Fr. Thomas Reese: I loved and supported Pope Francis, though he was not perfect.

Fr. Thomas Reese: I loved and supported Pope Francis, though he was not perfect.

Ordinary Catholics saw Pope Francis as a compassionate pastor who cared about people, especially the poor and the marginalized, writes Thomas Reese.

Catholics praying after death of Pope Francis

Local Catholics joined with 1.3 billion around the world in mourning the death of Pope Francis this week and are awaiting selection of a new pontiff.

Death of Pope Francis leaves many Black Catholics in mourning and also praying – Jackson Advocate

Pope Francis, who became the head of the Roman Catholic Church on March 2013 and who died in April 2025, will be sorely missed by Catholics in general, but particularly by those outside the mainstream. The mourning in many poor, Catholic communities will likely be on par with what America witnessed at the time of the deaths of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, or Martin Luther. Like them, he was a man for the common people. From…

Pope Francis: An advocate for Black America

His Holiness Pope Francis made his transition on the morning of after Easter Sunday, after he delivered an Easter blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, and after he