Jessica Kelso said she converted to Catholicism during Pope Francis’ tenure, adding she was drawn by his humility and commitment to the poor and the marginalized.
“He never wanted to ostracize anyone that was genuinely searching for God,” Kelso said Monday at Atlanta’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “He taught me to trust that when we look for God, we will essentially find him at some point. God will call us. The spirit will direct us.”
Kelso, an administrative assistant at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Decatur, said she hopes Pope Francis’ successor will continue the work he has done to improve transparency in how the church operates financially and how it deals with corruption.
She is among many Georgians mourning Pope Francis’ death. The head of the Roman Catholic Church passed away Monday morning at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican announced. He was 88.
Atlanta Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer called the pope a “much loved and respected spiritual father.”
“Today, our tears of joy are mixed with tears of sadness as we mourn the death of Pope Francis,” Hartmayer said in a statement published in the Atlanta Archdiocese’s official newspaper, The Georgia Bulletin. “We thank God for his gift of the Holy Father’s life and for his papacy marked by a special love for the poor and marginalized.”
The pope was hospitalized earlier this year with life-threatening double pneumonia. His death came a day after he blessed worshippers gathered in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass. The crowd roared when he appeared in a wheelchair on a balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica and raised a hand in greeting, The New York Times reported.
“Dear brothers and sisters, happy Easter,” the pope said, according to The Times.
Nine percent of adults in the Atlanta metro area identify as Catholics, according to Pew Research Center survey results released in February. That is down 2 percentage points since 2014. Nationally, the survey results show, 19% of adults identify as Catholics.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
Deonna Kalala said Pope Francis is a big reason she converted to Catholicism, calling him a “really good light for the church after a very tumultuous period.”
“There’s a resurgence in the Catholic church, and I know he had a lot to do with that,” she said Monday before celebrating Mass with her children at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta.
The pope’s photograph sat atop a white table with candles next to the pulpit as Father Gerardo Ceballos-González led the cathedral’s congregation in prayer.
“We have lost a compassionate leader,” Ceballos-González said after the service. “He has reminded the church we are supposed to be here to serve everybody, not just the good, the good-behaved, not just the ones that are religiously affiliated, but especially those who are in the periphery.”
Camille Solberg was struck by Pope Francis’ humility, including when she watched him canonize Junípero Serra, an 18th century Franciscan friar who brought Catholicism to the West Coast.
The Johns Creek resident described what she witnessed in 2015 outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington as “the most peaceful environment I felt in a long, long time.” The pope, she added, “wanted to share with the world what Christ was really all about, and Christ was a servant.”
“He came here to bring salvation — redemption to everyone that accepted him,” Solberg said, adding the pope tried to “live as close to that image as possible.”
Credit: Courtesy of Camille Solberg
Credit: Courtesy of Camille Solberg
In Savannah, Catholics also celebrated the pope’s life and papacy.
“He did what he wanted to do and went,” said Mark Friday, who attended a regularly scheduled Mass on Monday at Savannah’s Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist. “He didn’t want to die in the hospital.”
His assessment was echoed by others who stood outside the cathedral following the 45-minute service. The church, located in the heart of Savannah’s historic district, is the seat of the Diocese of Savannah and home to the region’s bishop, Stephen Parkes.
In his homily at the cathedral Monday, the Rev. Andrew Larkin noted the timing of Francis’s death. The Catholic church on Sunday began an 8-day observance of Easter, Christianity’s most holy day of the year. Easter marks the day Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, an act Christians believe provides believers a path to Heaven following death.
“How appropriate that Pope Francis’s last words were to wish everyone a happy Easter,” Larkin said. “It was providential. The joy of Easter is victory over death.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp praised the pope Monday on X, the social network formerly called Twitter.
“We join all Georgians and those around the world mourning the loss of Pope Francis,” Kemp wrote. “His heart for all of God’s creation should inspire each of us to live out the great commandment to love our neighbor.”
The White House posted on X photos of President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance with the pope. Vance and the pope exchanged Easter greetings in a brief meeting Sunday at Casa Santa Marta.
“Rest in peace, Pope Francis,” the White House posted on X.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who previously served as bishop of the Dallas Catholic Diocese in Texas, will serve as the acting head of the Vatican until a new pope is chosen.
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his church,” Farrell said Monday. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized.”
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