'That warmth, that loving connection': Milwaukee Jesuit priest recalls January meeting with Pope Francis

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Pope Francis' death is crystalizing the impact that's being felt in the Milwaukee area.

Father Joe Laramie is a Jesuit priest who met with the pope in January at the Vatican.

On Monday, April 21, he recalled, "That warmth, that loving connection, I'll never forget it."

Father Laramie's group had a 9:30 appointment that morning. By that time, the pope had already held eight meetings prior, at age 88 and in poor health.

He said Pope Francis was in a wheelchair and in pain, until he smiled.

Fr. Joe Laramie meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican in January 2025

Fr. Laramie told us, "He came in in a wheelchair, assistant pushing him. Then he approaches this big papal throne. Then you see him take a moment, take a deep breath, and like, 'Oh gosh, now I have to get into that huge chair.' And he has aides helping him and he's basically waving them away. Climbs into this chair, he's kind of wincing with pain, his knees and his hips bothering him. Sits down, takes a deep breath, and then this big smile on his face."

A group of Jesuits listens to Pope Francis at the Vatican in January 2025

Once settled in, Father Laramie said they had a beautiful encounter. "He was clearly struggling. This was just before he went into the hospital. But also, once he started talking, you could really see his joy, his warmth."

From the Marquette campus, Laramie works as the national director of the Apostleship of Prayer, a 200-year-old Jesuit ministry that serves as the pope's prayer network.

For five years now, he's coordinated prayers and monthly intentions from and for Pope Francis.

He also writes extensively about the pope's teachings and is familiar with Francis' thinking.

Father Laramie said though his death was not a surprise, it was like losing a family member.

After the meeting back in January, Father Laramie got to greet the pope individually. "I said, 'Gracias, Padre,' and he said, 'Si, gracias.' So, 'Thank you, father,' and he says, 'No, thank you.'"

Fr. Joe Laramie meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican in January 2025

Back in 1999, Father Laramie received communion from Pope John Paul II ("I was actually a server at that Mass, so I received communion from now Saint John Paul," he told us).

Fr. Joe Laramie receives communion from then-Pope, now-Saint John Paul II at a mass in St. Louis in 1999

And shortly after his ordination in 2011, he traveled to Spain to see Pope Benedict.

Now, after interacting with Pope Francis, he says the three have a lot in common. "You see a lot of connections, actually. Praying for families, for seminarians, for new technologies."

Laramie said among the monthly prayer intentions, Pope Francis prayed for medical advancements and robotics.

"Sometimes people may think the pope lives in the 1500s or something," he said, "but this is a pope very much engaged with the modern world."

On the same Marquette campus where a 600-year-old chapel sits, apps connect congregations and QR codes help people tithe.

Father Laramie says that balance of tradition and progression will help the church cope with the loss of its leader. "We know that's going to continue. We love this pope, and we trust God will send us a good successor."

Father Laramie said during that January meeting, Pope Francis shared words of gratitude with the Jesuits but also challenged them to keep praying with people and spreading the good news.

Father Laramie said he traveled a lot during Lent, from Pewaukee to Nashville and beyond, doing just that.