Catholic Ottawa communities mourn loss of Pope Francis

Some Ottawans who arrived at church for Easter mass on Monday morning still hadn't heard the news, said Father Stephen Amesse, rector of Saint Patrick Basilica in Centretown.

Pope Francis, who served in the position for 12 years, passed away Monday morning at the age of 88. Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday in St. Peter's Square.

"It was very unexpected," Amesse said. "He was so visible yesterday, you know?"

The day before was Easter Sunday, and Francis gave the traditional blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome after recovering from double pneumonia.

"It's a great tribute to him that he died working," Amesse said.

In Ottawa, Amesse prepared to handle parishioners who may not have heard the news. A photo of Francis was set on a table, surrounded by candles. Around the photo, the church was still full of Easter flowers.

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Classical pianist Valerie Dueck visited the Vatican yesterday after the announcement of his death.

Next steps

Amesse, like other rectors around the world, is planning to hold a special mass to pray for Francis's soul and for the next pope, whomever it may be.

The Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall will also hold a community-wide mass and mourning event, according to Archbishop Marcel Damphousse.

"The greater community will be invited to partake in showing our gratitude for everything that Pope Francis gifted us with during his papacy and praying for his eternal rest," Damphousse said.

After the traditional mourning period of nine days, the Roman cardinals — including four Canadians — will sequester themselves to choose the next pope, in a gathering known as the conclave.

Legacy

As local Catholics begin to mourn, Damphousse said they are remembering a loving man who "led the church in a beautiful way."

"His legacy, for us in Canada, will be his last trip in 2022 of how he truly showed so much compassion for the Indigenous people who still suffer today from the realities of the residential schools," he said.

Father Amesse echoed that sentiment, describing how Francis's work affected his community.

"There's a sense of great thanksgiving for his service to the church and his continual reminder to us of the poor and the marginalized," he said.

"If I think of anything about Pope Francis, it's his message of welcome and that, I hope, will be a long legacy for the church as well."

That's a topic that's also on the mind of Emma Anderson, a University of Ottawa professor who closely follows the Vatican. She said Francis was quite liberal for a pope.

"Pope Francis really wanted to be a pope who put his own emphasis on the poor of the world," she said, adding that he also allowed priests to bless gay couples and addressed the Catholic Church's history with sexual abuse head-on.

"It's unclear how much of that legacy is going to continue and be embraced by successive popes or how much we're going to go back to the more conservative mainstream," she said.

Damphousse said every pope brings "a gift, and at the same time every pope is different." 

"An authentic pope is sensitive to the realities of the time, and they respond accordingly to the needs of the world and the church, and that's what Pope Francis did. And this is what the next pope will probably do," he said.

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Professor Emma Anderson, at the University of Ottawa, reflects on the Pope's visit to Canada, and his apology to Indigenous people.