OWENSBORO, Ky. — The world is mourning the death of Pope Francis, who died one day after Easter Sunday. 

He once blessed all Kentucky law enforcement officers, which a Kentucky State Trooper got to witness firsthand when he met Francis.

As a devout Catholic, Trooper Corey King said he was saddened to hear about the passing of Francis, even if it wasn’t totally unexpected.

“Many of us knew it was coming, of course," King said. "All Catholics knew the condition of his health. But it’s also sacred to know his last mass was Easter Sunday." 

It means even a little more to King, who got to meet Francis when he was invited by his friend Fr. Jim Sichko on a trip to the Vatican during Police Memorial Week.

“I thought, what a great opportunity to wear my uniform, represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but to have the pope bless our campaign hat; that’s our signature hat that a lot of your state agencies wear,” King said. “He just came down the line, and we locked eyes, shook hands, spoke very little, then he put his hand on our hat and prayed with me for all law enforcement officers in America, as well as the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

It’s a memory King said won’t ever leave him.

“Being Catholic, being part of a global family and deeply rooted in centuries of tradition, meeting the pope, the highest spiritual leader of the Catholic faith, that was the top for me,” he said.

“He had such kind eyes. And you can tell he was a very genuine person. Easy to talk to, easy to meet.”

King was also proud to now be part of the connective tissue between Kentucky and the Vatican.

“Walking down the aisle in uniform, you would hear people in broken English say, 'Kentucky is here,' or 'There’s Kentucky police,'" he said. "It was really neat to see that even in other countries, there’s that common glue that really holds us all together."

"Even though the world has its problems, you still have to have the eternal flame inside of you, that faith that keeps you going.”"Even though the world has its problems, you still have to have the eternal flame inside of you, that faith that keeps you going.”

King said he hasn’t given much thought to who he’d like to see be named the new pope, but he hopes whoever it is continues Francis’ trend of inclusivity.

“You do hear some people that may disagree with [breaking] the old traditions, but let’s face it, sometimes things do change and need to change," King said. "And it was good to see that Pope Francis was one of those instruments of change. He won’t be forgotten. He’s done a lot for the faith, the communities, as well as the church.”

King said he has joked with Sichko that he should be named the next pope. He said, in all seriousness, he will pay attention to the selection process and is interested to see if the next pope may be American.