Catholics across Ottawa and eastern Ontario are reflecting on the impact and legacy of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 on Easter Monday.
Most Rev. Marcel Damphousse, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall, remembered Francis as a progressive leader who championed the causes of marginalized people and brought a lasting legacy to Canadians.
“For myself personally, he’s a man who’s always been very humble and true to the name he chose for himself, Saint Francis, from Saint Francis of Assisi,” Damphousse told CTV News Ottawa’s Patricia Boal on Monday.
“The one who’s close to the poor, one who has a heart for those in misery, those that are the outcast marginalized, all the migrants and refugees, he’s always had a very special heart for those people.”
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Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, was named head of the Catholic Church in 2013. He was the first pontiff from the Americas and the global south.
One of his most lasting legacies for Canadians was his historic apology on behalf of the church for the legacy of residential schools in Canada. Francis said he was sorry that some members of the church participated in the abuse, cultural destruction and forced assimilation of Indigenous Peoples.
About 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools over a century. The Catholic Church ran about 60 per cent of the institutions.
“I think his visit still resonates much with the people, especially the Indigenous communities. The message I got was that they were profoundly touched by his words. They believed he was authentic in his compassion and desire to overcome the great pain that they’ve experienced,” Damphousse said.
Damphousse added Francis was creative in reaching out to people from outside of the church and wanted to see it evolve.
“I think his first apostolic exhortation was in 2013 and eventually got him the joy of the gospel, which kind of set the stage for what he wanted to do as a pastoral plan for the church,” he said.
“Going out to the people in the peripheries and rather than just having people come to church type of thing and being creative in ways to reach out to the people. Parishes need to adapt to the times and we need to go out there and claim the good news for Canadians, and particularly maybe Canadians who are not a part of the church.”
Damphousse says Catholics will now enter a stage of mourning until a process begins to select a new pope. The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual, known as the conclave, by the cardinals who will be tasked with electing a successor.
“This is an important time for the whole church to be in prayer because it is in our strong belief that the one chosen to be the next pope is always indicated by the Holy Spirit, so God is at work through all the cardinals that are represented there and supported by the prayers of all the Catholic faithful,” he said.
“We have many prayers to do first for Pope Francis himself that he may have eternal rest, that he may receive his eternal reward, and then to be praying for our church in electing our new pope.”
The Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall also issued a statement Monday afternoon.
“Throughout his 12 years of papal ministry, he inspired the faithful through his humility, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the Gospel, especially in service to the poor and marginalized. Pope Francis’s leadership transformed the Church, championing mercy, dialogue, and social justice,” the statement said.
Francis was the global leader of Canada’s most popular organized religion, with nearly 11 million Canadians identifying as Catholic in the 2021 census, second only to those without a religious affiliation.
With files from the Canadian Press
