New York’s Catholic community is mourning the death of Pope Francis, who passed away Monday morning at the age of 88.
Pope Francis was the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church and the first non-European pope in over a thousand years. He was outspoken on social and environmental issues.
Reverend James Serowik is the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament Church in Vestal and the Church of Saints John and Andrew in Binghamton.
Serowik said the local Catholic community is saddened by the pope’s death, and called it “providential” that Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday.
“He called us and challenged us over his years of papacy to live out the law of love in our daily lives in the way we deal with others and to focus on the poor and the marginalized of the world,” Serowik said. “We live in a world with so much violence and so much anger, and he was a man of love and of peace.”
As for who will take over the papacy, Serowik said as a Catholic, he believes “the Holy Spirit chooses the next Holy Father.”
“It's my prayer that whoever God wants, that we be open,” he said. “No one thought that Pope Francis would ever, he was a total surprise, and he touched so many lives and was such a great breath of fresh air for the church.”
Laurie Konwinski coordinates the Justice and Peace Ministry at Catholic Charities of Tompkins-Tioga.
She said she was inspired by Pope Francis’ support of nonviolent popular movements.
“Feeding the poor, feeding the hungry, tending to people who are ill, all of it is important. But just as important is changing the systems that keep people poor and hungry and oppressed,” Konwinski said.
She said she also felt encouraged by Pope Francis’ 2015 papal letter recognizing the worldwide threats of climate change.
“It was such an incredible moment to just reemphasize with local Catholics and then with all kinds of other people of faith, and just people of good faith around this community, how important that issue is,” she said.
Konwinski said Pope Francis’ support for immigrants fleeing violence and struggle in their countries of origin had a profound impact on her work at Catholic Charities.
“That has been so important for all of us to bear in mind, especially in this season in our country, when there has been such an anti-immigrant sentiment. That is not who we are, and that's not what Catholic Charities is.”
The pope’s emphasis on the struggles of immigrants and refugees helped to gather support for Catholic Charities’ Immigrant Services Program, Konwinski said. The program provided legal and social support for nearly 300 people in 2023.
New York’s political leaders also marked the pope’s death.
In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she joined “Catholics across the world” in mourning Pope Francis.
“He reminded us of our collective responsibility to protect this beautiful planet, our shared home. And he was a man of peace, and a fighter for social and economic justice,” Hochul wrote.
The governor spoke on New York’s environmental policies at a climate change summit at the Vatican last year.
Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters the “whole world” was moved by Pope Francis’ personality.
“He cared so much about those who were downtrodden and those who were down on their luck,” he said.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester announced that it will hold a solemn mass for a repose of the soul of Pope Francis on Friday at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Rochester.
The diocese covers the Rochester area, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier.