Catholic faithful gathered for mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn on Monday to celebrate the life of Pope Francis, who died early that morning at age 88 following a stroke and heart failure. He had delivered his final Easter blessing the day before.
At a news conference ahead of the noon service, Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn reflected on the legacy of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis appointed Brennan, a Long Island native, as bishop of Brooklyn in 2021. Brennan described the pontiff as a “tender” leader who consistently carried a message of hope and inclusion, reaching out to bring people “into the fold of the love of God.”
“I use that word tenderness deliberately because it’s a word that [Francis] used very often,” Brennan said.
Brennan shared some of his key memories of Francis, including the pontiff’s mass at Madison Square Garden during his 2015 visit to New York and a photo of him standing alone in an eerily empty St. Peter’s Square on a rainy day in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic while the world was in lockdown.
“From that moment, [Pope Francis] led the whole world in prayer,” Brennan said. “That image of him has always stayed with me because it showed confident leadership but, at the same time, a certain tenderness. Those images really marked his pontificate.”
Brennan said he was struck by the pope’s “fraternal style and friendliness” during an ad limina visit — an obligatory trip all bishops make to Rome.
“He did open up somewhat personally, but also engaged us like a pastor among pastors,” Brennan recalled. “And I just really enjoyed that.”
The bishop said the head of the Catholic Church never lost the touch of a parish priest.
“I certainly would love to see that kind of a style in the next [Pope],” Brennan said.
Pope Francis broke many barriers. He was the first Latin American pontiff and the first Jesuit pope, tirelessly advocating for migrant rights, the poor, the climate and greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. During his final Easter address, he called for an end to the wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
Frost Hernandez, whose wife is a cantor at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, attended Monday’s mass to pay his respects and pray for the future of the Catholic Church. Hernandez said he hoped the next pope would be as progressive as Francis.
“I hope that the Church will continue that trajectory, moving forward,” Hernandez said. “As they head into the Conclave and as they choose the next leader of the Church, they’re not only thinking of what Pope Francis did in terms of his progressive views but also how the Church is going to move forward, continue some of those legacies and continue that in the future.”
Peter DiVincenzo attended the mass to be with the community. He described Pope Francis as a good leader for both Catholics and the world — a source of light.
“I think that a lot of what [Francis] spoke about was the things that Jesus really spoke about, tending to the poor and the least among us, and making sure that we treat each other as family and brothers and sisters,” DiVincenzo said. “And that was the core of a lot of what he worked at.”
When asked how best to honor Francis’ memory, Bishop Brennan said the pope would want people to embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ. “Reach out to one another, to lift burdens from one another, and to help one another to see the power of the love of Jesus Christ.”
