Pope Francis, the 266th man to assume the papacy and lead 1.2 billion Catholics globally, passed away on Monday, shaking Lafayette College’s Catholic community.
“Part of me was very happy that it happened after Easter, like it almost seemed providential, but at the same time, it’s sad that we’re past this era that he’s been pope,” said Diego Villalpando ‘25, a member of the Lafayette Newman Catholic Association.
Zelenda Hodgskin, the college’s Catholic campus minister, noted that the passing of the pope has changed how they are approaching upcoming events, such as baptisms scheduled for Sunday at Colton Chapel. She added that the pope’s passing has impacted people traveling to Vatican City for the canonization of Carlo Acutis, which has been postponed.
“It was like you were driving and your wheels blew out,” Hodgskin said.
In an email to Lafayette’s Catholic community, Hodgskin called the pope’s passing a “moment of historic and spiritual significance.”
“We can help strengthen each other, become better friends, and all that, especially in times of sadness like this,” said Robert Lunbeck ’26, the president of Newman Catholic Association.
During his final public appearance on Sunday, Francis addressed St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican and got closer to the crowd during a ride through the square in the open-air popemobile, which was occasionally stopped so he could bless babies, according to CBS News.
“His last day, to be able to spend with his people,” Hodgskin said. “I think speaks to who he truly is, because he did things so outside of the box.”
Members of the Newman Catholic Association at this week’s meeting expressed favorable views on Francis. They remarked that Francis was known to encourage clergymen — including himself — to be present and approachable for the people in the church.
“He wanted to have a church where everybody feels home,” Rev. Guency Isaac, Lafayette’s Catholic chaplain, said. “That gives me a kind of good incentiveness after mass, the way you’re supposed to: don’t be afraid of the people.”
Catherine McCarron ‘27, a member of the Newman Catholic Association, met Francis in 2016. He told her, “You are bella,” Italian for beautiful, according to McCarron.
“It was a great feeling,” she said. “That moment, I was like, ‘I can’t believe I met him.’”
Francis “charted a new and more liberal course,” according to NBC News. He allowed the blessing of same-sex couples in instances that “didn’t confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage,” took a pro-immigration stance and had “nearly nightly calls” with the Holy Family Church in Gaza.
“Just the fact that he was reaching out to the world leaders advocating for really stuck out to me,” Genevieve Chukwuonye ’28 said. “When I heard that he had pleaded for or he had prayed for the souls of people in Palestine and have begged leaders to try to stop the war, it just strikes me as he’s not a pope that only cares about the Catholics, he cares about everyone.”
In a 2024 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Catholics, 75% viewed Francis favorably, which was down eight percentage points since 2021. He was the first Latin American and Jesuit to become the head of the Catholic Church.
“Jesuit priest tends are a little bit different than what I think the world is used to, and I think people were a little uncomfortable with that, because we are so traditional normally,” Hodgskin said. “And I think he just was a little untraditional.”
Brett Hendrickson, the head of the religious studies department and a scholar of religion in Latin America, said that Francis was “tentative on telling people how to act, and just more patient and caring.”
The next pope will be chosen by 135 cardinals in a secretive election called a conclave. Francis personally appointed 108 of these cardinals, according to the Vatican.
“That doesn’t automatically guarantee that there’s going to be continuity in sort of the style or the orientation of the pope,” Hendrickson said. “We’ll see if that means that his legacy continues.”
Jack Conti ‘25, a member of the Newman Catholic Association, said he would like to see a more traditional pope, explaining that some of Francis’ speeches were perceived as confusing by people outside of the religion. He pointed to a September 2024 speech in which Francis said, “all religions are paths to God.”
“There were a lot of things Pope Francis said that — not that I disagreed with them — but for an outsider looking in, you’d have to offer a lot of explanation to defend something he said,” Conti said.
Chukwuonye said she hopes the next pope will “strive to be a holy and righteous person.”
“What we believe is that it’s the Holy Spirit that guides who the next pope is going to be,” Chukwuonye said. “I hope that this person will be just as influential as Pope Francis.”
