Windsorites remember Pope Francis for his 'Heart of God'

The Catholic Bishop of London, Ont., whose diocese includes Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia, says Pope Francis's popularity helped bring people back to the church in southwestern Ontario.

Bishop Ronald Fabbro said people were drawn in by Francis's concern for the environment and his efforts to reach out to those often excluded from decision-making. 

"When I would go around to the parishes, many of them would say that they really like what Pope Francis is saying, and that's [what] encouraged them to come back to the church," he said.

"It was really impressive … It was very encouraging to hear. And people that were involved in our leadership liked the leadership he was giving the church."

The Pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, died Monday morning at the age of 88.

His papacy, which began, March 13, 2013, was marked by a movement away from enforcing church doctrine and toward opening doors to those who felt excluded.

'Be close to your people'

Catholic leaders in Windsor-Essex told CBC that Francis worked to transform the church into a synodal church, one focused on listening to what people wanted and needed from it.

It was a style of leadership Francis himself modelled for them, they said.

"My first meeting was when the bishops of Canada did our visit to Rome," Fabbro said.

"The normal practice if you did these visits was I would … prepare a speech to begin with. And as soon as we entered the room, the Pope said, 'I don't want any speeches. And he said, 'I just want to listen to the bishops.' … And I remember the message he gave us. He says as we're leaving … 'Be close to your people.'"

Francis began a process in 2021 of consulting parishioners around the world about what was going well with the church and where the challenges were, said Linda Staudt, a retired Windsor teacher and education administrator who took part in the process.

The message that came back from southwestern Ontario and around the world was the same, she said: The church needed to be more welcoming and inclusive and needed to reach out and listen to those who felt turned away. 

As church leaders prepared to consider the feedback at their 2023 synod, the pontiff invited lay members to join the bishops and cardinals as full participants.

He prioritized young people and women, Staudt said, and she was one of them.

"Up until this year, the [synods] that took place — they would have been in theatre-style," she said.

"So basically [you've] got the Pope at the front, and they're all sitting in rows. … We were seated around round tables. ... And when the Pope joined us, he too was at a round table. And there's no head at a round table. … It changed the flavour of the synod, and it really became one of truly listening to each other."

Mass, prayers in Windsor to remember the pontiff

The Pope gave Staudt and other women at the synod an audience, she said.

And they used it to thank him for giving women a voice in the church.

The process Francis began in 2021 will continue over the next three years as parishes must now execute plans to become more welcoming of and engaged with their parishioners, Staudt said. 

"There's going to be another Pope now that's going to carry on, hopefully, that legacy," she said.

"And there's things in place right now that I don't think can be undone."

Catholics in Windsor-Essex meanwhile, will remember the Pope in a variety of ways over the coming days.

The Windsor Heritage Catholic Family of Parishes transformed its Easter Monday evening mass to pay homage to Francis.

Father Timothy Scott said Windsorites will remember him as a humble man who distanced himself from centres of power and focused his attention on marginalized communities.

"People don't forget when he was on the plane coming back from one of his trips and they asked him about gays, and that line, 'Who am I to judge?' Just - it went worldwide immediately," he said. 

"Again, it's just constant concern for marginalized people … that's what they're going to remember."

Students of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board will join in nine days of prayer for the pontiff when they return to classes on Tuesday.

Rick Frias, a consultant with the board for religion and family life, said the Catholic education community appreciated Francis for being "the heart of God."

"He lived a humble life," Frias said. 

"He kind of changed a few of those little small-"t" traditions with what he wore, where he lived, and he led by example. He went in and washed the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday. … He wants us to smell like the sheep, you know, to be a part of the people and to be very immersed in the reality of our world."

Frias, Fabbro and Scott all said that while they are saddened by the loss of the Pope, they are grateful for his life.