From Argentina to the Vatican City, millions of Catholics continue to mourn the loss of Pope Francis a day after his death.
“There are no words that can explain my emotion,” says Gonzalo Tolesco, who still remembers the moment he held the late pontiff’s hand during a procession at the Vatican in 2016. “He is a pope who broke boundaries, and who broke the stigmas of society.”
The Pope, formally known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, never visited South Florida, but Catholics headed to churches like the Archdiocese of Miami to pay their respects.
“He was a very good pope where he helped many people and was cordial with everyone,” said visitor Victoria Dufau.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski, of the Archdiocese of Miami, described the Pope as a series of firsts. In a statement, Wenski added that the pontiff “saw the church as a field hosptial, called to tend to the wounded on the battlefields of life, offering her medicine of mercy to all.”
Although Francis never returned to his home country, his legacy as the first Latin American Pope from Argentina touches the hearts of many.
“He earned the respect of all Argentines and the whole world for his way of being,” said Tolesco in Spanish.
Despite backlash at times for his methods of teaching the church, Pope Francis will be remembered as a priest who helped the poor, appointed woman within the Catholic Church, and maintained a lasting impact on the LGBTQ community.
As the world awaits for the Conclave, or the assembly of cardinals to elect a new pope, to begin, Tolesco says the new Pope must earn the respect from the people by being a helping hand, regardless of race, color or gender identity.
“It’s something very impacting, it’s something enormous, indescribable.”
