MISSOULA — After the passing of Pope Francis earlier this week, Catholic communities have been leaning on each other for support, including Missoula's Loyola Sacred Heart where conversations are arising among the students.
"God calls us to forgive and Pope Francis has challenged me to think more openly and be more compassionate and that’s something as a human I struggle with," senior at Loyola Sacred Heart, Declan Harrington, said.
Loyola Sacred Heart has followed the Pope’s death with a novena, which is nine days of concentrated prayer.
"He really focused on having mercy and compassion towards others, even people who didn’t believe they belonged in the church," senior Amalee Schneider said.
Despite the Pope being active in the public eye on Easter, Schneider did not think his appearance reflected someone with restored health.
“We'd actually been looking at pictures around Easter and I kind of commented that he didn't look his best," Schneider said. "I thought it was great to see that even though he probably wasn't feeling his best, he made it a point to not focus on himself [and] to give his life to others."
Pope Francis passed on Monday morning, the day after his public appearances.
Some Catholics say they hope the Catholic Church will follow its trajectory of being more welcoming.
"He really focused on finding mercy and compassion for others, even people that don't necessarily feel they belong in the church," Schneider said.
The next pope is a dinner conversation at home for students as well as they ponder who will become the next pontiff.
"We're wondering if they're gonna go further down that route or back to traditional," Harrington said.
The funeral of Pope Francis takes place Saturday in Italy.
“He leaves a hole in the church right here and I know that hole will be filled, but he does leave this hole that all of us kind of feel the sadness,” said faculty member Kelli Matheny.
The pair say they don’t know what to expect or what’s next for the church, but they are dealing with feelings of trepidation.
“I thought he was a really amazing pope," Lapka said. "I hope the next pope moves us in the same direction."
