‘He embraced all people’: Californians mourn pope
‘He embraced all people’: Californians mourn a pope who shared their values, brought excitement to church
Catholics across California mourned the death of Pope Francis on Monday, paying tribute to his modernization of the Roman Catholic Church and steadfast commitment to the poor and marginalized.
Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, never visited California. But he forged a close bond with the more than 5 million Catholics who live in Los Angeles, largely because he nudged the church to a more tolerant position on social issues — by urging compassion for immigrants, arguing for tolerance of gay people and advocating for action on climate change.
“I have to say what I’m feeling today is very personal,” the Archbishop of Los Angeles, José H. Gomez, told a crowd of nearly 2,000 mourners and tourists who poured into a noon Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. “I’m going to miss him — big time.”