Northeast Ohio pastor reflects on meeting Pope Francis: ‘A bridge builder'
BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (WJW) – The pastor of Saint Raphael Catholic Church in Bay Village said Pope Francis will be remembered as a bridge builder and a man of the people.
Father Dan Schlegel has a unique perspective after being part of six audiences with the pontiff over the past 12 years.
'What we got in Francis was the heart. To really be a servant leader and it fills my heart with joy that we were able to have him for as long as we did,' Schlegel said.
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A photo in Schlegel's office at St. Raphael shows him sharing a one-on-one moment with Pope Francis at the Vatican in November 2023.
'I was really surprised. It was a room with about 300 people. He took the time to greet every single person in that room,' he said.
Schlegel said from the first day Francis became Pope in 2013, he was impressed with his kindness and humility.
'They wanted him to put on the red slippers that had been pretty much a tradition for the Popes,' Schlegel said. 'He refused to do that and instead he had his shoes from Argentina with holes still in them. That's just the kind of guy that he was.'
The pastor said during one of his visits to Rome, Pope Francis showed compassion for a friend of Schlegel who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease.
'The Pope reached right out to him and hugged him and his mother and it was beautiful. He was not afraid to go out and that's what the church needed, someone who was willing to go out to the people,' he said.
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During another visit to Rome by a delegation from Cleveland, the financial support of museums at the Vatican by the Catholic community of Northeast Ohio was acknowledged by Pope Francis.
'Bishop Malesic said 'Cleveland' and the Pope said 'ah, Cleveland,' which I take as a pretty good sign,' Schlegel said with a smile.
The pastor said one of the most memorable audiences he had with Pope Francis came during the COVID pandemic.
He said the meeting demonstrated how the pontiff was focused on bringing people together, even during the most difficult of circumstances.
'He truly was a bridge builder, which was to love and accept people on one side of the bridge where they were and to help them move across the bridge to where they could be and I love that about him,' Schlegel said.
Schlegel said Pope Francis will also be remembered for lifting up people who were left behind by society.
'He brought hope, he brought joy, he brought peace, he brought possibility and helped people to strive to want to do exactly that. To be better than they were and he knew that was possible,' he said.
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