'Our hearts are saddened': Milwaukee archbishop reacts to death of Pope Francis

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Bells rang 88 times from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee on Monday, April 21 honoring Pope Francis' 88 years of life.

Black bunting is draped over the Cathedral's doors; a tradition to mourn The Pope's death.

"There was a humanity about Pope Francis that you couldn't help but love, because he simply cared about people," said Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said Pope Francis lived as a shepherd, meeting people where they are.

"As long as you can bring people together to talk, there's the possibility of growth, of change, of new ideas, and that's what he was good at," Grob explained.

The Milwaukee Archbishop met Pope Francis in 2022.

It was a short interaction in a long line of bishops waiting to shake The Pope's hand, but it made an impact on Grob.

"In standing with him in that moment, I felt like I was the only person standing in that room," he said. "He was fixed on the person that was standing in front of him."

Grob believes that will be Pope Francis' legacy: how he connected with others.

"What he did in his last few days was significant. He visited prisons, he visited those who are in need, he visited those that were on the margins of society," said Dashell Young, a parishioner at the Church of the Gesu at Marquette University. "As a black man, as a Catholic - and lifelong Catholic, that message hit home. He was a transformational leader for sure."

Young was one of many Catholics that attended an Easter Monday mass with a heavier heart.

"I had to re-write my homily and reimagine some of the prayers to accommodate both the joy of Christ's resurrection, but also the deep sadness of Pope Francis' passing," said Father Michael Simone, a pastor at Church of the Gesu.

Pastors and parishioners took Monday to reflect on the teachings of Pope Francis, and discuss how the church will carry on.

"The joy that he brought to everything I think is something - it was a lesson I needed to learn," Simone said.

"As a church, we mourn. He touched many lives in many ways over the past twelve years," Archbishop Grob said.

Inside Milwaukee's Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, there is a photograph of Pope Francis accompanied by a lit candle.

When a new pope is elected, the black bunting on the Cathedral's doors will be changed to white and gold.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob shared the following statement on the death of Pope Francis: 

"On the morning following joyous celebrations of Easter throughout the world, we are awakened by the painful announcement that Pope Francis has died.

Our hearts are saddened by the passing of a man whose tremendous faith and vision shepherded the Church through many challenges over the course of the past 12 years.

Although we now grieve, we take solace in the words of the Risen Christ who in today's gospel encountered Mary Magdalene and the other Mary coming from the tomb and told them, "Do not be afraid.

As people of faith, we turn to the One who is the Resurrection and the Life and ask him to receive Pope Francis into the halls of the heavenly banquet and to give him eternal rest."