The Catholic community across Waterloo Region and beyond is joining worldwide mourning following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away Monday at the age of 88.
Pope Francis died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released on Monday.
The certificate, which was published by the Vatican, said the pope had fallen into a coma before his death early on Monday.
Pope Francis confirmed in his final testament that he wished to be buried in Rome’s Basilica of Saint Mary Major and not at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, unlike many previous pontiffs.
The text specified that Francis wanted to be buried, “in the ground, without particular decoration” but with the inscription of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.
Reuters
The Vatican said the general public will likely be able to start paying their final respects to Pope Francis starting Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica. The date will be confirmed when cardinals gather for the first time after Francis’ death.
Francis’ coffin will be moved from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. In a change ordered by Francis, the pope’s body will no longer be placed on an elevated bier in the basilica. Rather, the wooden coffin will be placed facing the pews.
No date for the funeral has been announced. It must be held between four and six days after the death.
The Associated Press
Local Catholic community reacts
Father Toby Collins, the pastor for St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Kitchener, met the pope back in 2014 and said it was a life-changing moment.
“For me personally, it’s a really sad day because he’s a very lovable person,” Collins told CTV News. “He was a pope for the people and he was very much a relational pope who helped to create more of an inclusive environment within the Catholic Church and beyond.”
Collins said Pope Francis will also be remembered for his ability to connect on a personal level.
“He reached out and blessed me,” he said. “I’ll never forget that. There’s something about his presence and his ability to just say to you ‘I love you unconditionally.’”
Collins said despite Pope Francis’ powerful position, he was touched by his human nature.
“I remember the only rule that they asked us to follow was not to kneel before him or to kiss his ring, [it] made him feel very uncomfortable,” he explained. “And so when I approached him, I got to shake his hand and I even gave him a hug.”
In Cambridge, St. Clement’s Catholic Church issued a statement on social media expressing sorrow over the pope’s passing.
“In your charity, let us pray for the repose of the soul of his holiness, Pope Francis,” the statement read. “May he rest in peace, and during this Easter season, may we be reminded of the reality and hope of the resurrection.”
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board shared a message of grief, saying Pope Francis “will be remembered for his quiet strength, pastoral heart.”
The Diocese of Hamilton has encouraged the faithful to join in prayer and reflection during this period of mourning.
Those who study the Church said Pope Francis was much different than popes of the past.
“Pope Francis had deep human insights and was a remarkable communicator in his own way, and I think he touched a lot of people in ways that we’re going to be reading about for generations afterward,” said Peter Meehan, president of St. Jerome’s College at the University of Waterloo.
Meehan said without changing the teachings of The Bible, the pope made the Church more open to people including the LGBTQIA community.
“He always leaned into the importance of their dignity as human beings, that they are the way God made them and so God accepts them and loves them for who they are,” Meehan said.
Mayors offer condolences
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic offered his condolences.
“Today, I join fellow Catholics in @CityKitchener & everywhere, deeply saddened to learn of the passing of @Pontifex, Pope Francis (1936-2025),” Vrbanovic said on social media. “Leaving earthly life the morning after Easter Sunday - he leaves a legacy of humility, compassion for the poor & commitment to peace.”
Today, I join fellow Catholics in @CityKitchener & everywhere, deeply saddened to learn of the passing of @Pontifex, Pope Francis (1936-2025). Leaving earthly life the morning after Easter Sunday - he leaves a legacy of humility, compassion for the poor & commitment to peace. pic.twitter.com/okt6om5EFe
— Berry Vrbanovic (@berryonline) April 21, 2025
It was a sentiment echoed by Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, who described Pope Francis as “a great man who was a builder and a unifier.”
Never met the Pope.
— Mayor Cam Guthrie (@CamGuthrie) April 21, 2025
But, I had a chance encounter with people who did, and their story gave me great appreciation for him!
Three years ago my wife and I were on our way back from a vacation in Italy. While at the airport waiting to board the plane I noticed a large group,… pic.twitter.com/B7TMqooif1
Who will become the next pope?
The Catholic Church will be choosing a new leader.
While there are four Canadian cardinals who could become the next pope, one expert whom CTVNews.ca spoke to said that outcome is “very unlikely.”
After a pope’s death, the College of Cardinals takes over governance of the church until the election of the new pontiff. The College of Cardinals is comprised of pope-appointed cardinals, who wear distinctive red vestments and are the church’s most senior officials.
The election of a new pope is conducted secretly in the Vatican, with cardinals literally locked up “with a key” until they reach an agreement, according to the Archdiocese of Toronto.
There are only five Canadian cardinals out of the 252 total, according to the Vatican’s website. But only four of them are eligible to vote out of the 138 voters in the conclave, as cardinals must be under 80 to vote.
Canada’s cardinals are Thomas Collins, Gerald Lacroix, Michael Czerny, Francis Leo and Marc Ouellet. All of them are eligible to be chosen as pope by their peers, as any baptized Catholic male can technically be elected pope.
The chance of electing a Canadian pope is “very unlikely,” says Emma Anderson, professor of religious studies at the University of Ottawa.
“So we don’t have a lot of chances because we don’t have a lot of cardinals,” Anderson said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
The pope that the cardinals elect must be an ordained bishop, but technically any baptized Catholic male can be elected as pope.
Only cardinals have been elected since the 15th century.
With reporting from CTVNews.ca National Affairs Writer, Christl Dabu
