Massachusetts leaders, Catholics mourn the death of Pope Francis

The Catholic community in Massachusetts is mourning Pope Francis, who died at age 88 on Monday.

Archbishop of Boston, Richard G. Henning, said in a statement he was "deeply saddened" to hear of the pope's passing. The pontiff selected Henning to replace outgoing Cardinal Sean O'Malley as the head of the archdiocese last fall.

"In his ministry and across his writings, he has continuously called us to deeper faith and to a more generous participation in the boundless compassion of God," Henning wrote of Francis. "He has challenged us to turn away from selfish impulses and towards communion with others and respect for God's creation."

The pontiff had a close relationship with O'Malley, Henning's predecessor. Francis tasked O'Malley with helping handle the church's response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal. O'Malley was head of the pope’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Francis held O'Malley in high regard and selected him as a founding member of his core cardinal advisers.

" I think he had a very positive sense of Boston," Thomas Groome,
a Boston College professor of theology, said of the pope. "Pope and Cardinal Sean were deeply bonded friends."

Groome said the pope will be remembered for his " tremendous inclusivity and tremendous outreach" to marginalized communities. Francis was outspoken on many issues, including the importance of caring for migrants and refugees and the need to care for the environment.

Catholic Charities of Boston reflected on this legacy in a statement on Monday. The faith-based social service nonprofit called the late pope a "guiding light of hope for millions across the globe."

"He was unapologetically committed to treating those living on the margins of society with kindness and respect and was an outstanding model of our vision of a more just, compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people," the organization said in a statement.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, along with her family, met Pope Francis at the Vatican Climate Summit last year.

On WCVB on Monday, she called Francis the "epitome of compassion and humility," who used his platform to "shine a light on people who are often in the shadows."

Gov. Maura Healey met the pope at a climate change summit hosted by the Vatican last year. In a statement on Monday, Healey called it an "honor" to meet the pope and said she was "touched by his warmth, kindness and humor."

"His life was a commitment to our sacred responsibility to care for others, especially the most vulnerable among us," wrote Healey. "In no other realm was that more evident than his dedication to climate, human rights, immigrant communities and the working poor. He strove to make the Church more inclusive and welcoming, and he led by reminding us of the dignity and worth of every person."

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, also met the pope in 2014 as he was drafting Encyclical Laudato Si', the pontiff's letter to all bishops on the importance of caring for the environment. Markey reflected on the address Francis gave to Congress in 2015 imploring the United States to help address climate change.

The senator recalled the pope " not shying from that central message that the United States was the leading polluter in the world and it had a moral responsibility to, as a result be at the forefront of finding the solution as well."

Markey, a devout Catholic, said he keeps a photo of Francis in his office because of his admiration for the pope's leadership.

"He will go down as not just one of the greatest popes of all time, but as one of the greatest leaders that this world has ever see," said Markey.

With reporting from the WBUR newsroom