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El Pasoans recall, celebrate life of Pope Francis after his death Monday [1]
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Date: 2025-04-21
Pope Francis, who in 2016 became the first pontiff to visit the U.S.-Mexico border, died early Monday at his residence in Saint Martha’s House in Vatican City. He was 88 years old.
The spiritual leader of more than 1.3 billion Catholics around the world, Francis was known as “the People’s Pope” for his down-to-earth attitudes. He offered a final blessing for the people during an Easter Sunday appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s basilica. It was a call for peace and for compassion to the world’s marginalized people.
Francis visited the borderland Feb. 17, 2016, when hundreds of thousands of people lined miles of streets and congregated at Parque Chamizal in Ciudad Juárez to see him. He celebrated a Papal Mass at fairgrounds near Benito Juárez Stadium near the U.S.-Mexico border. It was part of the pope’s five-day visit to Mexico. During the Mass, he used a ramp to turn to the U.S. side and bless the approximately 600 people who were on the El Paso side of the border. At the same time, the Mass was being shown on the big screen at Sun Bowl Stadium. Among the pope’s other stops in Juárez was to the Centro de Readaptación Social, or the prison known as CERESO.
A special publication produced by the El Paso Times in February 2016 documented Pope Francis’ historic visit to the borderland. (Pablo Villa / El Paso Matters)
Reactions in El Paso and beyond have praised Francis, who became pope March 13, 2013, for his humility, advocacy and for his constant promotion for peace. The Diocese of El Paso released a statement on the passing of Francis.
“It is with Faith in the Risen Lord Jesus that we mourn the loss of The Holy Father Pope Francis. The Diocese of El Paso joins the universal Church, and indeed the entire world, in mourning,” the statement read. “We give thanks for his life of humble service, his tireless advocacy for the poor, the immigrant and the marginalized, and his unwavering witness to the mercy of God. A friend to the Borderland of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez during his life and service as Pope, the Holy Father was always united in prayer with the people of West Texas.
“Concédele, Señor, el descanso eterno. Y brille para él la luz perpetua. Grant him, O Lord, eternal rest. And let perpetual light shine upon him.”
In the announcement from the Vatican, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, said that Francis’ life was dedicated to the service of God and the church. A camerlengo is the administrator of the pope’s property and revenues. Also, in 2019, Francis named Farrell to be the interim pope until the College of Cardinals elected a new pontiff.
“(Francis) taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized,” Farrell said.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, wrote in a post on X that she joined the millions around the world to mourn the passing of Francis. She recalled being among the thousands of El Pasoans fortunate enough to attend his historic visit and Mass in Ciudad Juárez in 2016.
“I remain grateful for his visit to our binational community and for the blessing he gave our city,” Escobar wrote in an additional post. “May his Holiness rest in eternal peace.”
State Sen. César Blanco, who represents the El Paso area, called Francis’ passing a profound loss for the Catholic community and the world.
“He will be remembered as a beacon of compassion, humility, and unwavering service to humanity,” Blanco said. “My deepest condolences to the global Catholic community. May his noble soul rest in eternal peace.”
Fernando Jiménez Arévalo, an El Pasoan and parishioner of St. Luke’s Catholic Church on the Westside, said that he had mixed feelings about Francis’ death. He was sad for the pope’s passing, but proud of the life he lived, and that he was the first pope from Latin America.
Francis was born and raised to a working-class, immigrant family in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His full name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He earned a chemical technician’s diploma and worked briefly in the food processing field, but eventually was called to the priesthood and became a Jesuit in 1958. Jesuits are dedicated to education, ministry, outreach to the marginalized and the promotion of justice and social good.
“He had a simple life,” Jiménez Arévalo said. “He showed mercy and went out to the marginalized. He left a legacy and great example for all of us to be compassionate, simple and humble.”
In a prepared statement, Estrella del Paso, formerly the Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, Inc., shared that Francis left behind a profound legacy and that the agency mourned his passing with deep sorrow and reverence.
The group, a full-service immigration legal aid clinic that serves low-income immigrants and refugees who reside in the southwestern United States, recognized how the pope championed the rights of migrants and refugees, and emphasized human dignity and compassion in the face of immigration challenges.
“As we grieve this tremendous loss, we also recommit ourselves to the vision he so powerfully championed,” the statement read. “In honoring his legacy, we will continue to advocate, serve, and uplift immigrant communities with the same tenderness and courage that Pope Francis embodied.”
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[1] Url:
https://elpasomatters.org/2025/04/21/pope-francis-death-el-paso-ciudad-juarez-visit-el-punto/
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