“Pope Francis was the ‘people’s pope,’” Bishop Kevin Kenney reflected recently as people around the world mourned the loss of the pope, who died April 21 at age 88. “Pope Francis had a great love for Jesus, and he exemplified that love by how he interacted with people.”
Bishop Kenney remembered receiving the telephone call last June from Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, informing him that Pope Francis had appointed him as the next auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Bishop Kenney said he was humbled, but he also hesitated because he didn’t want to leave his parish and sit in an office the rest of his ministry.
Cardinal Pierre responded that “Pope Francis wants his bishops to be out amongst the people,” Bishop Kenney said. “This sums up who Pope Francis was to me.”
From apostolic exhortations and encyclicals, the “Joy of the Gospel,” “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” “All Brothers,” “Light of Faith,” and “Joy of Love,” the pope “leaves us a gift of his wisdom and care,” Bishop Kenney said. “Pope Francis’ care for the Gospel message, the human person, love for our neighbor, fraternity and the Earth lead us deeper into Church teachings and the Gospel message.”
Bishop Michael Izen was appointed by Pope Francis as an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese in 2023. Bishop Emeritus Richard Pates, who once served as an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, retired as bishop in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2019 and since then has called his native Twin Cities home. Both bishops, along with Bishop Kenney, reflected in separate emails to The Catholic Spirit on the late pope’s impact on the Church and the world.
“I think Pope Francis will be remembered for his humility, mercy and joy,” Bishop Izen said. “Twelve years ago, when Francis first became pope, he chose simpler living arrangements and simpler transportation.” Bishop Izen said he gave a homily shortly before Pope Francis died that emphasized the pope’s words on mercy by saying to the congregation, “The Lord never tires of forgiving us.” The pope’s joyful approach to life can be seen in his first encyclical, “The Joy of the Gospel,” Bishop Izen said.
“Another word I’ve heard to describe him … is pastor,” Bishop Izen said. “Evidently, the pope didn’t see himself as a great administrator, but he was a great pastor. He was with the people.”
Bishop Pates said he had two opportunities to personally greet the Holy Father, including after a general audience in Rome when the bishop described to Pope Francis a four-day priest’s convocation held in Des Moines to study environmental concerns in response to the pope’s encyclical “Laudato Si’.”
The pope “spontaneously lit up and with vigorous voice said, ‘Avanti, avanti’ (go for it! go for it!),” Bishop Pates said. “He then traced a cross on my forehead accompanied by a wide smile and steady contact with my eyes. When I returned to the diocese, I did so with renewed conviction and not only strongly encouraged our priests but also developed a strong commitment to ‘Laudato Si’’ and spoke of it frequently at appropriate opportunities.”
The second time, also a moment that Bishop Pates said demonstrated the pope’s moral leadership, occurred when the bishop was chairman of the International Justice and Peace Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Pates and others met with several ayatollahs of the Shi’a Muslim tradition in Qom, Iran, and later in Rome to discuss the issue of nuclear weapons and the morality of their use in warfare.
The meetings resulted in a joint statement declaring that use of nuclear weapons was immoral, and the content of the conversations was shared with government leaders in Iran and the United States, Bishop Pates said.
Bishop Pates introduced the religious leaders to Pope Francis in Rome. “He warmly welcomed and embraced them, creating enormous goodwill,” Bishop Pates said. “He went out of his way to take hold of my hand and with halting English again looking straight into my eyes, he said, ‘Thank you. What you are doing is very important.’”
“These two experiences gave evidence to me of Pope Francis’ courageous moral leadership,” which has had a significant impact on the world, Bishop Pates said.
