Rev. Michael D. Liliedahl, chaplain of the Newman Catholic Club at San Francisco State University, had just woken up before reading an email about the pope’s death.
“I didn’t expect it,” Liliedahl said. “As Catholics, we look at Pope Francis as our spiritual father. So in a sense, this is kind of like shock…the shock of when your grandfather passes away. It takes some time to process it.”
On April 21, the Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88. Francis reigned as pope for 12 years. He expressed his advocacy for the poor and marginalized when he was first elected. “A poor church, for the poor,” he said in his inauguration in 2013. He also put an emphasis on the environment, addressing the climate crisis early in his papacy.
Before his death, Francis was admitted to the hospital for five weeks in February. He was treated for a respiratory tract infection. Despite the health issues, the pope’s death still came as a shock to people.
In the early hours on Monday morning, Arath Solorio, a business student at SFSU, received a text message from his brother.
“I was just pretty shocked, because this whole past week my mom had been talking about him,” Solorio said. “And just how crazy, out of nowhere, passes away,”
Solorio remembers watching Francis on television with his family as a child. His mother would put him on whenever he appeared in the news.
“I used to watch him a lot of the time,” Solorio said. “Just crazy.”
Roland Erskine, an environmental studies student, remembers Francis’ early years. She and her family were hopeful for the future because of Francis’ modernism and being “woke and hip.” Francis differed from his predecessors in his more progressive teachings. His inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community received support and criticism from both sides. Erskine worries that the pope’s successor will not share Francis’ values.
“We already have a super conservative government, and I don’t necessarily want a super conservative pope leading the Vatican and swaying other religions,” Esrkine said.
Francis was the first Latin American-born pontiff. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis continuously supported the Latin community during his reign. He constantly addressed issues related to immigration, social justice and assimilation. He was aware of how closely Latin Americans were tied to the church.
For sociology student Nina Arroyo, who grew up in a Mexican Catholic household, cultural ideologies and religious beliefs align. Arroyo has a sister who is a gay woman. As a Catholic, Arroyo appreciated the pope’s inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community.
“He spoke something about sexuality. He said, ‘I believe that God is love and I don’t think it’s a crime to love who you love,’” Arroyo said. “I think that’s important, that such an important religious leader had those views.”
Liliedahl believed that Francis had an incredible impact on the Church. For Liliedahl, Francis’ hallmarks were his pastoral qualities.
“He’s always thinking about the person right in front of him,” Liliedahl said. “He’s never looking beyond them and looking at abstract things.”
Liliedahl offered prayers for Francis and the church, urging others to do the same over the next two to three weeks, as Pope Francis’ funeral and the election of the next pope take place.
