Father Brian Atienza has been a priest in Sacramento for 22 years. After hearing about the passing of Pope Francis, he remembered the time he met him several years ago.
“We were visiting the Holy See,” he said, referring to the central governing body of the Catholic Church in Rome. “He took the time to visit with us, speak with us and share his thoughts with us. It was one of those really profound moments where what you see in the public figure of the Holy Father, you see also in his personal interactions.”
Francis died early Monday at the age of 88 one day after Easter Sunday marking the end of his 12-year papacy. He was the first Latin American pope and often communicated with Latino followers in Spanish.
Atienza is a father at Immaculate Conception, a church in Oak Park that predominantly serves Hispanic people. He said he knows many Spanish-speaking members of his parish had “a certain pride” to have someone like Francis “who speaks their language, who understands their culture.”
“I would not be surprised if they feel a certain pride and, of course ‘tristeza,’ sadness, in the passing because he is well loved generally in the whole Catholic Church, especially in his stance on bringing people who are often forgotten or marginalized,” he said.
Ana Reyes was shopping at La Superior along Franklin Boulevard Monday. She said she had just found out the pope died and was shocked.
“He was the most beloved bishop in the world,” she said in Spanish, referring to one of the many titles he held in church leadership prior to becoming pope. “I never saw him in person, just on T.V. or on the radio.”
Reyes is Latina and said having a pope who looked like her and spoke her language made her proud to be Catholic.
Atienza said that every Catholic is in mourning right now, noting that the pope is like “a father to the community, to the church, to every Catholic.”
“There's a certain sadness to it, but there's also something providential in it because his passing came at the time of Easter where we are celebrating the resurrection of the Lord,” he said. “Personally, I would say what better way to go home to the Lord on the day that we celebrate the resurrection of his son.”
Bishop Jaime Soto from the Diocese of Sacramento released a statement following the news of the pope's death, commending him for his service.
“In one of his initial interviews, Pope Francis identified himself as a sinner in need of God’s mercy,” he stated. “He beseeches us in this moment of sadness to ask for such mercy. His chosen papal motto spoke to this same self-understanding, ‘miserando atque eligendo’ (having mercy and calling).”
Chantal LeFevre, vice-chancellor for the Diocese of Sacramento, said they will post updates on any plans to celebrate the life of the pope on their website.
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