How Pope Francis impacted Arizona's Catholic and immigrant communities
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Pope Francis presides at a "Moment of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees" in St. Peter's Square in 2023. Photo: Alessia Giuliani via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Pope Francis, who died Monday at age 88, had a significant impact on Arizona's Catholic and immigrant communities.
The big picture: Francis, an Argentinian who became the first pope from the Americas when he was elected in 2013, pushed for a more inclusive Catholic Church, dignity for the poor and mercy for migrants.
The latest: In his final months, Francis rebuked President Trump's mass deportation plans.
- "The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women ... and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness," he wrote in early February.
Zoom in: The Catholic Bishops of Arizona doubled down on the pope's messaging with a statement of solidarity.
- "Any approach that villainizes those in the midst of a humanitarian crisis is inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ," the bishops said.
Flashback: Francis made migrant rights a key issue throughout his pontificate. During a speech before Congress in 2015, he urged compassion for immigrants and noted that most Americans "were once foreigners."
- "He gave me a lot of hope. I feel that he came to advocate for us and to try to soften the hearts of politicians," Magdalena Rendon, an undocumented mother living in Arizona, told NBC News at the time.
What they're saying: "What a profound loss of someone who made it his life's mission to make others feel welcomed and wanted. We are a better people because of his works and deeds," Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement offering her condolences to Arizona's roughly two million Catholics.
- "We can all learn from his message of compassion and empathy for the least among us," Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs posted on
- "His leadership and love for the marginalized have inspired us and countless others to further the gospel by living out our calling to serve 'the least of these' with compassion and unwavering dedication," Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., said in a statement.
State of play: Francis' work will continue through the bishops he appointed, including Diocese of Phoenix Bishop John Dolan.
- Dolan, who was appointed in 2022, has been applauded as an "LBGT-positive priest" by a Catholic outreach group. He was one of 14 U.S. bishops who in 2021 signed a statement dubbed "God is on your side" that called for the protection of LGBT youth from bullying.
- "To bishops and priests, [Francis] urged a rejection of clericalism, calling us instead to be true pastors, close to the people," Dolan said in a statement Monday.
What we're watching: In 2020, Francis declared Father Eusebio Francisco Kino a "venerable" person, moving him one step closer to sainthood.
- Kino founded a chain of Spanish missions across what is now Arizona in the late 1600s and early 1700s, and was known for his social justice work and allyship with the area's native peoples.
- "The history of the Catholic Church in Arizona is synonymous with the growth and history of the state of Arizona, and Padre Kino is one of the foundational figures in that great history," former Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted said at the time.