Local church leaders & Catholic community remember Pope Francis
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — On Easter Monday, many people woke up to the news that Pope Francis had passed away at the age of 88. The Vatican's Health Department confirmed the pontiff died of a stroke and heart failure.
Christians and religious leaders around the world are in mourning, while remembering his work for more than a decade as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona held its daily mass at noon on Monday. During the service, the priest spoke about Francis and told others to pray for his eternal rest and soul.
Jeannine McCloskey attends mass daily at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. She first heard from her husband. She said, 'My husband got up very early this morning, and he hollered up to me, 'he's dead. He's dead.' And I said, who? And he said, the Pope. And I could not believe it.'
Pope Francis served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years and was also history's first Latin American pontiff.
'I liked him. I thought he was a good pope. He was very inclusive. He asked us to care for everybody and love everybody. I thought he was a good pope,' Sharon Condron, who attends daily mass said.
Bellefonte church mourns loss of Pope Francis with memorial
While the feeling of sadness lingers among the Catholic Church, other people see this as an opportunity.
'His pontificate has always drew me deeper into prayer, but especially today of all days. You know, so I'm looking for not as much what I can gain from this mass but what I can give to others, you know, the gift that I can give, as a result of hearing of Pope Francis death, how I can really embody his legacy to others that are around me,' Wally Zapotoczny, a member of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Bellwood said.
Francis was elected in 2013. That same year, Bishop Mark Bartchak had the opportunity to meet him during a Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Pilgrimage to Rome. He said the Pope was friendly and down to earth.
As he looks back at Pope Francis' time in the Vatican, he said what sets him apart from his predecessors was his experience, compassion, and the ability to listen to people more intently.
Bishop Bartchak said there will be a period of mourning that will last for days, and prayers will be offered in all the churches of the diocese.
'Hopefully, we'll have an opportunity to have a diocesan celebration, a mass for everybody to come together for that. For that reason, to pray for his eternal rest,' Bartchak said.
Pope Francis will be laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where he decided to be buried in a last break from tradition.
Sometime after he is laid to rest, the Cardinals will come together to have an election for the new Pope.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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