MIAMI (WSVN) - The death of Pope Francis, the world’s first from Latin America, left a lasting legacy on South Florida’s Hispanic community.
While people paid their respects to the late Francis all through the night at St. Peter’s Basilica, parishioners in South Florida are remembering the pope in a special way.
7News spoke to Cuban, Colombian, Haitian and Argentinian Catholics who are remembering the “People’s Pope” at the St. Mary Cathedral.
“It’s just a feeling of desolation,” said Margarita Diaz.
“He worked so hard for us, even see how he was suffering,” a woman said. “But knowing that the last minute he was working for God make you appreciate a life.”
(When) I heard that, that broke my heart,” said Paul Williams.
“It’s like we lost a father,” said Parishioner Cynthia Escalona. “It’s a really sad day.”
“I’m going to miss him. Yeah, he was a good pope,” said Antoine Pruvst.
“I converted, I was baptized on Easter vigil, and part of my conversion to the church is Pope Francis’s humility. Some people have different opinions of him, but I guess humility inspired everybody, even non-Catholics,” said Andres Reyes.
“He was just like a living saint, you know,” said Anne Ruben, a parishioner. “He did everything for us and prayed for all human beings on Earth, so just a living saint.”
Members of South Florida’s Hispanic and Haitian communities, who make up nearly 3 million people in South Florida, said they were in pain, but expected the news.
“He gave a talk and he was in his Popemobile yesterday and you could tell he was like really tired. It was his time. It was his time and God knew it,” said Diaz.
Celmera Frino told 7News in Spanish that she cried when she heard the news because while she anticipated it, it still makes her sad.
“I was crying because we were waiting for this news, but it had a big impact,” she said.
Members of South Florida’s Haitian community called Pope Francis their ally.
“(The) pope always fought for my people, for immigrants. Any immigrant, you don’t know where you came from, what color you are. We are immigrant, but you always fight for my people, for every people in the world,” said Williams.
“He was a Pope for the people and his message was of love and of acceptance,” said one woman.
Pruvst said he is frightened by what life may look like without him.
“On migrants, he was doing a lot. But now he’s gone. We don’t know who’s going to replace him, what they’re going to do,” he said.
In an ode to immigrants and the migrant community prior to his death, the Pope asked to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary in Rome.
The Virgin Mary often remembered as a protector of immigrants.
As is tradition, churches all over the world have been invited to drape black bunting on the doors of their churches to participate in the mourning of the pope.
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