The Holy Roman Church announced the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21. The pontiff died at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta.
James Kautz, a Kleefeld resident who works for the Diocese of St. Boniface, which includes the Catholic Church in Steinbach, says he is still processing the news.
“What I’ve been sensing is just a general sense of gratitude for who he was as Pope. We’re not really processing grief at this point, although we’d all seen it coming as he’d been ill for some time. At the beginning of Lent, back in March, we’d already been preparing prayers for when he would pass.”
Kautz says Pope Francis has really made a mark on the church.
“We have seen a lot of that in the many documents he’s written for our consideration. And the many gatherings he has led and presided over to help the church really fully understand and be more aligned with the pulse of the culture today, more attuned with what the world needs.”
Kautz adds that seeing how he has led the church through these past years has been truly inspiring. “It’s like I’m sitting at the feet of a great teacher watching him process everything that’s happening all over the world, within the church and within society, and to be able to point us back to the saving message of the death and resurrection of Christ.”
Kautz responds to the apology issued by Pope Francis in 2022.
“What I saw in that was his same desire for unity. He felt the pain of the Indigenous wounds that so many have carried for generations. He looked beyond the politics. He looked beyond the posturing. He just saw hurting people. And that was all he needed to see, to reach out with the Father’s embrace, and just hold them and say, “I’m here. I’m sorry that you’re hurt”. That was the beauty of it for me. You saw what he felt.”
Kautz speaks to the fact that Pope Francis died on Easter Monday with a joyous feeling.
“For Catholics, when Easter Sunday hits, that marks the end of the season of Lent. 40 days of Fasting and praying. So, right now we are just starting our Easter celebration, and for eight days after Resurrection Sunday, we are celebrating.”
“So, we are living in that Easter joy right now. And to have Pope Francis journey with us, suffer through Lent with us and celebrate the Lord’s resurrection with us on Sunday and then go to the house of the Lord on Monday, in that Easter joy is just... what a beautiful day to die.”
Kautz adds, “that joy is permeating the church right now. So, while the passing of the Pope is always sad, I’m not feeling the sadness; I’m feeling the joy in reflecting on Pope Francis. It’s translating into joy for him who longed for people to enjoy the joys of heaven, and he’s experiencing that right now. It’s a good thing to be Catholic today.”
Pope Francis’s body will lie in state inside St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, leading to his funeral on Saturday.
James Kautz is the Director of Pastoral Services for the Archdiocese of St. Boniface. He and his wife live in Kleefeld with their nine children and attend the Ste Anne des Chenes Parish.