‘Merciful,’ ‘revolutionary’ Pope Francis mourned by faithful throughout Southern California

Local Catholics mourning the death of Pope Francis are paying their respects to the beloved Latin American pontiff, who was known for his compassionate — at times polarizing — views on issues from immigration and LGBTQ+ inclusion, to climate change and support for vaccinations.

Vatican officials announced Francis’ death early Monday, April 21, at 88 years old. The 266th pontiff was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and became the first Pope for the Americas whose native language was Spanish.

The faithful from around Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire expressed their sorrow, and prayed for clarity in the divinely inspired process of electing the next leader of the Holy See.

L.A. Archbishop José H. Gomez prayed for the late Holy Father in a solemn Monday Mass honoring the late Francis, who was elected to the papal seat as the Bishop of Rome in 2013. At the Mass — amidst other clergy, a portrait of Francis and a host of white flower decorations — Gomez shared a personal reflection and memories of celebrating a private Mass in the papal residence.

“He was like a wise father and an older brother to me,” Gomez told parishioners at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. “I’m going to miss him big time — I’m sure we all will.”

Pomona resident Richard Carmona brought a bouquet of flowers, which he left at the base of Francis’ portrait inside the cathedral.

“I was compelled to come pay my respects to someone who’s been quite a leader, especially for the marginalized, and in my case, especially the gay community,” Carmona, 47, said.

A self-appointed “recovering Catholic,” Carmona initially left the church because of “exclusionary attitudes” toward LGBTQ+ people, he said. But he credited the willingness to return to some traditions of the Catholic faith to Pope Francis, and other religious institutions where he doesn’t feel judged as a gay person.

“He’s opened a lot of doors and begun a lot of conversations, breaking old traditions that may have been antiquated,” Carmona said, calling Francis “a breath of fresh air.”

Like others at the Mass, Carmona expressed hope that the next pontiff will continue to have a welcoming stance to people from all walks of life.

“Everybody always looks forward toward progress and inclusion, especially in light of the scandals and things that have tarnished the Catholic faith,” Carmona said.  “I hope whoever precedes him continues the tradition and open-mindedness that Pope Francis had.”

An emotional Rachel Salazar, from Los Angeles, came to Monday’s Mass to pay her respects. She credited Francis for her teenage children still being a part of the Catholic faith on their own.

“He embraced a wider swath of Catholics and populations that maybe generally weren’t embraced, or didn’t feel as welcome before him,” Salazar said. “For me, it’s really important that (my kids) be accepted as who they are. And (Francis) was very good about accepting everyone… now, faith is something that they’ve continued to embrace for themselves. I think the Pope played a large part in that.”

Elizabeth Taylor facilitates a group of LGBTQIA+ Catholics at St. Dominic’s Church in Eagle Rock. She said that group members “all have a great fondness for the Pope, how he supported them and cared about them on a very loving level.”

“It is known that many Catholic priests do bless same-sex marriage … they feel it is important about caring about the person, as Jesus did. You have to have a heart. And that’s who Pope Francis was. He had a heart,” Taylor said. “It was not necessarily (about) looking at dogma. He looked at the whole person — not only to the LGBTQIA+ community, but to the immigrant community as well.”

Mario Marovic, of Newport Beach, was somber as he visited Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Newport Beach to say prayers and light a candle after hearing the news. Though he knew the Pope had health issues, he was shocked to learn of his death. He believes Francis set the foundation for a future leader to come in and continue the “good work” he has done.

Marovic said the Pope was “revolutionary” in the centuries-old Catholic faith tradition.

“He understood the culture of society, and did a really good job understanding what the church needed to adapt to the current time.”

Maria Lozono, from Rancho Cucamonga, attended a noon daily Mass with a friend at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Chino. She reflected on Francis’ legacy, describing the Holy Father as “a figure of compassion.”

“He was called merciful because he would always talk about mercy—to connect us. His first encyclical was about mercy, too,” Lozono said. “He taught us a lot. He loved everyone, you know, regardless of your religion. I think if he was still here he would say: ‘Love one another. Love one another’.”

Ontario resident Maria Andrade described the loss like “losing my grandfather.”

“It was a surprise—I woke up around 4 a.m., checked my phone, and saw it on YouTube,” Andrade said. “I didn’t believe it at first. It’s a very sad day for us all.”

Kelly Verduzco, who began attending Our Lady of Guadalupe Church last year, reflected on the Pope’s influence in bringing Catholics closer to their faith.

“I feel like he brought a lot of people closer to God, and I was one of them,” she shared. Francis was someone “who cared a lot, who knew how to talk about Christ, and who connected with people—even those outside the Church. He was well loved, especially in the Latino community. People really felt like he was there for them.”

Jeanette Morrow, principal of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School in Riverside, said that the school community has been praying for Francis since his health started to decline.

“He’s been welcoming in a way that hasn’t been so apparent with past popes, which I feel is the true message of Jesus,” said Morrow. “It’s a voice that people need to hear in today’s world. They need to know they’re welcomed, that they’re included and that they’re loved. And I believe that’s who he was, that he was about the message of Jesus.”

Gustavo Chamorro, a parishioner at Our Lady of the Assumption in San Bernardino, expressed hopes that “whoever gets elected is someone who can bring unity.”

“I think one of the things I admired about Pope Francis was his outreach to other faiths, under this belief that we’re all in this together,” Chamorro said. “It’s definitely a sad moment for us Catholics.”

Visiting the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday morning were Rebecca Plumier and her husband. Plumier, who was raised Protestant, grieved the Pope’s death, while recognizing the vast influence he had on the world.

“I don’t think you have to be Catholic to observe Jesus Christ and the people that are taking care of him,” Plumier said. Pope Francis “was an incredible man with an incredible heart. He cared about his people, he was humble, he was courageous. I feel honored to have had him in my life, because I feel like he was in my life.”

Annie Phan-Luong, a longtime parishioner at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, prayed a rosary with her sons after hearing the news Monday. She said it was “fitting” that the Holy Father’s death was on Easter Monday, on the day after he made his final public appearance at St. Peter’s Basilica and blessed thousands of visitors.

“Not that he chose to go that day, but that God called him home, especially after his message yesterday of hope and peace and renewal. It was actually really beautiful, if you think of it that way,” Phan-Luong said.

She believes what made Pope Francis so significant was his embrace of  “radical love.”

“He walked the walk and talked the talk,” she said. “I know there was a lot of criticism from a lot of people within the church… even if some of the things he said were controversial and people didn’t agree with him, because they didn’t fall on the side of the coin he was on, that just didn’t matter, because I think he just really embodied our Catholic faith.”

Phan-Luong is praying for whomever might be named the Catholic Church’s next leader — a process she said is “a little bit unknown,” or for some, “worrisome.”

“There was a long time of stability under Pope John Paul II,” she said. “Pope Benedict came in, and he was very traditional and resigned, and then Pope Francis came, and it was a total 180 from that. I think right now his message of love and serving others is great, but I also don’t know where we’re headed. Having the unknown is a little scary.”

Staff writers Victoria Ivie, Steve Scauzillo, Beau Yarbrough, Arianna Clay, Erika Ritchie, Gladys Vargas, Paul Bersebach and Allyson Vergara contributed to this report.