New Hampshire churches mourn the death of Pope Francis

Outside, the yellow-and-white Vatican flag hung at half-mast. In the foyer, a photo of the pontiff and a description of his life welcomed congregants to Christ the King Church in Concord.

From the lectern, the themes emphasized during Pope Francis’s papacy found their way into Father Richard Roberge’s sermon.

“He was very, very concerned about the poor, very concerned about immigrants and migrants. He was a big advocate for the environment, saying how we have to care for nature and care for God’s creation,” Roberge said. “He contributed significantly to the universal church, the church all around the world.”

The regular midday mass came only hours after the announcement of Francis’s death on Monday — too early for an organized service in his honor — but everywhere signs abounded of his life and passing.

The Vatican confirmed that Francis died of a stroke that led to heart failure. Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. 

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was the world’s first Latin American pontiff and the first priest of the Jesuit order to ascend to the papacy.

Michele Dillon, a professor of sociology and a Catholicism expert at the University of New Hampshire, couldn’t overstate the significance of the late Pope’s origins.

Jesuits place significant importance on the notion of moral discernment, a theological framework and approach to decision-making that promotes prayer and reflection as a way of navigating nuanced problems, according to Dillon.

“Someone has to look at one’s own conscience to sort of make peace with: ‘Are you making the right decision?’ That certainly had a lot of resonance from his Jesuit tradition,” she said. “I also think that, coming from Argentina, he was known for being a bishop out with the poor, out on the streets, seeing the poverty of neighborhoods. That gave him a firsthand understanding of the everyday lives that people have when they’re on the edge, the margins of society.”

Francis’s emphasis on the dignity of the poor and oppressed was not a departure from Christian social teaching, but he drew more attention to what Dillon views as “the heart of the gospel” than predecessors in recent memory.

His papacy was not without conflict. While outwardly reforming the church’s image, Francis faced internal hostility for some of his progressive views.

Early on, Francis “said he’d like to see a rebalancing of the church’s priorities to shift away from such a public emphasis on sexual sin,” including questions of sexual morality, same-sex marriage and divorce and remarriage, Dillon explained.

Some bishops interpreted his style as diluting the faith, others argued Catholicism had always been “pluralistic.”

His successor may carry on his legacy of inclusion or detract from his worldview.

In four to six days, when Francis is buried, a conclave of all cardinals will attempt to find consensus and elect the next moral and spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. Francis himself appointed many of the cardinals who will be choosing his successor, but Dillon warned that may not necessarily mean the cardinals align with him politically.

“It doesn’t mean that the person they select will be a replica,” she said.

The Pope’s final Easter address, read from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica by his master of liturgical ceremonies, Archibishop Diego Ravelli, urged unity and pleaded with the international community for peace.

“On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God,” his message read in part.

Francis, who was known to phone the Holy Family Church in Gaza nightly, appealed to “warring parties” in the Middle East: “Call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”

In Rome on Monday, the bells of St. Peter’s tolled to mark Francis’ death. When the new pontiff is chosen, a white smoke will emanate from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel to signal the conclave’s decision.

In New Hampshire, the Manchester Diocese will host a Mass for the Dead for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis at St. Joseph Cathedral at noon on Tuesday, April 22.

“A Pilgrim of Hope, a Shepherd of Mercy, a successor of Saint Peter joins his predecessors who passed from death to life in Christ, the Eternal Priest and Good Shepherd,” Bishop Peter A. Libasci said in a statement. “We pray for his peaceful repose as we pray as well for the one whom God will choose to be our next Pontiff and Holy Father.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen also said in a statement, that Pope Francis led with unrivaled compassion.

“He constantly reminded us that life is fragile,” Shahhen said. “And he never lost hope for reaching peace, even during a particularly turbulent time in the world.”

Rebeca Pereira can be reached at rpereira@cmonitor.com. The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.