Featured Photo by Lola Gomez, courtesy of CNS.
When Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, condolences and tributes poured in from around the world. Many world leaders expressed their respect for the late pontiff, and while these tributes tend to dominate headlines, less attention is given to the thoughts of billions of Catholics from around the world who were also impacted by Francis’ papacy.
So, here in the Diocese of Gallup, The Voice of the Southwest is sharing the perspectives of local Catholics – clergy and laypeople alike – on the life of the late pontiff.
Fr. Peter Short, Vicar General and Pastor of Mary, Mother of Mankind Parish in St. Michaels, AZ
(Editor’s note – Before serving in our Diocese, Fr. Peter spent many years as a priest in Argentina)
I met Pope Francis the first time when he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Although I had gone to see him to consult about some vocational issues, his demeanor struck me deeply as very, very humble. Although I was a simple parish priest, he treated me with deference as though I were important – for example, helping me put on my raincoat before leaving that rainy morning. At the same time, in our conversation, he showed a notably strong character. He was well known for his simple lifestyle: taking the city bus to the Chancery each day and living in a simple apartment and not in the Archbishop’s house. The other characteristic that struck me was his ability, in his public Masses, to preach in a way that the press, even the secular media, always picked up a powerful line of evangelization, which often would be the headline the next morning. Despite not being partisan, he knew politics and the complex political landscape of Argentina very well.
When he was elected Pope, eight years later, a friend of mine who is an Argentine journalist decided to write a book on the new Pope’s life with his help. Again, the Pope’s humility and accessibility (receiving many phone calls from this young journalist) impressed me. When my friend finished the book, he asked and obtained permission to present it personally to the Holy Father and asked me to join him. We were ushered into the Santa Marta residence, beside the Basilica of St. Peter, where the Pope chose to live. In a large sitting room, we waited for a few minutes until the Holy Father entered, alone. Again, the simplicity and humility of the encounter impressed me deeply. He drank mate with us and shared some sweets (it was about “snack time” in the afternoon) and he reminisced about his life using stories and pictures in the book. In all he spent about an hour and 20 minutes with us simply chatting about his life and asking about ours.
Fr. Angel Rossi, a protégé of Pope Francis – a Jesuit who had been, years before, one of Bergoglio’s novices and who is now the Cardinal Archbishop of Córdoba, Argentina – came to visit me shortly before I left Argentina. We naturally spoke about the Holy Father who had been elected just a few weeks before. I remember him telling me that as a novice, when they were sent out in the morning to visit the people in the slums, the then-Novice Master Bergoglio would get annoyed at the novices if they came home early (not if they came late) and would often send them out again to continue the visits. From the start, Pope Francis wanted the Church – and her pastors – to be one “in salida”: going out to meet the people. This, and his great love for the poor, I believe, will always mark his papacy.
Fr. Frank Chacon, Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Farmington, NM
The formula for Francis that he was very concerned with…you should “smell like the sheep”. That was his way of telling the ministers, you know, don’t leave anybody out. They’re all your sheep. And you should interact with them and be there for them when they need you.
That affected me a lot in the way that he reached out to people. He was not uncomfortable with anybody. It’s easy to be uncomfortable with certain people, you know, inmates and street people. People at prison, he washed their feet.
The idea to interact with the people, to be there for them, to visit them, to be willing to go bless their homes. In fact, I just had a call from a young lady who wanted to come and see me because she has questions about the faith. And I saw her as quickly as I could. They’re all God’s sheep so we need to be able to take care of them.
And I’m also very delighted with him that he did certain things very close to my heart. For example, he canonized the Fatima children. He canonized two Popes. He declared the Year of Mercy. And this year, he declared the Year of Hope. In our parish, we have a lot of people with a great, great devotion to Carlo Acutis. The fact that he cleared the way for the canonization to happen very quickly.
And the consecration he did a couple of years ago because of the Ukraine-Russia war. And asking the whole Catholic world to join him.
Yeah, it’s true, you know, he said some things that are kind of confusing to people. But the positives far outweighed any negatives.
Ana Alvarez, Spanish Mass Sacristan at St. Mary Parish in Farmington, NM
Our world is marked with division and noise, and I feel Pope Francis was a gentle and a wavering voice of hope, compassion and humility. He was very humble. He showed us a new way of leadership. He wasn’t looking for people to serve him, he was looking to serve others, and he will be greatly missed.
He did a [dialogue] with young adults that just had questions about life, about things young adults at this moment struggle with. It was so impactful on how he would speak to them with such kindness and love. I remember there was a person from the LGBTQ [community] that asked a question. It was mostly about what God would think of her for being homosexual. And the way Pope Francis answered that she is loved, I felt this is how Jesus would have answered a question.
I think he was building bridges. He was really building bridges within the Church. He was opening doors for a lot of people. He was giving hope and he was just our Pope of Mercy.
One of the quotes I really like is, “Rivers do not drink their own water. Trees do not eat their own fruit. The sun does not shine on itself. Living for others is a role of nature.” It’s not just about praying, it’s about actions. If you’re praying for the poor and hungry, you know, feed them now.
He did so much for everybody. I want people to remember Pope Francis. I mean, he’s not going to be remembered for building monuments or for political power. But like I said, he built a lot of bridges and opened many hearts. I hope everybody can remember him for his humility and his kindness and his love.
Bryan Yorksmith, Principal of St. Anthony School in Show Low, AZ
The Pope inspired [our] kids to be kind and gentle and caring and forgiving. And, you know, we used that a lot to teach the kids. I think he’s the one that did that five-fingered prayer. And when we first heard about that, we did that with our kids.
We have an image of him at the front of our school, and Father Dan [Kassis, chaplain of the school] has talked about him.
[After his death] our entire school, we prayed a decade of the rosary.
All of our junior high students come together once a month and they’re divided up into different houses. Once a month we get together and we do some special discussions. So our discussion [the next] Tuesday was all about Pope Francis. And it kind of went into, you know, what’s going to happen next. And so that answered a lot of questions for the kids.
And then we did this little challenge amongst the houses where they each had to create a poster for us to put up in the hallways for the younger kids to see and learn more about Pope Francis – facts and images and what he was known for and quotes.
And in the very front of the school, we put an image of Pope Francis and we’ve lit a candle. And we’ll have that candle lit for the nine days.
I think for me as a principal, he’s a perfect example of a servant leader. One to be in the ditches, working with the others. The one that gave up the papal palace and lived modestly. The one that will go out in the community and interact with the poor and the marginalized and those that are in great need. He was such a good example of that. As a leader, that’s something we have to keep in mind.
Do you have any favorite memories of Pope Francis? Did he impact your life in a special way? Feel free to comment!