Dear Jean-François,
today my eyes are dry, but my heart is like a spring of thanksgiving to God for all he has given me through you.
I met you for the first time at the world assembly of our Iesus Caritas fraternity in Poissy, in November 2012. Our brothers, I don’t know if by mistake or out of compassion, elected me international responsible, and I immediately thought of you for my team, as general assistant, with Emmanuel, Mark, Félix, and Mauricio. Working with you for almost seven years has been a great gift from God. You have always given me peace and helped me love the fraternity and strive to care for all my brothers. Your presence of Nazareth in prisons, among immigrants, in interreligious dialogue, in your pastoral work, has made my Nazareth a reality and not a challenge or a poetic idea. Your myopia was only a way of seeing with the eyes of God, with the gaze of the heart.
That smile is what spreads peace, in the welcome, the greeting, the embrace. We’ve also laughed a lot together, and you’ve endured my jokes without anger. Do you remember in Bangalore when we left you the only alb left for the Eucharist? A sheer, lace alb. I made it on purpose, and we laughed, and it was even funny.
Thank you, Jean-François, for everything shared during our international team meetings, forming a pluralistic, culturally and ethnically rich fraternity, with diverse commitments to the Gospel and to the poorest.
Through you, I had the privilege of meeting and spending time with François in Vernon, who always reserved the “nuncio’s room” for me when I was there. A father who cares for his children. I also met Jean-Louis, welcoming and fraternal, in his parish house. I learned from him how to treat his people affectionately. I learned from Michel, a world reference in the spirituality of Charles de FOUCAULD, poor, devoted, pure gospel in the hidden life of his later years. I owe you the fact that I shared with Jacques twice his dream and his work as a prophetic bishop, and his commitment to the most disadvantaged. A gift for this brother of yours that I am, always learning, and who celebrates his birthday every day, the birthday of my neighbor Julia, who is now ninety-two: the lives of those near and far. We must celebrate, not mourn.
Thank you, Jean-François, for the work we shared each year in Vernon and at my home in Perín, when we met to study the themes of fraternity, and then facilitated our international team meetings. How wonderful it is to celebrate the Eucharist with you in my home, deepening our friendship with Jesus, Brother Charles’s Beloved, worshipping with my dog, the silent altar boy…
Thank you, Jean-François, for your “mania” for always emphasizing Charles de FOUCAULD message of universal brotherhood, anticipating Fratelli Tutti. This has given all of us worldwide brotherhood a perspective of hope, in the face of social displays of hatred, suspicion, fear, manipulation of consciences, the genocide in Gaza, and other genocides that make no noise: when love and joy are killed, when there is an attempt to dominate no matter who falls. This message of universal brotherhood from Brother Charles is what motivates us to put aside our fears of people, of the future, and to look into the eyes, to listen, trying to understand men and women who don’t speak like you, who don’t share your faith. Jean-François, you have helped me to respect others, whatever their political, religious, or cultural beliefs.
We will always hold you deep in our hearts: the prisoners, the immigrants, the fellow priests you have helped with your accompaniment, the Christians and non-Christians of the parishes where you have served as pastor, the brothers of our fraternity.
Jean-François, I can say that you are a friend of soul.
Aurelio SANZ BAEZA,
fraternity of Murcia, Spain
Perín, August 8, 2025