A pope of the people: Locals in the Cape Fear react to death of Pope Francis
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After the death of Pope Francis Monday, reactions pour in from around the globe—including here in the Cape Fear.
Dr. Paul Townend teaches British and Irish history at UNCW, with a much of his studies focusing on the history of Catholicism.
Townend says Pope Francis will be remembered by many as a pope who focused on people.
“He was always somebody who put the importance of the church as a family community—with all the things that happen in families, families can be messy—ahead of the idea the church as a giant bureaucracy,” Townend explained.
The first pope from the Americas, many saw Pope Francis as a reformer.
He was the first pope who chose to live outside of the Vatican palace in favor of a modest apartment.
He was also the first Jesuit priest to become pope, and one of the few to speak on politics.
Pope Francis often advocated for the rights and better treatment of migrants and softened the Catholic church’s tone towards the LGBTQ+ community.
In his final days, he prayed daily for peace in Gaza and Ukraine.
“He was always a voice for the people who were kind of outside of the system in a lot of ways,” Townend noted. “So, I think he was a challenge to a lot of people in the church, and outside the church too. To think about Christianity a little bit differently, to think maybe about the Catholic Church a little bit differently.”
Father Thomas Davis with the Basilica of St. Mary in Wilmington says a memorial for Pope Francis was erected inside the sanctuary.
When asked how the world will remember Pope Francis, Father Davis recalls when the Pontiff stopped to bless a young girl on his way back to the Vatican.
“The pope saw a little girl in a wheelchair. He got out of the limo, he hugged her, gave her a kiss, shook hands with mama and the family, and got back in the limo. He saw something, he had to pay attention, and he did,” Davis said.
Father Davis says in addition to the memorial, the basilica will also hold a special prayer after each mass, praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, which ends with Mary being crowned as the queen of Heaven.
“It’s our prayer that she is among those who welcome him. The old song ‘When the Saints go Marching in,’ I think he’s one of those saints. He’s marching in,” Davis said.
It would be a long and complicated process to become a saint, but two of Francis’ recent predecessors—John the 23rd and John Paul the second—were both canonized.
