Southern California Catholics Mourn Pope Francis, Recall His Impact on Local Communities

Catholic communities across Southern California, including parishes in Inglewood and Compton, joined the worldwide mourning following Pope Francis’s death at age 88, as announced by Vatican officials on Monday morning.

At an afternoon Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, Archbishop José H. Gomez honored Francis, sharing a personal connection: “In our conversations, Pope Francis and I will always speak in Spanish. He was the first pope from the Americas and the first who spoke Spanish as his native language.”

This linguistic connection held special significance for Spanish-speaking parishioners throughout the Los Angeles region, including those at St. John Chrysostom in Inglewood and Holy Family Church in Compton, where many services are conducted in Spanish.

Gomez called for the community to continue the pope’s “work of serving the poor, the migrant, and all who are forgotten on society’s ‘peripheries'” — a message that resonates in diverse communities like Inglewood and Compton, where social justice ministries are active parts of local parish life.

Richard Zaldivar, a gay Catholic community leader and executive director of The Wall Las Memorias Project, expressed his grief at the Monday afternoon Mass. “It’s a sad day,” he said, his voice breaking. “He was an incredible leader in our church, he was truly a pastor for the world, not only for Catholics and Christians, but for all denominations. He spoke to the marginalized communities of the world.”

Zaldivar said he would be praying for a successor “who could truly lead the church into a new generation that really represents and speaks to the marginalized communities of the world.”

Pope Francis’s advocacy for environmental justice and his criticisms of economic systems that contribute to inequality found receptive audiences in working-class communities throughout Los Angeles County. His emphasis on caring for “our common home” and building “a world that respects the sanctity and dignity of all human life” have influenced social ministry programs at parishes throughout the region.

Yunuen Trujillo, an attorney with CHIRLA and founder of LGBT Catholics, highlighted Francis’s emphasis on interconnectedness. “He was very much aware that everything is interconnected and that poverty and environmental, climate change and other issues are the cost of migration,” she said. “He has left us with a better understanding of what it means to be good Catholics which is to have a holistic view of justice and fighting for everyone who’s left out.”

In Long Beach, community member Bartolo Delgado stopped by St. Matthew Catholic Church Monday morning and noted Francis’s efforts to address the Church’s sexual abuse crisis: “He emphasized that that kind of harm should stop.”

Bishop Kevin Vann of the Orange County Diocese called Francis “a powerful example to us all” and will pray for the soul of Pope Francis at the Divine Mercy Mass at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 27.

Local parishes throughout Inglewood and Compton are expected to include special prayers and remembrances for Pope Francis in their regular services throughout the coming weeks. Catholic residents seeking to pay their respects can check with their local parish for specific memorial events.