Parishioners and world leaders across the globe are mourning the loss of Pope Francis, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In a statement, the governor said that Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88, was able to “[see] God in all His creatures.”
“[First Partner] Jennifer and I join the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis. He saw God in all his creatures, reminding us of humanity’s obligations towards each other and the world we live in, asking us to ‘care for one another and let us be loving custodians of creation’,” Newsom said. “Like the saint honored by His Holiness’ papal name, Saint Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis led with his love of peace and creation and sought to protect and lift up the vulnerable.”
“He championed human dignity, especially that of the poor, called the world to urgent climate action, condemned the death penalty and confronted painful truths – including the Church’s role in the genocide of indigenous peoples,” Newsom’s statement continued. “His papacy was characterized by moral courage, a profound respect for all creation and a deep conviction in the transformative power of love to heal and unite.”
The pope’s passing comes just one day after Easter Sunday and shortly after he spent 38 days in the hospital fighting a respiratory illness.
His last public appearance was an Easter morning blessing and popemobile tour through St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, and he had met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance earlier in the day.
Vance also reacted to the pontiff’s passing with a message on social media stating he was “happy” to see him but that he was “obviously very ill.”
“My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance said.
In SoCal, the Los Angeles Archdiocese and local parishioners are grieving Pope Francis’ death; José H. Gomez, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, honored him and noted that the pope was often concerned with the affairs of Southern California residents.
“It was just in January that [Pope Francis] offered prayers and words of consolation as we faced the destruction caused by the wildfires in the Palisades and Altadena,” Gomez said in a statement. “I will never forget his fraternal comfort as we mourned the sudden taking of our beloved Bishop David O’Connell in 2023.”
Celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg — who met the Pope twice — as well as Antonio Banderas, Russell Crowe and Donatella Versace, among others, also paid their respects on social media.