Catholics around the San Diego area joined faithful around the world and international leaders Monday to mourn the death of Pope Francis.
The pontiff died at 7:35 a.m. Rome time Monday at the Vatican — one day after Easter — and "returned to the home of the Father," Cardinal Kevin Farrell, a Vatican spokesman, announced. Francis was 88.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute chief of staff and Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical ceremonies, joined Farrell when he made the announcement at the Vatican.
"Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow, I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," the announcement said. "At 7:35 this morning, The Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the Father's house. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.
"He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of God, One and Triune."
The administrator of the Diocese of San Diego, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Pham, released a statement Monday saying, "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," Pham said.
"The Pope had a special affection for our border community, and always expressed concern for the immigrants who journeyed through it."
Pham also spoke to KPBS at St. Mary Magdalene Church Monday. He said the Pope's death is a great sadness for him and Catholics around the world.
“Pope Francis, our Holy Father, had appointed me to become an Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of San Diego. So it's sentimental for me, learning that he had passed away,” Pham said.
The Auxiliary Bishop hopes Pope Francis’ legacy — giving a voice to the voiceless — lives on.
“He talked about, or cared about the prisoners. He would go there and wash their feet on Holy Thursday. He (was) mindful of the marginalized — like the immigrants, those people who are in need of welcoming,” Pham said.
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."
During an Easter event providing free meals for the homeless, Vargas added, “This is bittersweet for us as Catholics. Bittersweet in a sense that we mourn the loss of him, and yet we know that he's exactly where he wants to be.”
Kathy McKinley was a volunteer at the event, as part of The Ladies Guild.
“I feel the Pope and Father Joe right here. Their spirits are here, their passion, their caring for people,” she said.
McKinley is a lifelong Catholic and has been a volunteer with Father Joe’s Villages for 20 years.
She feels blessed to have had Pope Francis lead the church as long as he did and noted that he died the day after celebrating Easter.
“I was, I guess, grateful for the timing — because what better day than after the Resurrection?” McKinley said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that Francis "led with his love of peace and creation and sought to protect and lift up the vulnerable."
"He championed human dignity, especially that of the poor, called the world to urgent climate action, condemned the death penalty, and confronted painful truths — including the Church's role in the genocide of Indigenous peoples," Newsom said. "His papacy was characterized by moral courage, a profound respect for all creation, and a deep conviction in the transformative power of love to heal and unite."
Francis was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and had part of a lung removed when he was younger. He was admitted to a hospital on Feb. 14 for a respiratory episode that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days in the hospital and made his final public appearance on Easter Sunday, blessing the faithful in St. Peter's Square while sitting in a wheelchair.
He served as pope for 12 years and set a different tone for the papacy, focusing on humility for a Catholic Church facing scandals and accusations of indifference.
The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio became pope on March 13, 2013, and succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis' election.
Francis reached out to the LGBTQ+ community and cracked down on traditionalists, which created tension with conservatives in the Catholic Church.
He was pope during the coronavirus pandemic and asked his followers to use it as an opportunity to review the economic and political framework that he said was turning the wealthy against the impoverished.
"We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented," Francis told an empty St. Peter's Square in March 2020.
Part of his message included stressing the need for "all of us to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other."
Pope Francis also appointed San Diego’s first ever Cardinal — Robert McElroy — who was recently appointed archbishop of Washington D.C.
McElroy will be part of the conclave to elect a new Pope in the coming weeks.
