I woke up this morning with my phone buzzing relentlessly. People were messaging me from all over, asking for my reaction to the news that Pope Francis had passed away. I was quite surprised, as just the day before he had greeting pilgrims to Rome who had come for the Easter celebrations. He seemed to be slowly recovering from his various health issues. But despite my surprise, I felt his passing had a providential timing to it. After all, the whole Church had just celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus, and now Pope Francis had gone to meet Jesus personally.
In this blog post, I thought I might offer just a few personal memories of Pope Francis.
OUR FIRST MEETING
I first met Pope Francis in 2017, when I went with the bishops of Quebec for a month-long set of meetings with different offices in Rome. Pope Francis invited us to celebrate Mass with him not long after we arrived, and we had a chance to meet with him personally afterwards.
We later met with Pope Francis as a group. He was accompanied by many Vatican officials, because he wanted them to hear about the challenges we were facing. But despite the solemnity, there were some fun moments too. During a coffee break, I asked him if I could take a selfie with him. He shrugged, and said “Why not?” with a smile.
We had a final meeting with him a few days later. While we were dressed formally, the meeting was very friendly and even casual.
The Pope shared with us the secret to understanding his papacy, which can be summarized as “invite people to holiness, but first meet them where they are at”. After the meeting we had a chance to greet him one by one, and I made sure to express my thanks.
A MONTH WITH POPE FRANCIS: THE SYNOD ON YOUTH
I was very blessed to share a month with Pope Francis a little over a year later, in October 2018. I was one of the Canadian delegates for the Synod on Youth. I joined about 300 bishops from around the world, along with delegates of other churches and, of course, many youth delegates, to reflect on the place of youth in the world and in the Church today. The Pope was present every day of the Synod and personally presided at our meetings. I was only a few rows away, so I was able to capture some of these moments with my cell phone.
The Pope welcomed us every day at the doors leading into the synod hall, and joined us for coffee breaks. He even showed his whimsical side. A young man from Canada asked me to present a T-Shirt he had made to the Pope, and he received it with good humour.
HIS PENITENTIAL PILGRIMAGE TO CANADA
It was Pope Francis who appointed me as Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie. Not long after he decided to respond to one of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and came to Canada. I was present with him in Edmonton, where he offered his historic apology, a gesture which I fully supported (and still do). I later flew to Quebec City where he met with the bishops in Notre-Dame Cathedral.
We could all see that Pope Francis was starting to feel his age, particularly with challenges to his mobility. But there was no question that he was fully present in his mind and heart. I am grateful to have had the chance to see him again.
Every Pope leaves an impression upon the Church, and it will be up to history to see what his exact legacy will be. Many people have expressed to me that, for them, it felt like he was *their* Pope - even if they weren't Catholic! Many the Lord receive him into His kingdom, and let us pray that a worthy successor may be found.
