Members of Mississippi’s Catholic community mourn the death and celebrate the life of Pope Francis

The pope died early Monday from a stroke and irreversible heart failure  - only a day after he appeared publicly for Easter. Members of the church attended the mass in order to mourn Pope Francis’s death, but also to celebrate his life.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz leads the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. He says he and the members of his congregation believed that the pope was making significant progress after having suffered from pneumonia in both of his lungs.

“In light of all he had gone through, it was like he was gaining momentum,” he said. “Blessings and present to people, even a couple of meetings. So, really unexpected, but based on, again, what he had gone through for a couple of months, I was surprised then that he came out of that to the point where he was, but it was like he came as far as he could. Then, it was it, but it was still a real surprise this morning.”

Yet, Kopacz says he found significant meaning in the timing of Pope Francis’s death.

“He seems to have a flair for the dramatic. Early on in his time as Pope, a dove landed on his arm as he was in Saint Peter's Cathedral,” Kopacz said. “It was like the Holy Spirit came down upon him. Passing on Easter Monday like that is amazing because as Christians around the world commemorate the death, and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Pope Francis is now, we believe, with the Lord. So he passed from life through death to resurrection. So great timing. Wonderful timing.”

Kopacz says his time as a Bishop in Jackson nearly mirrors the tenure of Pope Francis. He began his work in Jackson in 2013, only 1.5 years after Pope Francis assumed the papacy.

“I've been a priest a long time, but to be bishop and to be part of his papacy in these last 12 years, more directly as bishop, because you're leading the flock in a given diocese and so very tuned in to what he was teaching and preaching and the different ways that he has touched many, many people,” Kopacz said. “The Catholic community in Mississippi, of course, is small. It's not a large representation of Christians or believers. We’re like 3% of the state's population. Still, our Catholic community and even in others, really, of other Christian traditions have, deep respect for him.”

Kopacz says he was able to meet the pope on several occasions. 

“Every five or seven years, bishops of a given region go and spend an afternoon with him, and then we go up and greet him,” he said. “That's when I said, ‘muchas gracias por todo.’ He smiled, obviously he's from Argentina. That was my encounter four different times with him. So it was personal.”

Pope Francis was the first Latin American to lead the Vatican. He was widely known as having progressive stances on issues ranging from the blessing of same sex couples to the rights of immigrants.

“It can be controversial,” Kopacz said. “But at the core, Pope Francis is saying they're still human beings, they’re still God's people. If they're here to work hard, it's important that we treat people with respect and yet at the same time uphold our laws of the land. We have to have borders. It can't just be a free flow of the world's population, so there has to be order. But within the order, there needs to be what Pope Francis would say is a broad understanding of what forces people to be on the move.”

Not all within the Catholic faith celebrated Pope Francis’s beliefs. Within his own congregation, Kopacz said there were mixed reactions.

“There are some who just love his teachings and his, well, you could say his emphasis,” he said. “Others feel he's too progressive. Within the church, just like within any political party, it's a range of where people find themselves in their heart and in their home with what can seem to be too progressive or too reactionary.”

The Catholic Church has also been the center of various sexual abuse controversies. Pope Francis has been remembered by many as someone who eventually became strongly opposed to any tolerance of abuse within the church.

“Pope Francis, very strong about it,” Kopacz said. “I think once in a while he really was stunned at the extent of what had happened in certain areas. I couldn't remember when Chile, when they were talking about the abuse there. I'm not sure if you remember that, but he was at first saying, oh, they're almost like they're exaggerating. Then he realized they're not. And he said, I'm sorry. So he was very open to continue to strengthen the church and, and so we're we are much stronger in that way.”

Kopacz says his congregation has instilled several methods to curb any potential abuse. 

“There are bulletins and teachings,” he said. “Teaching the children in our schools and religious programs about what is appropriate, what's safe, what's not. So it's always work, and you can't let up because that's a demon, really. I mean, when someone would do that, there's really evil at work. So you kind of keep that demon on the outside.”

Phoebe Smith Porter attended the Monday mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Jackson. She says she had mixed reactions to the pope’s passing.

“Joy and sorrow,” she said. “Joy, that he's with our maker, but sorrow, because he meant so much to so many people around the world.”

Kenny Micabalo, a member of the Cathedral’s congregation, is originally from the Philippines.

“The Philippines is one of the [most] Catholic countries in the world,” she said. “Where the devotion to the Holy Eucharist is really profound.”

Micabalo says she initially heard about the pope’s death while scrolling Facebook.

“I couldn't believe it,” she said. “Oh, I was about to cry, but I was just like his spirituality is profound also, so I'm just happy actually that it happened after the Resurrection Day Sunday, because I could not imagine the Pope died and no one will bless the people in the square.”

Micabalo says she’s looking forward to seeing who is chosen as the next pope. 

“I always believe in the grace of God.,” Micabalo said. “The Holy Spirit is working, and I trust in the spirituality and the wisdom of the cardinals, and that God is working in them. I believe that it will be alright and we can have a new pope, hopefully very soon, that will perpetuate the work of the church.”

Pope Francis was 88 years old. A funeral will be held for him Saturday, April 26 at the Vatican.