ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

ST. LOUIS — Pope Francis, who died Monday, is being remembered by ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Catholics for his messages of inclusion and hope.

“His focus was always on helping the oppressed, the marginalized,� said Kim Blackford, of Oakville. “He was always focused on including everyone, and reminded us all that we are all brothers and sister in the body of Christ.�

Blackford was among the 250 people who participated in a noon Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ to honor the late pontiff. Many paused to kneel in prayer in front of a portrait of Francis at the front of the church, surrounded by white Easter lilies, pink roses, hydrangeas and tulips.

Francis, who died after a lengthy illness, inspired Catholics around the world by challenging them to see the humanity in one another, said ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski.

"Pope Francis knew living into the Gospel is never easy in any age, but particularly in our modern age," he said. "He spoke to us of how we can be divided from one another, how isolated our technology has made us, and that our humanity in Christ does not divide us but unites us."

Francis, Rozanski said, lived his life "reaching out to the people on the periphery," and ministering to those "who are poor — whether they are materially poor, poor in spirit or poor in despair."

Francis, who was elected as pope in March 2013, was the first pontiff to come from the Americas. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, the man who the world would come to know as Pope Francis first prepared to work as a chemical technician before he felt called to enter the priesthood. His background as a Jesuit priest ultimately shaped his worldview and his stance on the importance of helping the poor, church leaders said Monday.

Rozanski also recalled how he saw firsthand how Francis was innately aware of the needs of people around him.

During a lengthy meeting in the Vatican, Rozanski said Francis was seated by a pitcher of water and two glasses. After two hours, unprompted, Francis turned and poured a glass of water and offered it to the translator.

"To me, that was the epitome of Pope Francis — his kindness, his looking out for others," Rozanksi said. "It was just a simple little scene, not witnessed by many, but it showed his concern for others."

Francis's public appearance on Easter had given many people hope that he was recovering from the pneumonia that had hospitalized the pontiff.

“I was hoping he would be with us for a few more years,� said Therese Waldschmidt, of Kirkwood.

The Vatican said Francis experienced a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.

Dying the day after Easter — a day that Francis spent greeting throngs of Catholics from a balcony and St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City — was a fitting end to his papacy, Rozanski said.

“When I heard the news this morning, I just thought: God is so good, because Pope Francis was a man who loved to be with people. Being with people really gave him energy, and to be with God's people, to have that blessing of being with his people on Easter Sunday, I couldn't think of a better way to be called home to the Lord.�

Waldschmidt arrived before the Mass to pray for Francis but also for the College of Cardinals now tasked with selecting the next leader of the Catholic Church. Eligible cardinals will eventually vote for a papal successor in the Sistine Chapel in a process known as the conclave.

“I prayed that the conclave will pick someone as good as Pope Francis was,� Waldschmidt said.

She praised Francis for his willingness to love everyone, including those in the LGBTQ community. She said his papacy also helped make inroads with young people, who she said “had been turning their backs on the church.�

“People like Pope Francis helped bring them back — helped them to see and feel the joy of Jesus’ love, and that our churches welcomed them.�

Pastor Danny Lybarger of The Well, a Methodist congregation in St. Charles County, said he appreciated the way that Pope Francis "pushed the envelope of inclusion."

"In a really Catholic city, I have seen it become a more just, more compassionate landscape because of him."

Pastor Terrell Carter, who leads Webster Groves Baptist Church, said he appreciated Pope Francis for how he led Catholics and others to ask, "What if God's kingdom is much bigger and much broader than we anticipate??

"It seems to me that Pope Francis was asking and attempting to answer that question in his own way, and I thank him for that," Carter said. 

Among those pausing to reflect on Francis on Monday was Cara Koen, who remembered the feeling of hope she felt when she heard of the then-Archbishop of Buenos Aires Cardinal Bergoglio's selection as the next leader of the Catholic Church.

She was one of several people at the Mass who described Francis as a leader on the global stage, someone who was not afraid to counsel and sometimes chastise world leaders for their policies regarding the LGBTQ community, immigration, refugees and other controversial topics.

"I was sad for us to not have him in the world anymore, but I have joy for him that he is resurrected with God," Koen said.