Chicago Catholics mourn death of Pope Francis
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Pope Francis greeting Cardinal Cupich of Chicago in 2019 in Vatican City. Photo: Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at age 88, the Vatican announced.
The big picture: Francis pushed the Catholic Church to the left, which satisfied Catholics seeking modernization but dismayed traditionalists.
- Francis, who had part of his lung removed in 1957, was released from the hospital on March 23 following treatment for double pneumonia after being admitted with bronchitis symptoms five weeks earlier.
Zoom in: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, will preside over a memorial Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis at Holy Name Cathedral at 10am Wednesday.
- The public is welcome to attend; no tickets are required.
- The mass will be livestreamed.
The intrigue: Cupich will take part in the conclave and vote for the next pope.
By the numbers: Nearly two million Catholics live in Cook and Lake counties, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago, making up nearly 35% of the entire population of those communities.
- 23% of Illinois residents identify as Catholic.
- More than 60,000 students attend Catholic schools.
What they're saying: "The finest memorial we can offer is to re-form our hearts as Pope Francis asked — to see our brothers and sisters, to listen to them and to offer our prayers and actions that all may experience the fullness of God's promise," Cupich said in a statement.
- "Pope Francis, the people's pope, will be remembered as a faith leader who gave voice to the voiceless. He fought for the rights and the dignity of the poor, prisoners, migrants, and outcasts as part of his vision for peace and social justice. Guided by his deep faith in God and humanity, Pope Francis advocated for a world without war," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
- "Through his example of hope and mercy, Pope Francis urged us to listen deeply, welcome the stranger, and protect the most vulnerable among us. His vision for the world was rooted in compassion, justice, and the flourishing of all people," DePaul University president Robert L. Manuel said.
- "Whether through his teachings, his service, his sense of humor, or through his love, Pope Francis exemplified how to truly be a person for others. As an unyielding advocate for education and service, he never sought to ignore society's complex problems, but instead showed us how to move forward, alongside one another, toward a better tomorrow," Loyola University Chicago president Mark C. Reed told Axios in a statement.
Context: Francis was the first Jesuit pope and shared a direct connection to Loyola, a Jesuit institution. Students and staff created the Building Bridges Initiative based on the Pope's encyclical, Laudato Si', which is based on "integral ecology"— the idea that the climate crisis is linked to our present day social, political, and economic problems, and cannot be addressed in isolation from them, according to Vatican News.
- Student representatives from Loyola had virtual meetings with Pope Francis in February 2022, September 2023 and June 2024.
- DePaul students met with the pope in November 2022 with students from African universities.
State of play: Francis was elected in March 2013 and was tasked with cleaning up a scandal-ridden Vatican.
- In recent years, he expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community and for same-sex civil unions, which the church has traditionally marginalized.
- Francis also pushed for years to improve the gender balance in the Roman Catholic Church, increasing the number of women working at the Vatican, including those in leadership positions.
Zoom out: The pontiff was outspoken on oft-politicized issues. He urged nations to welcome and safeguard immigrants and called for action to combat climate change.
- He recently spoke against the Trump administration's mass deportations, urging followers of his faith "not to give in to narratives that discriminate" against migrants and refugees.
- In an interview last year, he characterized climate change as "a road to death" denied by "foolish people."
Throughout his pontificate, Francis advocated for marginalized groups.
- In a book published last year, he called for an investigation into whether Israel's military actions in Gaza legally constituted genocide.
- He also often emphasized the mission of caring for the poor, speaking out against inequality in his native Latin America and beyond.