Minnesotans react to news of Pope Francis’ death: ‘A voice for the voiceless’

Minnesota Catholics, like those across the world, mourned Pope Francis on Monday, saying he was a great teacher and his championing of the poor and the environment had influence on the community beyond the church.

Pope Francis, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, died on Monday, a day after he presided over Mass at St. Peter’s Square on Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar. He was 88.

“It’s shocking that he went from a public presence to passing,” said Dan Doyle, who attended Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul on Monday morning. “I had non-Catholic friends talking about him. He was a voice and presence that helped all believers.”

The Rev. Joe Bambenek encouraged worshipers to be a people of Easter hope despite the news, which many learned about as they awoke Monday.

“We can thank God he was a blessing,” Bambenek said about the pope during his homily. “There are lessons to learn and live out” from Francis’ life.

The Catholic Church has a large presence in Minnesota, second only in Christian membership to Lutherans.

A 2023-34 Pew Research Center survey found that 18% of Minnesota adults identify as Catholic. That would translate to about 800,000 adults and puts Minnesota’s Catholic population in line with the U.S. as a whole, with 19% of U.S. adults identifying as Catholic.

Abigail Fasinski of St. Paul wanted to be at the Monday morning Mass after a friend shared the news of Pope Francis’ death.

“Very sad,” Fasinski said. “He had done a lot for the church. He paved the way and showed a new side of the church, especially with social justice. Everyone in the church will be feeling very deeply today.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will be leading a special Mass at noon Monday at the Cathedral of St. Paul, at 239 Selby Av. The Mass will be the first of the traditional nine offered for the repose of his soul.

“It is with profound sadness that I learned this morning of the death of our Holy Father, Pope Francis,” the archbishop said in a statement. “Along with Catholics and men and women of good will throughout the world, I gave thanks to Almighty God for his life and example, and I pray with Easter hope for the repose of his soul.

“I will always be grateful to Pope Francis for assigning me to serve as the archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. I have fond memories this day of all the times that he assured me of his prayers for this Archdiocese,” Hebda added.

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in southeastern Minnesota remembered Francis as a “man of simplicity, compassion and deep concern for those on the margins” of society. He asked for prayers for the cardinals who will gather soon to choose Francis’ successor.

Michael Patella, a Benedictine monk and former rector of the seminary at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville in central Minnesota, talked about the power of the pope’s messages.

“He was the son of immigrants,” Patella said, referring to Francis’ Italian father. “So when he spoke about immigration, he would speak from personal experience.”

During his papacy, Francis also reformed priestly formation, a revolution that had an impact at the seminary outside St. Cloud, Patella said.

The pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the first South American and Jesuit to ascend to the position. His choice of Francis, honoring the 12th century saint from Assisi, called “attention to the poor,” Patella said.

The pope’s death drew attention beyond religious circles. Lawmakers, including Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican whip Rep. Tom Emmer from Minnesota, both expressed condolences.

Francis was hospitalized in February after suffering from a bout of bronchitis for several days. Doctors diagnosed that the pope had bilateral pneumonia, the Vatican said.

Francis spent 38 days in the hospital before he returned to his residence at the Casa Santa Marta to continue his recovery, the Vatican said.

Francis had been seen in the Vatican during Holy Week activities and rode through St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sunday as many chanted, “Viva il papa (long live the pope)!”

Anne Cullen Miller, president of the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, was saddened and somewhat surprised to learn of Pope Francis’s passing, given his busy schedule over the weekend and news of continued recovery from his recent illness.

“He reminded us every day to care for each other, especially the poor, our environment [and] those living in desperate situations whether it be from war, hunger or being invisible within their own families or communities,” Cullen Miller said. “He preached love, he lived love. He made it pretty easy to understand better how we are called to live as community.”

Tim Marx, former CEO of Catholic Charities, said Pope Francis was a breath of fresh air whose death presents an inflection point for the church.

He reflected on hearing the pope speak in 2015 in front of a joint session of Congress in Washington.

“That was personally moving to me to hear his speech, his call to action and to characterize the church as a field hospital for the poor,” Marx said in an interview Monday. “It inspired me and so many others across the country and across the globe to continue that effort, knowing that that support was there.”

Zoë Jackson and Rachel Hutton of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.