everyone adds up, without fear of what people will say, and for your courage in addressing complex ethical issues for the benefit of your flock.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your defense of social justice and authentic human rights, those that spring from the heart of every human being, created in the image of God, especially religious freedom, freedom of expression and the right to Education.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your tireless travels and for having brought the light of the good news to the farthest corners of the world.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for promote worldwide an unconditional and unlimited forgiveness, which intimately unites us all and frees us from grudges and resentments.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your invitation to overcome fears in order to be open to new experiences of God and to help us not to create a false wall of separation between the material and the spiritual.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for having emphasized the necessary search for truth, the relevance of staff conscience, and for having shown us the importance of taking responsibility for our actions and decisions.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your commitment to transparency, for your fight against corruption and your zero tolerance for sexual abuse perpetrated within the Catholic Church.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for teaching us that love is stronger, for proposing the Good Samaritan as a model , for your doctrine on the sanctity of the next door and for having highlighted the importance of the beatitudes in daily life.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for teaching us to transmit the joy of the Gospel and the joy and peace that are born of people in love with Jesus Christ.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for your touching, almost childlike piety, and for teaching us to keep the devotions we learned as children and a filial love for our Heavenly Mother.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for having lived in perfect harmony with previous popes, showing that the diversity of talents enriches the one Christian message.

A thousand thanks, Pope Francis, for having died with your boots on, as the great champions of eternity die. Your bequest will remain forever.