(Southeastern IN) – Roman Catholics here and around the world are reacting to and mourning the death of Pope Francis.
“Locally, we’ll be praying for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis and also that the Holy Spirit to give us a good and faithful pope,” said Fr. Stan Pondo, the pastor at St. Louis Catholic Church in Batesville.
He says anytime a pope passes away, there’s a period of mourning, followed by adjustment.
As for who might be chosen to be the new head of the Catholic Church, Fr. Pondo says it all depends on the action of the Holy Spirit.
“There’s a saying the Romans have, ‘He who walks in to the Conclave of the Pope walks out a Cardinal,’ which is a way of saying that picking a favorite never really works out,” Fr. Pondo said. “The Holy Spirit has a way of surprising us.”
The Holy Father died Monday at the age of 88, hours after delivering his annual Easter message to the faithful at the Vatican. .
