In the hours following the death of Pope Francis, Utah political and religious leaders are sharing their condolences and remembering a man who broke norms around the world.
Gov. Spencer Cox announced Monday evening that flags at all state facilities be lowered to half-staff in recognition of the Pope's passing. They will remain at half-staff until sunset after he's buried. Cox invited private citizens and businesses to do the same.
Utah Sen. John Curtis reflected on the Pope's empathy and ability to connect with billions in and out of the Catholic religion.
"Pope Francis lived an exemplary life marked by humility and compassion — blessing countless lives with his service and leadership," Curtis wrote in a statement. "As we mourn his loss, Sue and I pray for those who turned to him for guidance and encouragement, including those in Utah’s Catholic community."
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also shared a message following Pope Francis's death.
Pope Francis, leader of Catholic Church, dies at age 88:
"His courageous and compassionate leadership has blessed countless lives. We extend our heartfelt condolences to all who looked to him for inspiration and counsel," the Church said. "As the world pauses to remember his example of forgiveness and service, we feel deep gratitude for the goodness of a life well lived and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
In its release on Monday, the Church shared photos of the Pope meeting President Russell M. Nelson in 2019, a historic visit marking the first time an LDS leader had a formal audience with any pope.
“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness," said President Russell of the meeting. "He was most gracious and warm and welcoming. What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving, and capable leader.”
Despite the Pope's death being announced in the middle of the night, the news immediately reached Catholic leaders in Salt Lake City who expressed shock.
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City held a press conference below to discuss the death of Pope Francis:
Father Martin Diaz, pastor and rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine was up at 2 a.m. and said he was stunned when he first heard Pope Francis had passed.
"I stopped, said a prayer. Thought about him," Father Diaz said, "thought about his great legacy of the work that he's done for these past 12 years for the church and before, of course, but as the Pope as he has led us in a way that, to serve the poor, to see the people who are on the periphery, to know that those are the very ones that Jesus reached out to in a very special way. I think the Pope has led us to be a universal church, a church for everyone, welcoming everyone."
"We feel like we are orphans, that we have lost our Holy Father, and of course, as Catholics around the world, we are mourning the death of the Holy Father," said Father Gustavo Vidal, a priest with the Diocese of Salt Lake City at Saint Rose of Lima in Layton.
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City shared a message about the Pope's death in a statement released Monday afternoon.
"I was deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Our Holy Father, coming the day after the most joyous morning of Easter. We pray that Our Lord, in His mercy, welcomes Pope Francis into His eternal Kingdom of rest, happiness and peace," said Rev. Oscar A. Solis, Bishop of Salt Lake City. "We have lost our humble shepherd, but even as we mourn, we remember his remarkable contributions to our Church and the world. Pope Francis spoke so often of the joy of the Gospel, and he repeatedly called us to share that Good News, the universal love and mercy of God to all people, especially with those living on the margins: the migrant, the poor, the lost and the least."
The Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah issued a statement of condolences after the death of the Pope.
"The Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple joins the global community in mourning the loss of His Holiness Pope Francis, a beacon of compassion, humility, and unity. His unwavering dedication to peace, interfaith harmony, and the upliftment of the marginalized touched countless lives across all faiths and cultures."
Former Utah governor Gary Herbert shared how meeting Pope Francis was " humbling." Herbert's meeting came in Italy while on a trade mission, just three months after LDS president Russell M. Nelson met with the pontiff.
"He came up to see Jeanette and I, we were in a certain, specified location,” said Herbert. “He came up and his greetings to me were, ‘You’re that couple from that Mormon city,’ and we said, ‘Yes, we are.'"
The two didn't come empty-handed.
"My wife, we have a picture of her presenting to him a gift, and what are you to give the Pope is kind of a hard thing to decide to do," Herbert admitted. "I have a foster brother who is a full-blooded Navajo, and we gave him some Native American Navajo pottery. He seemed to be very appreciative of that gift, and we chatted some more. He says, ‘Would you pray for me?’ He asked us, Jeanette and I, ‘Would you pray for me as a Pope?’ And we said we would add him to our prayer roll, and we have and did."
Gov. Herbert’s takeaway from the pope was that despite being of two different faiths, we are more alike than we are different.
"If we just believe in the concept of our heavenly father and we are his children, that means you and I are all brothers and sisters. Maybe if we understood the father as the head of men and women, maybe we would treat each other just a little bit better. I’d like to think that we would. I think for us to meet with the Pope, that was the kind of message we had, and we came away feeling inspired and uplifted."
