PHOENIX — The passing of Pope Francis has caused the world to pause. That includes Bishop John Dolan, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.
He described the moment he learned of the news.
"It wasn't shocking to me, but it did take me a moment to really pause and think, 'Wow. Okay, this man had been here for a while,'" Bishop Dolan said.
It was also a chance for reflection on the impact of Francis' Papacy.
"His first focus was being pastoral, getting the smell of the sheep on you is what he would often say, you know. So, I think when he died, I was grateful that he gave us this, this time, this papacy," Bishop Dolan explained.
"You had an opportunity to meet Pope Francis twice, I believe. What was that like the first time?" asked Soto.
"Well, the very first time it was just a meet and greet. All of the new bishops go to what we call a baby bishops conference," Bishop Dolan replied.
However, his second meeting in 2020 was much more memorable and tremendously personal for Bishop Dolan who took the opportunity to plead with the Pope to address mental health.
"I basically said, 'your Holy Holiness, it would be great if you were able to weigh in on this was well and do something for the good of the global church because it is something of a pandemic, with the number of suicides,'" Bishop Dolan explained.
The mission hit home for Bishop Dolan, who lost three siblings and a brother-in-law to suicide.
"He leaned forward, and he was going to say something and then he just stepped back, and he goes, 'I'll do it.' And then after that, he started opening up, connecting with different dicasteries on how to get that message out and how to reach our young adults who are suffering with mental health," Bishop Dolan recalled.
That moment changed how the Catholic Church began to address mental health while also helping Pope Francis do what he did best, be pastoral.
"Many people call Pope Francis the People's Pope. Do you believe that will be his legacy?" asked Soto.
"He was the people's pope, in beyond the Catholic scope. I think he reached out to people. Like he would always say, 'Pray for me and if you don't believe in God send me your kind thoughts,' which was... that was amazing. That doesn't seem so amazing now, but when he first said that that was pretty amazing," Bishop Dolan replied.
