Little Rock community joins to remember Pope Francis
Members of the Little Rock community gathered to remember and honor Pope Francis after his death on Monday.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Members of the Little Rock community are reflecting on the stories of Pope Francis following his passing.
“I do remember one of the early stories about Pope Francis, he got into not real trouble, but trouble with people looking after him because he would sneak out at night to buy pizzas for homeless people,” Caleb, an attendee the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, said.
The 266th Pope of the Catholic Church passed Monday after suffering a heart attack. Since then, worldwide commemoration has begun, even here in Little Rock.
This follows the Mass in Rome’s Saint Mary Major Basilica on Saturday, where the pope was laid to rest, beginning nine consecutive days of mourning.
“Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and we’re going to combine that with a memorial Mass for Pope Francis,” Bishop Anthony Taylor said.
Bishop Taylor is the bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock.
He led Sunday’s service but also took time to reflect on Pope Francis, as he had met the pope a time before.
“I met him in Argentina before he became pope, and spent some time with him, well, like 15 minutes, and then had a limited visit with him,” Taylor said.
Others like Caleb’s mother, Rachel, shared sentiments of Pope Francis and his impact on her life as well.
“He was known as the people’s pope, and had a profound heart for social justice, so he’ll be missed,” Rachel said.
Pope Francis was elected in 2013, and many knew him for his messages of peace and unity worldwide.
“Pope Francis has been a very eloquent voice for the people that are on the margins and people that are on the periphery of things and who don’t count, and they do count,” Taylor said.
That exact message was felt during Sunday’s service.
Taylor asperges holy water amongst the congregation, followed by songs of worship.
With Pope Francis’ picture at the front of the altar, it stood as a reminder of what he left behind.
“Our concern is not just the Catholics in the diocese but for everybody. That concern for the welfare of everybody is really something that’s characteristic of Pope Francis and should be characteristic of anyone,” Taylor said.
The Cardinals, senior clergy members or advisors to the pope, are set to gather as early as May 6 to begin the papal conclave to elect the next pope.