A mass was held Tuesday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan in honor of Pope Francis.

“It’s very sad,” Denise Nunez said. “It’s a big loss.”

“It’s a sad day for all Catholics, but he’s in a better place,” Sally Davidson said.

What You Need To Know

  • Cardinal Timothy Dolan is set to depart for Rome Tuesday night for the funeral of Pope Francis, and for the conclave to elect his successor

  • A midday mass was held Tuesday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in honor of the pope

  • Eligible cardinals will soon vote for a papal successor in the Sistine Chapel in a process known as “the conclave”
  • The cardinals haven’t set a date for the conclave to elect Francis’ successor, but the current norms suggest it would not be before May 5

Many people mourning the loss of Pope Francis found comfort in Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s words.

“Constantly preaching God’s tender mercy for us and encouraging our tender mercy for one another,” Dolan recalled of Pope Francis.

At the midday mass, hundreds of people — Catholics and non-Catholics — paid their respects to Francis a day after his death, including Mayor Eric Adams.

A picture of Pope Francis sat in the front of the cathedral as Dolan spoke of the pope’s charismatic, yet humble nature that many people found so endearing.

“He was just such a kind person and so humble,” Nunez said. “And such a great example of what Christian leadership should be.”

Dolan is heading to Rome as part of a previously scheduled trip for the 2025 Jubilee. He’ll take part in the conclave of cardinals who vote to elect the next pope.

Catholic leaders in the city believe the next pope has a big job.

“Whomever the new pope will be, we have to make sure that he has that same winning style as Pope Francis,” Dolan said.

“Someone who is holy first of all,” Father Michael Ramos of Holy Cross Church in Manhattan said. “Someone who is intelligent. Someone who can relate well to people.”

During his 12-year papacy, Francis did not shy away from controversial topics, such as war, environmental awareness and LGBTQ rights.

“I’m a queer person, I’m progressive,” Bernadette Deron, who attended Tuesday’s mass, said. “I thought that his teachings were a good step forward.”

“I think he did bring a lot of ideas to the forefront of the church to make it more of a modern church and to help bring people back,” Marian Falzarano said.

More than anything, most of Francis’ followers viewed him as a humanitarian who tried to unify people.

Many of the faithful say they are thankful, above all else, that Francis was a humanitarian. He was known to pray and advocate for people to respect others and believed in the dignity of all individuals.

“That’s what Pope Francis kept emphasizing a lot. The fact that we need to respect each other,”
Wanda Pagan said.