By Genesis Bu-Chinchilla, Saron Gebereegziabhier and Anette Perez 
Trinity Times Correspondents

The Trinity Washington University community gathered in front of Notre Dame Chapel to mourn the passing of Pope Francis, who died earlier on Easter Monday at the age of 88, marking the end of a 12-year pontificate often praised by university leaders.

The pope died at 7:35 a.m. April 21, 2025, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, following two months of serious illness. His passing came just one day after he delivered the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from the balcony above St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican announced.

“He always wanted to be close to the people, and he conducted his farewell in the same way he conducted his papacy — with the people, a symbol of hope and perseverance, setting aside his personal comfort to be present to all,” said Trinity President Patricia McGuire. “From the moment he was elected pope, choosing the unconventional but highly symbolic name Francis, this pope was determined to be a force for change not only in the Catholic Church but throughout the world.”

An impromptu prayer service in front of the Notre Dame Chapel on campus was organized on Monday by Father Stephen Thorne – a Trinity professor of education who also serves in Campus Ministry – to remember the life and ministry of Pope Francis.

It was a small intimate gathering with Trinity students, staff and faculty, many of whom shared their grief and gratitude to the late pope’s service to the church and world.

“I was actually a bit sad,” said Meddgy Michel, a Trinity senior majoring in nursing, during the prayer service. “It’s like the lord waited until Easter and the day he was resurrected for him to pass away.”

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 17, 1936, he was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1969, became a bishop in 1992, and was elevated to cardinal in 2001. He was elected pope by the College of Cardinals on March 13, 2013, becoming the first pontiff from the Americas.

News of the Pope Francis’ death was a hot topic of conversation throughout the university community, saddening non-Catholic students like Kate Tebo and Camille Rasamoely.

“He’s influenced a lot of people,” Rasamoely told Trinity Times, who recalled how excited her mother was when Pope Francis visited Washington in 2015.

Pope Francis inspired Trinity Provost Carotta Ocampo to strengthen her pride in being Catholic and his pontificate played a pivotal role in awakening her call to social justice.

“I think the thing about Pope Francis is he always said, ‘Pray for me,'” said Notre Dame Sister Ann Howard, Trinity’s director of campus ministry. “He was very humble. Right from the start when he was elected 12 years ago, his first words to the gathered people in St. Peter’s Square was ‘Pray for me’ and he bowed his head, and everybody thought, ‘Wow, this is a great beginning.'”

Campus ministry set up an altar in the university’s chapel in Main Hall for students and faculty to come by and pay their respects. On Wednesday, during the weekly Mass, time will be taken to pray for Pope Francis as well. 

“He was a champion for environmental justice with his groundbreaking encyclical Laudato Si’ — spelling out the obligations inherent in the social justice mandate to care for God’s creation,” McGuire said. “He expressed solidarity with the poor and marginalized persons of the earth and was particularly a champion for migrants who are so deeply oppressed by too many governments, including the current U.S. government.”

Pope Francis also expressed openness and welcome toward gay and lesbian people, a position that drew significant opposition. But, McGuire noted, “he did not budge.”

She also highlighted his commitment to gender equity in the Church.

“Pope Francis appointed more women to senior Vatican positions than any other pope,” she said. “He had his critics, not only on the right but also those on the left who felt he did not go far enough to affirm women’s place in the church. Advocates for justice for those abused by clergy also felt he missed many opportunities to acknowledge the grievous official sins of the church and to strengthen safeguards.”

The College of Cardinals — most of whom were appointed by Pope Francis — will convene at the Vatican in the coming weeks to elect a new pope, said Chaz Muth, a journalism professor at Trinity who covered the conclave that elected the late pope during his time with Catholic News Service.

“With authoritarianism on the rise throughout the world, and with many governments adopting highly oppressive policies toward persons on the margins, we pray that the cardinals in the conclave will have the wisdom and strength to choose a new leader who can continue in the Francis tradition,” McGuire said. “Upholding the church’s teachings on social justice, expressing solidarity with the poor and marginalized of this earth, confronting oppressive governments, protecting the environment, and lifting up the central moral principle of defending human life and dignity in all of its glorious diversity around the globe.”

During the Trinity prayer service, Father Thorne said the university will be holding more events dedicated to the legacy of Pope Francis.

“One of my favorite quotes from the Jesuits, of course, Pope Francis was a Jesuit, is, ‘go set the world on fire.’ And that’s what I want to see happen to our students. Go and start a fire, a holy fire in our world today.”

Beyond formal observances, Trinity students said they hope the university community will carry forward values Pope Francis championed, such as kindness, inclusion, and social justice, regardless of religious affiliation. 

“He didn’t care about your ethnicity, your sexual preferences,” Michel said. “I feel like he just wanted everyone to be part of the church. That’s one thing that everybody loved about him, he just wanted you to be part of God’s life.”