Early Monday April 21, the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis died from a stroke. Franics was 88 years old. He died near Saint Peter’s Basilica, where he has resided since his election in 2013.
In early February, Francis was admitted to the hospital for double pneumonia. His health had improved since his hospital discharge. The pope made it a point to celebrate at Easter Sunday mass in Rome the day before his passing.
University chaplain and dean of multifaith engagement Kirstin Boswell said she was shocked to hear of Francis’ passing.
“Of course, he had been in poor health recently, but the fact that he was able to make an appearance yesterday for Easter Sunday, it was surprising to hear of his death,” Boswell said.
At 5 p.m. Monday evening, the bells at Elon University’s Rhodes Stadium rung 88 times, once for each year of his life.
On Tuesday, April 22, Elon University’s Numen Lumen Sacred Space will hold a memorial mass for Francis at 4:30 p.m. After this mass, the space will be open for people to share words about Francis and the legacy he left behind.
“I believe that his impact was such that it opened up areas of question that perhaps people had held in regards to their faith,” Boswell said. “Members of the Catholic community or even those of us who are not Catholic, looking from the outside in, I believe that his legacy allowed windows into the way some of the theology and politics of the church have been changing in recent years.”
Servant leader for Elon’s Catholic Campus Ministry and Elon sophomore Tyler Strenk said his initial reaction to hearing of Francis’ death was shock. But despite this shock, Strenk said he tries to remain optimistic in times of grief.
“In times like these, it's important for us in the faith and for the people, even without the faith to just continue to grow together through hard times,” Strenk said.
Francis, born in Argentina, was an advocate for peace and social justice, including his outspoken support for immigrants and refugees. His sole visit to the U.S. was in 2015 when Francis met with then-President Barack Obama. During Francis’ six-day trip, he visited Philadelphia, Washington and New York City.