Like many Chicago area Catholics, lifelong Oak Park resident Don Giannetti awoke to the news Monday that Pope Francis had died.
“This morning when I was in bed, I had my cellphone with me, and I heard the dings and I thought it might be the pope,” Giannetti said. “It wasn’t a surprise, but it was sad. I didn’t expect it today. But I did expect it.”
Shortly afterward, the 89-year-old attended 8:30 a.m. mass at St. Edmund, where the bells tolled in honor of Pope Francis, 88, the pope since 2013.
Rev. Carl Morello, pastor of St. Catherine-St. Lucy and St. Giles in Oak Park, had received a call from another priest Monday morning informing him of the pope’s passing. He said he was shocked it happened Easter Monday, the day after blessing a throng of the faithful in St. Peter’s Square in Rome and meeting with J.D. Vance, vice president of the U.S. and a critic.
Morello said the protocol when a pope passes is to line a church with purple and black bunting, which he was planning to coordinate as Monday unfolded. He was also in the process of planning a memorial mass. Typically churches will also set up a small shrine with a candle honoring the deceased pope, he said.
Rev. Ira Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church in Austin, said, “We pause to honor the life and legacy of Pope Francis — a global shepherd, a courageous voice for the voiceless, and a relentless advocate for justice. Thank you for using your life, your voice, and your sacred calling to shine light in some of the world’s darkest corners. … Rest well Sir. You fought a good fight and you finished your course. Your work was holy. Your impact — immeasurable.”
“I woke up in the morning, I read about it and I prayed for him privately and we prayed for him in our mass this morning,” said Rev. Stan Kuca, pastor of St. Luke in River Forest and St. Bernardine in Forest Park. “We have to pray for the repose of the pope. The new pope will be chosen and this is basically what the church has done for 2,000 years.
“We all loved Pope Francis, but we are human beings.”
In a statement from the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blasé J. Cupich echoed Kuca’s and Morello’s sentiments.
“The finest memorial we can offer is to re-form our hearts as Pope Francis asked – to see our brothers and sisters, to listen to them and to offer our prayers and actions that all may experience the fullness of God’s promise,” he said.
“As we mourn his passing, I ask that God comfort us but also strengthen us to remain steadfast in carrying on the work of restoring our Church’s place in the world as a source of hope and an advocate for those in need.”
Statements regarding the loss of Pope Francis were many Monday morning.
“My social values have and always will be tied to my upbringing as a Catholic, and I will remember Pope Francis as a leader deeply committed to faith and justice,” said U.S. Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. “May he rest in peace.”
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, whose district includes Chicago’s West Side and the near west suburbs, said he vividly remembers traveling to Washington, D.C. to see Pope Francis, “where his presence offered me, as a Catholic, a profound hope for change.
“He preached authentic leadership, inspiring countless individuals to open their hearts and embrace compassion, which is the essence of his impact on the world.”
Prentice Butler, executive director of the nonprofit The Neighborhood Bridge, which is dedicated to helping residents on Chicago’s West Side, said the “passing of Pope Francis marks the end of a transformative chapter for the Roman Catholic Church. Throughout his tenure, he brought renewed focus to reform and compassion for the most marginalized in our society.”
That includes migrants, immigrants and the homeless, who are aided by Centro San Edmundo, an interfaith effort sponsored by the Catholic parishes of Oak Park.
Centro co-leader Celine Woznica noted that Pope Francis’s family fled pre-World War II fascist Italy for Argentina. For that reason, he was both bilingual and had passion for those marginalized members of society.
“Right now, it’s this incredible sadness for this man who has taken this issue and made it part of his work,” said another Centro co-leader, Margie Rudnik. “He had so much passion for supporting the migrants.”
In addition to wondering who might be the next pope, there were also thoughts about the world’s decided lean to the right and authoritarianism and how the selection process might play out through that lens.
“I think there are some of our bishops that are leaning that way and I think the pope tried to hold that inner ground,” Morello said. “He spoke out against (President) Trump’s treatment of immigrants and people that were less advantaged.
“It’s a little surprising, Vance, the vice president, was critical of him, and yet yesterday the pope took the time to visit with him.
“That was the person he was.”
“I think the people were sad and wondering what’s going to come next,” Giannetti added. “(Pope Francis) has named most of the cardinals, so we might get somebody more like him.”