Thomas A. Daly, Bishop of Spokane, said he owed his position to Pope Francis. “It is not lost on me that it was Pope Francis who appointed me to Spokane and gave me the privilege of serving as the Chief Shepherd for the people of this diocese,” he wrote in a statement. The Bishop met with the Pope at the Vatican on Feb. 3, 2020. A special mass for the Pope will be held in Spokane on Thursday, April 24 at noon.
Theresa Shepherd-Lukasik, director of faith formation and staff liaison for the women’s ministry from Seattle’s St. Joseph Parish LGBT Ministry, said in an email to Cascade PBS that the Pope had called for the church to become a “listening church,” but noted that Catholic policies regarding women and LGBTQ+ issues had not shifted significantly under his leadership.
“Through listening to the people of God many issues rose to the surface around LGBTQ inclusion and women deacons, yet he has not actually changed anything on those issues,” Shepherd-Lukasik wrote. “But in my opinion, he has worked on how to bring about more inclusion of marginalized people into the life of the church.”
Francis was initially admitted to the hospital on February 14 for bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia – a serious condition given his history with pleurisy, which necessitated the partial removal of one of his lungs in young adulthood. The Pope’s condition worsened to the point that doctors considered ending his treatment so he could die in peace, according to the head of the Pope’s medical team. But his condition improved enough to allow him to return to his residence.
Francis’ last public appearance was on Easter Sunday, when he blessed thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
During his blessing, he encouraged worshipers to embrace refugees and others in need. The Pope also briefly met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance after criticizing the Trump administration’s plans to deport immigrants in large numbers.
Francis emphasized care for refugees and immigrants throughout his papacy. In a February letter to U.S. bishops, Francis addressed the Trump administration’s deportation plan, advocating for American churches to continue working with migrants and refugees. He referenced the Biblical stories of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the migration of the Israelites to Egypt in the Book of Exodus as parallels to all refugees.
In 2013, Francis’ first year as Pope, he made a trip to the Italian island of Lampedusa, in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia, to meet with newly arrived migrants and denounced indifference toward refugees. He brought 12 Syrian Muslims to Rome on his plane after his visit to a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece. Francis’ pleas to welcome migrants conflicted with many U.S. and European policies that have called for closing borders or building walls to keep migrants out.
Along with his concern for migrants, Francis also held a more accepting stance on LGBTQ+ Catholics compared to his predecessors, which upset church conservatives and traditionalists. He approved blessings for same-sex couples, provided they do not resemble marriage vows.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first Argentinian and first Jesuit pope was known for denying himself luxuries. Before becoming pope, he rode the bus, cooked his own meals and visited slums. Francis had a reputation of keeping many of his humble practices throughout his tenure, choosing to live in the Vatican hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace, wearing orthotic shoes instead of the traditional papal red loafers and using compact cars for transportation.
