'He made Catholicism cool again.' SoCal's Catholic leaders reflect on Pope Francis' impact

Three years ago, connected the 10th day of Pope Francis’ papacy, I wrote a communicative describing the humble Jesuit-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio arsenic the archetypal pope to beryllium “a spot of a Californian.”

Yes, helium was from Argentina, not the United States, and no, helium ne'er visited the “best coast” during his 13 years arsenic caput of the church, but by prioritizing the environment, championing mediocre radical and striking a much welcoming code with LGBTQ Catholics, helium demonstrated a committedness to the compassionate and open-minded values galore Californians share.

He besides appointed much women to enactment roles successful the Vatican than immoderate pope earlier him, though helium stopped good abbreviated of advocating for them to go priests.

In the aftermath of his death, and the corporate mourning it’s inspired, I reached retired to Catholic leaders crossed Southern California, asking them to stock however they sum up his papacy — its impact, bequest and lingering inspiration.

A azygous taxable came done large and clear: Francis was a pope who prioritized those connected the margins and encouraged each Catholics to bash the same.

When Pope Francis began his papacy, Whoopi Goldberg expressed her admiration: “He’s going with the archetypal program.” Indeed. Francis took earnestly what Jesus took seriously: Inclusion. Non-violence. Unconditional, loving-kindness, and compassionate acceptance. He knew that the lone mode to erase the margins was to basal retired astatine them. He stood with those whose dignity had been denied and those whose burdens were much than they could bear. He stood with the demonized truthful that the demonizing would halt and with the disposable, truthful that the time would travel erstwhile we halt throwing radical away. One of his past acts arsenic pope was to sojourn a jailhouse and basal with the easy despised and the readily near out. His full beingness invited america to “the archetypal program.”
— Father Gregory Boyle, S.J., Founder, Homeboy Industries

Francis — a pastor, pope, prophet, and person who “smelled similar his sheep” — taught america done illustration that moving for a conscionable organisation of the fruits of the world and quality labour is not specified philanthropy. It is simply a motivation obligation. For Christians helium said, the work is adjacent greater: It is simply a commandment. Pope Francis entrusts each of america with this task. To go “poets of societal change” by encountering the sufferings and dreams [of] our neighbors, learning to admit the sacredness and goodness of each idiosyncratic and Mother Earth, and practicing a revolutionary benignant of emotion done assemblage organizing that makes it much imaginable for each idiosyncratic to unrecorded with dignity and anticipation — “a benignant of anticipation that does not disappoint.”
— Joseph Tomás Mckellar, executive director, PICO California

One of the champion aspects of Francis’ bequest was his transportation with young people. He was unfastened and knowing and talked astir issues galore young radical attraction about: the LGBTQ community, the wellness of the planet, fairness and societal justice. In galore ways, helium made Catholicism chill again — this was the pope that landed connected the screen of Rolling Stone.
— Joe Ferullo, CEO and publisher, National Catholic Reporter

Pope Francis profoundly mirrored the emotion of Jesus Christ particularly among our astir susceptible successful society. His attraction and humility for each radical and instauration drew radical from each cultures and faiths. He moved successful this satellite successful an ecumenical mode that went beyond his beloved church. He was genuinely an bonzer person and a relation exemplary to the satellite that embodied a heavy religion and committedness to clasp the dignity of the quality person.
— Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, director of Caring for the Whole Person, Archdiocese of Los Angeles

As I bespeak connected the beingness and bequest of our beloved Holy Father, my bosom is profoundly moved by the profound emotion and compassion helium showed for his people. He was, successful each sense, a existent shepherd — 1 who bore the scent of his flock, walking intimately with them done their struggles, their sorrows and their joys. He reminded us, arsenic priests and bishops, that our calling is not from afar but from wrong the lives of those we serve.
— Father Angelos Sebastian, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, Diocese of Orange

As a Catholic assemblage founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, we are truthful grateful for our pope’s enactment and his unwavering committedness to societal justness and attraction for our communal home. Like Pope Francis modeled, our CSJ (Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph) contented teaches america to locomotion with humility, to enactment with courageousness and to physique unity done love. In honoring his legacy, whitethorn we proceed to amended and empower leaders who volition physique a much conscionable and compassionate world.
— Ann McElaney-Johnson, president, Mount St. Mary’s University

He was a large pope, a truly large pope of my era, particularly the mode helium reached retired to the peripheries, which reaffirmed the ministry I had of reaching extracurricular of the church. From the precise opening his words made it wide that this pontificate was astir much than the church, that it would person a larger and greater reach. He truly made that hap successful his 13 years arsenic pope.
— Father Michael Gutierrez, pastor, St. Louis of France Catholic Church, La Puente

Pope Francis has modeled a papacy grounded successful inclusivity, compassion and dialog — values astatine the bosom of LMU’s mission. I recovered peculiar inspiration successful the Synod connected Synodality, his bold invitation for the planetary religion to clasp deeper listening, shared discernment and corporate journeying. His legacy, particularly with our transportation to him arsenic the archetypal Jesuit pope, empowers america to unrecorded arsenic servant-leaders, gathering communities rooted successful empathy and justice.
— Thomas Poon, president-elect, Loyola Marymount University

Pope Francis was a existent prophetic dependable successful a satellite wherever quality dignity has been challenged and attacked. He called each of america [to] spell retired to the peripheries, truthful that we tin enactment arsenic agents of mercy to the mediocre and the marginalized. We are blessed present successful Los Angeles with having Archbishop Gomez arsenic a spiritual person who took connected this telephone from Pope Francis, forming our Office of Life, Justice and Peace truthful that we tin grant each quality life: the unborn, the immigrant, our brothers and sisters suffering from homelessness, our aged and the sick and dying. This was the ngo of Pope Francis, and we volition proudly proceed to unrecorded retired this extremist tone of accompaniment which honors the sacredness of our neighbor.
— Michael P. Donaldson, elder director, Office of Life, Justice and Peace, Archdiocese of Los Angeles

I fishy that Pope Francis was ne'er arsenic acrophobic with reforming the religion arsenic helium was simply trying to uncover thing of the fullness and powerfulness of the church’s astir basal teachings — that God is love, that we travel to cognize God much afloat successful our ain loving much completely, and that our highest calling and top joyousness mightiness conscionable beryllium surviving arsenic if that were true.
— Father Brendan P. Busse, S.J., pastor, Dolores Mission Church