The Bishop of the Diocese of London believes Pope Francis will be remembered "as someone who was close to the people."
Bishop Ronald Fabbro says Pope Francis was always a "pastor at heart."
"He urged the priests to have the smell of the sheep. An image that he'd be remembered for: he wanted them to be with their people, and particularly I think he'll be remembered for his care for the poor and the people on the margins," he says.
Bells tolled in church towers across Rome Monday to announce the death of Pope Francis, who died of a stroke and irreversible heart failure at the age of 88.
Francis, who had part of his right lung removed after a pulmonary infection when he was young, had recently suffered from respiratory infections.
It was considered a watershed moment for the country's Indigenous people, who had been requesting a papal apology for decades, especially following the discovery of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools.
Indigenous people described physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; malnourishment; neglect; cultural destruction; and forced assimilation at the government-funded residential schools, which the church mostly operated for more than a century.
Bishop Fabbro says he met Pope Francis on two occasions-the first meeting at the last ad limina visit to Rome of the Canadian bishops, while the second occurred in Quebec during his Apostolic Journey to Canada in July of 2022.
"The pope really urged us in Canada to begin a process of healing, of reconciliation, walking with the Indigenous peoples on truth and reconciliation. I think that will be a lasting legacy here in Canada," he says.
The Diocese of London covers the counties of Middlesex, Elgin, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Huron, Lambton, Kent, and Essex.
According to the 2021 Census, there are 152,945 Catholics in Essex County (including Windsor).
Bishop Fabbro says the pope designated the 2025 Holy Year as a time to renew ourselves as "Pilgrims of Hope."
"We need to be witnesses of hope to people who are looking for hope in their lives today. So it's a message of looking forward as we celebrate his ministry as pope and the legacy he gave us to move forward now," he says.
The Diocese of London covers the counties of Middlesex, Elgin, Norfolk, Oxford, Perth, Huron, Lambton, Kent, and Essex.
According to the 2021 Census, there are 152,945 Catholics in Essex County (including Windsor).
Francis was introduced as the new pope on March 13, 2013, at the age of 76.
He replaced Pope Benedict following his surprise resignation as Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became the first pope from the Americas, the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium, and the first Jesuit.
With files from The Canadian Press