Local Catholics expressed sorrow about the death of Pope Francis and hoped that his successor would follow a similar path. The pope, who was 88 and had been in the seat of Peter for 12 years, died April 21 after an extended illness, with his official cause of death listed as stroke and heart failure.
They expressed support for the pope’s attention to the poor and vulnerable in society, and his attempts to be inclusive.
Brian Klous, a member of St. Ann Parish in Wilmington, said the late pontiff’s positions could be polarizing, “but the thing that I respect about him is how he tried to change the course of the church. Whether I agree with it or not, he tried to change and was very accepting of things that previously weren’t accepted. He brought a lot of people into the church; you’re talking about 1.2 billion Catholics around the world.”
Klous said the pope’s mission was to be more accepting.
“What I love about that man was that his focus was on the poor, and it really got back to what Catholics should be about and what Jesus was about. Helping the poor. That is the thing that was always so great about him,” he said.
Elizabeth Parthemore, a parishioner at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Greenville, was surprised when Pope Francis was elected because he was from the Western Hemisphere. She said his demeanor stood out to her.
“He’s been a very gracious and loving and caring pope for all people,” Parthemore said. “I feel he was anxious to be around the public and to have a presence for the people around him when he traveled.”
His affinity for people is what stood out to Janice Kates, a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Glen Mills, Pa. She called him “a pope for the people” who wasn’t afraid to address controversial topics.
“He said that it wasn’t his place to judge, and I feel like that’s the same for all of us. It’s not our place to judge anyone. That’s not what God wants us to do. God wants us to love one another,” Kates said during a break while watching her son’s lacrosse game on April 22. Owen Kates is a sophomore at Archmere Academy in Claymont.
“I thought he was wonderful. It’s very sad,” she added.
Charlie Klous, Brian’s nephew and a member of St. Peter Cathedral, noted two things about Pope Francis that stood out to him. The first one was his attention to the marginalized and poor in society.
“I think that’s super-important; that’s the Gospel message,” he said.
“The second thing, he was an extraordinarily hard worker. He was elected later in life. He only expected to be pope four or five years. He just kept up an incredible schedule. Even the last couple weeks, after he was in the hospital, I suspect his doctors told him he only had a month or two to live, and he was committed to being out and working and being with the people. I respect his work ethic and also his personal piety,” Charlie Klous said.
Henri Mahoney, a member of St. Ann’s in Wilmington, said the pope wanted everyone to be kind and generous.
“He lived Catholic values of loving people and wanting to take care of people and be kind to people. He will be missed,” she said.
She also liked that he wasn’t afraid to call people out when they weren’t doing what he believed was the right thing.
Pope Francis was better suited for more modern times, said Theresa Beach of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Brandywine Hundred. He was more about accepting people and not judging them.
“Not just sticking with what we believed so many years ago,” she said. “Kind of changing with the times and accepting people for being a good person and not for their ethnicity or beliefs or who they love.”
Zac Medici, a junior at Archmere and a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Springfield, Pa., said from what he observed, Pope Francis did a good job leading the Catholic Church.
“He was a just all-around good pope and guy. In my opinion, he did just about everything right. I think he did really well,” he said.
One thing that stuck out to Brian Klous was how the late pope eschewed the trappings of his office. When he was elected, he attempted to pay his own hotel bill at the end of the conclave. Pope Francis also rejected luxury cars for more modest transportation. For years, he traveled in a 2010 Ford Focus. The pope also flew commercial on many occasions.
Kates said she doesn’t want the next pope to be too extreme in any direction philosophically. Another pope like Francis would be great, someone who is inclusive and open.
“I feel if they are leading with love rather than leading with specific agendas, then we’d all be a lot better off.”
