St. Louis Catholics spent Monday mourning the life of Pope Francis, who died earlier in the day at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican. He was 88.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, had led the Catholic Church since 2013. He succeeded Pope Benedict and was known for his reform efforts. Francis was widely seen as a more progressive leader, advocating to address climate change and reduce income inequality.
“Pope Francis’ service as a Jesuit priest, then bishop and Archbishop of Buenos Aires and his election as our Holy Father has been marked by great humility,” St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said in a statement. “His unceasing concern for the poor demonstrated to us how we may live out of the Gospel in our world.”
Francis was the first pope from Latin America and first Jesuit pope. His Jesuit lifestyle helped make him more relatable, said the Rev. David Suwalsky, St. Louis University mission and identity vice president.
“He was not particularly formal, except when he had to be,” Suwalsky said. “People were making a big deal about him not wanting to be in papal apartments and dining by himself, and it’s like well, ‘Yeah, of course, he was a Jesuit, and we don't do that.’”
Suwalsky said Francis will be remembered for his outreach efforts as well as advocating for the poorest and most underrepresented groups that the church had forgotten about.
“When you think about how he approached people, it wasn't from the judgment seat, but it was from ‘everybody's invited to this table, and everybody should have a place at that table,’ which I think is really important,” Suwalsky said.
People who met the pope said he was an optimistic leader. Maureen Wangard, SLU assistant director for graduate student initiatives, met Francis in 2022 during a conference at the Vatican. She said that it was a transformative experience and that he challenged people to reach out to those who are different from them.
“[He had] incredible kindness in the way he spoke,” Wangard said. “[He recognized] that there are challenges but very much had this message of hope for the future, but it was rooted in realism.”
Others described Francis as a leader in social justice.
“I’m sad, but I’m happy that he didn’t flounder,” said the Rev. Gerald Kleba, retired pastor of St. Cronan Catholic Church, of Francis’ convictions.
Cardinals around the world will meet at a conclave to select the next pope. Kleba said Francis’ successor could have similar traits.
“He's named so many cardinals to the College of Cardinals, the elective group that picks the next, his successor, that I think he's kind of stacked the deck,” Kleba said.
Suwalsky agreed and said previously underrepresented voices now have a say in selecting the next pope that they didn’t have before Francis’ tenure. But he also said he could see a world in which an Italian candidate is chosen.
Kleba said he hopes Francis’ legacy is especially relevant now, citing the Trump administration's efforts to cut USAID and programs to help out Americans.
“At some point, the clarity of what the pope has said is going to either wake us up or come back and bite us,” Kleba said.
