Eliyahu Gasson | opinions editor

At Easter mass, Pope Francis, 88-years-old, made his last public appearance. He addressed the crowd of around 35,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, calling for peace and freedom of expression.

The Duquesne community members reflect on his legacy as the pontiff of Rome following his death on Monday.

Francis’ approach to the papacy was unique, according to the Director of Campus Ministry and University Chaplain Bill Christy.

“It was refreshing that Pope Francis made the marginalized the center of his ministry,” he said.

According to Christy, that approach matched Duquesne University and the Spiritan mission — to walk with those on the margins.

“It was just such a joy to have something that we as Spiritans hold so dear to be echoed by the Holy Father,” he said.

However, Christy said, each pope has their own unique approach to the position. It just so happened that Francis came to the papacy at the right time.

“John Paul II was a philosopher, and Pope Benedict was a theologian,” he said. “And then Francis, a pastor, came at a time when those on the margins felt that they needed to be embraced.”

Francis was the pope during many current Duquesne student’s childhoods having been elected by The College of Cardinals in 2013. His approach, Christy said, is what young people are most familiar with.

“This is the pope that they’ve known … this is an image of this grandfatherly pope that always seemed to them to have that kindness and gentleness and compassion,” he said.

Junior early childhood development major Hannah Litke is the president of Consistent Ethic of Life, an outreach organization for students who “share an interest in cherishing human life and outreach,” according to their constitution.

“I think the group itself kind of stands for much like our Spiritan founders, helping those who are on the margins and looking past what society sees as dirty,” she said. “I think Pope Francis has challenged all of us to really live that message and go out and serve those who are the neediest.”

Chrissy Boeber, a junior occupational therapy major, said that she was sad to hear about Francis’ death, but wasn’t surprised to find out.

“I know he had been sick for a really long time and faced battles with his illness,” Boeber said. “I feel like just constantly hearing about the things that he’s doing for not only us, but the world as well has really inspired me to constantly keep doing things and keep making my mark like he made his.”

Duquesne President Ken Gormley got to meet Francis on a trip to Rome in 2018. In an email sent Monday, Gormley recounted the story of his visit to Rome and experience meeting Francis.

Gormley told The Duke that he and Jim McClosky, senior advisor to the president for strategic initiatives at Duquesne, got two tickets to attend mass with Francis in St. Peter’s Square.

“And then, just by this happenstance of this giant thunderstorm, instead of being in a crowd with 100,000 people, all of a sudden we were in a facility that only had 6,000,” Gormley said. “We had a near front row seat, and that’s how I ended up getting to meet him. It was very magical and meaningful to me. And quite honestly, the best part of it was having the Duquesne students there who were studying in Rome.”

Gormley said that the impression he got from students since Francis’ death is one of quiet appreciation for the “kindness and the heart and the soul that this very special person who just miraculously appeared in our midst at a pretty tricky time in our history.”

“I don’t think anyone is sad in the sense of a tragic ending. He was 88-years-old. It was incredible that he was still going … and he still managed to get out on Easter Sunday to be able to see the faithful,” he said.

Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday, six days after his death, in St. Peter’s Square. Until then, his body lies in rest in St. Peter’s Basilica for members of the public and the church to pay their respect.

Following the funeral, The College of Cardinals, the most senior figures in the Catholic Church, will vote for the next pope in a conclave, a word that originates from the Latin phrase meaning “with key,” indicating how closed the process is.

There are 135 out of 252 cardinals who are able to vote for the next pope. According to church doctrine, they will gather 15-20 days after Francis’ death in the Sistine Chapel to begin their deliberations. Nearly one third of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis according to the Vatican. This group of cardinals will be the most diverse group in church history. At least 70 countries have elector cardinals compared with only 48 in 2013.

“Pope Francis was no dummy. He was intentionally picking cardinals who would largely continue this path of openness to others and caring for all individuals as being the centerpiece of the work of the church,” Gormley said. “I think that whoever it turns out to be, there’s a high likelihood that Pope Francis would have approved.”

Eliyahu Gasson can be reached at
gassone@duq.edu.