RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — Leaders across North Carolina are reacting to the news that Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, as confirmed by the Vatican on Monday morning. Many are reflecting on Pope Francis’ impact of life and how his preaching’s had a transformative effect on Catholics around the world and here at home. Among the comments…
Senator Thom Tillis
“Pope Francis dedicated his life to faith, compassion, and service to God. His passing is a loss felt around the world. Susan and I join Catholics and non-Catholics across North Carolina in honoring his legacy of service.”
Senator Ted Budd
“Amy Kate and I are praying for all who mourn the passing of Pope Francis. May he rest in peace.”
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Governor Josh Stein
“Anna and I join the world in mourning the loss of Pope Francis. His leadership inspired and taught us to serve with love, faith, and compassion. May his memory be a blessing.”
Bishop Luis Zarama of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
“I was blessed to have opportunities to meet with Pope Francis many times and was amazed by his warmth and compassion and sense of humor. I will always be amazed when I recall how he demonstrated that same humility and humanity in every interaction, with every person he met.”
Duke Divinity School Professor of Theology Peter Casarella
“Pope Francis was a stark critic of a self-referential Catholic Church and preferred to preach apostolic zeal and the model of a church as a field hospital. Even in the move to Rome, Pope Francis remained a Latin American priest of great humility and simplicity. He chose not to live in the papal apartments but instead to reside in the Vatican guesthouse. He has been noted for his personal connections with people, his willingness to listen, and his down-to-earth nature. As pope, he confounded the Swiss guards in charge of his security by venturing outside of the Vatican to visit a record shop owned by an elderly couple whom he had befriended as a young priest.”
Bishop Michael Martin of the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Pope Francis and join with Catholics of the Diocese of Charlotte and around the world in mourning of the loss of our shepherd. I am certain that all people of good will rejoice with us that this man of faith has “finished the race” (2 Tim 4:7), and we pray that he will receive the reward which we have all been promised by our merciful God who has saved us from the finality of death. There will be time to celebrate the life and legacy of Pope Francis in the days ahead, but for now I invite anyone and everyone to join us in prayer this evening at 7 p.m. in every Roman Catholic church in the Diocese of Charlotte for a time of prayer, reflection, and mourning. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him!”
Laura Townsend Jones, Refugee Resettlement Director, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte
“Pope Francis was consistently a beacon of hope and love in a tumultuous world. His support for refugees and immigrants – and those of us who have dedicated our lives to supporting them and welcoming these strangers into our community – was inspirational and gave us strength and clarity that we are, in fact, serving God’s will regarding preserving the dignity of the human person. Pope Francis’ words set the example, to ‘live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all. We will miss his compassionate spirit and his guidance.”
Sister Rose Marie Tresp of Sisters of Mercy
“From the moment that Pope Francis stepped out onto the balcony of Saint Peter’s to give his first blessings to the crowd gathered below, his simpler dress, his request for prayers, his humility and simplicity were an inspiration to me. At his first Holy Thursday the Pope washed the feet of 10 male and two female juvenile offenders, not all Catholic. This immediately indicated that change was coming…Then the Pope’s first visit outside the Vatican was to Lampedusa to greet the migrants landing on the shore. Since I was heavily involved in advocacy for reform of the U.S. immigration laws, this gave me hope. I will deeply miss Pope Francis but as I am nearer the end of my life than the beginning, I hope to follow him in continuing to be engaged with people, with service and humor.”
North Carolina Representative Deborah Ross
“Pope Francis reminded all of us that we all have the duty to do good. His passing is a profound loss, not just for the Catholic Church, but for humanity and decency everywhere. May we all strive to lead with the grace he lived by.”
North Carolina Representative Valerie Foushee
“I join the millions around the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. Pope Francis was a moral and visionary leader who challenged us to always treat others with compassion and care. May he rest in eternal peace.”