San Diego's Catholics and other faiths were shocked to awaken Monday to news of the passing of Pope Francis, who died at age 88 in Rome the day following Easter.
Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease, was hospitalized Feb. 14 for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
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Francis performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced on March 13, 2013, as the 266th pope.
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SIGN UP Francis was remembered later in the day at a mass in Barrio Logan at Our Lady of Guadalupe church, where the visiting priest from New Jersey who presided over the service told NBC 7 he woke up to a flurry of text messages.
Father Rocco Danzi's homily focused on Francis, during which he talked about the pope's legacy, especially his passion for the environment and for people from all walks of life.
Danzi also reflected Monday morning on the day back in 2013 when he was informed that then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio had been elected to the papacy. Danzi said he didn't know much about the pope at that time.
"But now I can say, 12 years later, 'Wow, what a shepherd, and what a servant of the lord and what a servant of the people,' " Danzi said. "Very inspiring for me as a Jesuit, but I think for everyone, these 12 years."
Danzi said he hoped the next pope would continue what Francis started.
"I'm hoping that, going forward, we continue to listen to his vision of, not just a church but a world that's more compassionate, more tolerant, more open," Danzi said. "Maybe we won't change all the rules and regulations, but we just welcome people and try to journey with them. He was amazing in this aspect."
Auxiliary Bishop Michael Pham, who is the administrator of the Diocese of San Diego, released the following statement:
“Pope Francis died today at 7:35 in the morning Rome time on Easter Monday. The Holy Father cared deeply for all of us, but especially for people living at the margins of our society. He was never afraid to speak out and remind us that we all share the gifts of God’s love and mercy, to show his determination that we care for one another, that we put our faith in action, that we show respect in how we treat our fellow women and men, and how we treat the environment around us.
“The pope had a special affection for our border community and always expressed concern for the immigrants who journeyed through it.
“The Catholic Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year that calls for us to be pilgrims of hope in our wounded world. The pope promoted a culture in our church of listening to one another and truly collaborating to tackle our common challenges. We hope that legacy continues.
“While we mourn his passing, we also share in the joy that he is now with Jesus our Savior and our blessed Mother Mary. Please pray for Pope Francis as he goes to his eternal rest.”
Father Bernardo Lara with the Diocese of San Diego met Francis several times while living in Rome.
"I can mark my life before I met him and after I met him," Lara said. "He was very smart, spiritual and very funny."
But it was Francis' commitment to the marginalized that Lara says will live on.
"He already gave us a path, and now I think it's time for us to walk it," Lara said.
Father Efrain Bautista opened Corpus Christi Catholic Church to parishioners looking to pay their respects. He notes the migrant cause was one particularly close to Francis' heart and one of great importance in San Diego.
"The immigrants, the poor, those who found themselves abandoned by the church, by society, by the world — that's who he went and he reached," Bautista said. "For him, the migrant was a population that was really in need of compassion, of mercy and of being welcome."
Sean Francis is a member at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church in Logan Heights. He says one day in the library, he stumbled upon the pope's book, "God is Young," which examines the role of young people in the future of the Catholic Church. He says what he read resonated with him.
"He actually helped me get back to the church. I had fallen away," he said. "The message in there, it helped for me slowly over time and got me back to going to church, and so I'm really grateful for that he was part of my conversion."
The University of San Diego, a Catholic school, released the following statement, which was attributed to the school's president James T. Harris III.
"With profound sorrow, the University of San Diego joins the global Catholic community in mourning the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. A shepherd of compassion, humility and justice, Pope Francis' papacy inspired countless lives — including those within our Torero family — by encouraging us to live with greater empathy and faith.
“We at USD are grateful to Pope Francis for his leadership, his wisdom, his servant’s heart, his deep compassion and his profound faith. He has truly led with love — and will continue to be an inspiration to USD and to Catholics around the world.”
Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Catholic nonprofit Father Joe's Villages, said Francis "will forever be remembered for his humility and for his deep compassion, especially for our most vulnerable neighbors across the world.''
"We celebrate his lifetime of service to the Lord and to all of humanity,'' Vargas said. "Let us all live by his example in serving our neighbors without judgment and always with the deepest love. May Pope Francis bask in the loving embrace of our Lord.''
City News Service contributed to this report — Ed.
