Prominent Catholic Hoosiers are paying their respects to the late Pope Francis, who passed away Monday, April 21. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

News Release

INDIANA — Prominent Hoosier Catholics are paying tribute to Pope Francis, who died Monday, April 21 at the age of 88 due to pneumonia complications.

Francis “held a consistent vision of the truth that valued human life in all its dimensions,” said Archbishop Charles Thompson, who was named Archdiocese of Indianapolis by Francis in 2017.

“The late pope’s desire for openness, dialogue and transparency offered us many opportunities to see firsthand how he responded to the pastoral and social challenges of our time,” Thompson said in a statement on the Archdiocese’s webpage.

The first Latin American pope in history, Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, the day before his death, to bless thousands in St. Peter’s Square, drawing intense applause and cheers. Before that, he met the United States Vice President J.D. Vance.

His blessing was performed from the same loggia where he was presented as the 266th Pope on March 13, 2013.

Of the late Pope, Bishop Robert McClory of the Diocese of Gary said, “Pope Francis lived out the joy of the Gospel from the first day of his pontificate until his last breath.”

Rev. Robert Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame, said the university community would join the world in mourning the death of Pope Francis. The Pope met with Dowd and the Notre Dame board of trustees last in February 2024.

Francis’ death begins a week-long process that will allow believers to pay their last respects. The first to pay respects will be Vatican officials in the Chapel of Santa Marta, then for the general public in St. Peter’s. This is followed by a funeral and a conclave to elect a new pope.