People worldwide are reacting and mourning the death of Pope Francis, who passed away Monday at the age of 88.
Central Catholic High School Assistant Principal Lauren Booth happened to be in Rome when Francis died. In this lightly edited interview, Booth spoke with WGLT's Jon Norton on Morning Edition and shared her thoughts on the impact Pope Francis had on people and the world, and the serendipity of being in Rome when he died.
WGLT: Why were you in Rome in the first place?
There was kind of this special opportunity to be here for Easter, originally, for the canonization of our first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, and for the Jubilee Year. My friend is also living here, and it just worked out for me to spend some time with her and celebrate all these celebrations at our church.
And it's turned into a once-in-a-lifetime event, right?
It already kind of was, but it has become just a whole different level of that. Unfortunately, the canonization got postponed. But yesterday, I was in Assisi and was able to view Carlo Acutis’ body and pray at his tomb. So I still feel like I was able to have that connection with him. But yeah, coming back to Rome now, I was able to go and view Pope Francis's body just about an hour ago, was able to go into a special line because of a connection at the Vatican, and able to actually pray in front of his body. And it was a beautiful, surreal experience. I will also be here for the funeral. So, yes, this is turning into something very different, but beautiful in its own way.
You said you were just at the public viewing. How did it affect you?
Lots of different ways. So like I said, we were able to go in a separate entrance, but just being able to view the line of the faithful that were coming to see him. And there were tears, lots of prayers, but just a lot of silence too, which is, as I have noticed, kind of unusual in Rome, even in the churches. And so there was just this reverence for him and for his life, I think, and his legacy. I've seen him in real life a few times, and so knowing that he went out, you know, around in the Easter season, I prayed for a lot of peace for him and just for his successor and for his soul.
And that was a very humbling experience for me to just kneel before him and thank him for his life's work, but also to pray for his soul.
Let's switch to the Central Catholic High School. Specifically, when Pope Francis was chosen in 2013, but it was certainly a shift in the Catholic Church. Some call it maybe even a sea change in the Catholic Church. But how did his selection affect the culture and the students at Central Catholic High School?
I was at the school at the time, and I remember sitting in our auditorium and watching, they announced we have a pope, and, you know, seeing who it was, and learning his name. And none of us seemed to really know much about him. I thought it was interesting that he was from Argentina. I was a Spanish teacher at the time, and so that was a cool connection for me. Yeah, throughout the years, I don't know if it has had a huge impact. I mean that our students learn about the truths of our faith in their theology class, and they have a great respect for the leader of our church.
In many ways, when he writes for the people, he speaks, or he writes in a way that is accessible to people. And I think our students have appreciated that, that he speaks plainly. And I was able to bring a group of students to Panama for World Youth Day in 2019 and one of the things they were most excited about, even before that trip, was seeing the Pope. I think there's just this, you know, this distance sometimes into Rome, and having him in front of them, and this palpable figure that they learn about and read about, was just very moving for them. And I remember them sitting on each other's shoulders and looking for him as he drove by the Popemobile, and he celebrated mass. And yeah, that was probably the most profound experience for Central Catholic students, probably to see the pope in real life.
You mentioned that he was very approachable, and that a lot of young people really liked that, but he was also very inclusive in his message. And I'm wondering if, in a way, did that resonate with the students, to either keep them closer to the Catholic Church or even attract more young people to the Catholic Church?
I think in many ways, Pope Francis was very genuine, and he wanted to always be with the people, and especially as we all. Know he wanted to be with the poorest of the poor and the marginalized and the people that were forgotten. And that is something that I think is difficult for teenagers to understand, sometimes especially just in the privilege in which many teenagers in the United States live. And so I think that was always an important message for them to see our faith in action through our leader and him actually paving the way for what that looks like in real life, and modeling that for us, I think, has been a very important lesson for our students.
What do you think the legacy of Pope Francis will be? Or legacies?
I think his legacy will be his genuineness and his approachability and his respect and deep love for the poor. And I think that's a lesson that we have continued to learn throughout his papacy, and that we still need to continue to practice and to learn. And so I'm hopeful that his successor will continue those acts of charity that he set an example of. And I am hopeful that that will also pass down to these young people. You know, this will be, in some ways, their Pope. Sometimes people associate their Pope as the one that was when they were coming into the church and when they were young. So I hope that they continue to model that throughout the rest of their lives as well.
Is there anything I didn't ask you, that you would like to mention or get across, especially that you're there (in Rome) right now?
Yeah, I would just say that (this is) The Jubilee Year of Hope. I just encourage, if people have not read it, to read Pope Francis's final homily from Easter Sunday. He speaks a lot about hope. And I think that's kind of beautiful, that that was his last message. And I think that's something for us all to just take away, especially throughout this week. And of course, we mourn him, but we pray for him to join, you know, in the resurrection. And, of course, for ourselves as well. But that message of hope, I think, is one that is important for everybody, whether you're Catholic or not, that is something that our world needs. He knew that. And I think that's an important part of his last, his last legacy as well.
