THUNDER BAY — The people of the Diocese of Thunder Bay are in mourning after hearing the news of the death of Pope Francis, said Alan Campeau, Bishop of Thunder Bay.
Pope Francis visited Canada in 2022, where he apologized for the church’s role in the residential school system. He is remembered by many for that apology.
“Pope Francis kneeling down and begging forgiveness in the name of the church, in the name of those people who were the abusers, to the victims and the residents at residential schools," said said Campeau. "Not a fun thing to do, no matter when we say we're sorry, it's never fun.
"It's always painful, and it comes right from the heart. His message, his genuine effort, has to be taken seriously and honoured as genuine regret.”
Pope Francis also encouraged people to be stewards of the earth, said Campeau.
“We're here to take care of our common home and not just us here in Thunder Bay, but worldwide. We're all responsible for taking care of Mother Earth, and that just spoke volumes to me because I like to canoe. I'm in Quetico Park. I drink water right fresh out of the lake, no chemicals, and it's pristine and it's thirst-quenching,” said Campeau.
“And I said, yes, we have to preserve this, and then you turn around and you literally see people still in this day and age, throwing garbage out their car windows as they drive by, and it breaks my heart. But his comments on stewardship of the earth really spoke to me personally, and I hope universally.”
Campeau also said Pope Francis “had great affection for the poor.”
“He told the clergy, as shepherds, we have to smell like our sheep. This is a man who lived in the ghettos, who knew what poverty was as he saw in the people. He lived with struggling day after day. He knew, not that he bought drugs, but he knew drug dealers, he knew the prostitutes, not that he took advantage of what they were offering, but he knew what it was like for the women who were single mothers,” said Campeau.
“He made plenty of outreach to those in prison. He knows the broken. He knows what it is like to be down and out on so many different planes. He wants us priests, he wants all of us, and I shouldn't restrict it to priests, all of us, to be sensitive to the needs of the poor and to do something about it, not just talk about it, but go out there and reach out, bring healing to them.”
The pope passed away on the morning of Easter Monday, at the age of 88.
“I know a lot of people have been anticipating his death since he's been sick for several weeks in the hospital and not looking really himself over Holy Week and the Easter Triduum while celebrating the sacraments and the feast days in Rome,” said Campeau.
“So his death, although it's a shock, it's probably not a surprise for many. He did leave a humongous, as you are well aware, a huge legacy behind in all that he's accomplished as a witness for Christ and the church amongst the people of the world.”
He was the first person from the Americas to ascend to the papacy. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis was elected to head the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013.
Cardinals will make their way to Rome for the papal conclave to elect a new pope. Only cardinals younger than 80 may take part in the vote. A traditional 15-day mourning period is generally observed before the conclave begins, but it can begin sooner after Pope Benedict changed the rules before resigning in 2013. The conclave must happen within 20 days of a pope’s death.
