Vermillion Catholic Community Reflects on the Legacy of Pope Francis

People around the world are paying tribute to Pope Francis, who died on Monday, April 21. After years of health struggles, he passed away at the age of 88. The Vatican had released a statement in the early morning addressing that Pope Francis passed away due to a stroke which had caused irreversible heart damage.  

Francis was the first appointed pope from Latin America making him the first pope born outside of Europe. Francis was elected as the pope at the age of 76 on March 13, 2023. He had made a final surprise appearance on Easter Sunday giving thousands of people his easter blessings. 

There are numerous Catholic communities throughout the Vermillion community. The Newman Center has a significant number of USD students that are a part of the religion. Maria Evans has been a part of the Newman Center and has been a part of the Catholic Church her whole life. 

“I remember watching Pope Francis get selected in fourth grade and grew up with him for most of my informative years of the religion,” Evans said. “It is a time when I started to form my opinions as someone who was identifying with being catholic.”  

While talking about the passing of Pope Francis, Evans had reflected on the impact that she believed he had on the catholic community. 

“Having him as a pope had challenged what it meant to be christian and it reminded people the ultimate root of being catholic was to do things with great love,” Evans said. “He had constantly reiterated to people the importance of showing love and treating people like human beings.”

John Rutten, pastor of the Newman, was impacted by the loss of the pope. 

“Pope Francis has helped the church pay more attention to the essential nature of mercy,” Rutten said. He added that the passing has impacted them as it does losing a family member. 

Rutten explained that the next pope will be appointed in a process called a Conclave. In this the characteristics of the next pope is identified and is chosen based on who will serve the needs of the Church.

Following the news of his death, the Vatican had stated that Francis will be transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica for worshippers to pay their respects prior to the funeral. The funeral of Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, April 26.