Pope Francis died last week at the age of 88 in Vatican City, leaving the Catholic church’s most powerful position vacant. During daily mass Monday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Soldotna, one priest remembered the former head of the church’s life and legacy.
In front of the altar at Soldotna’s Catholic church, a votive candle burns in front of a framed picture of Pope Francis. The white wax is nearly gone – the flame having burned all the way to the bottom. In many ways, the midday mass is business as usual for the church. But in one other way, it’s anything but.
“We're in an extraordinary time right now – a period called sede vacante, which means ‘empty chair,” said Father Patrick Brosamer, who’s been a priest for the Catholic churches in Soldotna and Kenai since 2019. “The throne of St. Peter, which of course, is occupied by the pope, is empty now.”
It’s estimated that more than a billion people practice Catholicism around the world. That includes roughly 15% of Alaska adults, according to the Pew Research Center.
Monday’s mass paid special attention to the death of Pope Francis, who Brosamer says was sometimes referred to as a pope “from the margins.” Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Brosamer says Pope Francis marked a breath of fresh air for the church in a few ways.
“Although he was of Italian ancestry, he was the first pope from outside Europe in many centuries,” Brosamer said. “He was the first pope from Latin America. He was the first pope from the southern hemisphere. And his pontificate represented a new era in the church.”
Part of that “new era,” was Pope Francis’ concerted efforts to build a Catholic Church of and for the world’s vulnerable. He was the first to take the name Francis, from St. Francis of Assisi, whose life was marked by a dedication to charity. And he was known for speaking out on contemporary issues, like rights for the LGBTQ+ community, and the ongoing war in Gaza.
Brosamer remembers where he was when Pope Francis was named as head of the Catholic Church more than a decade ago. It was March 2013, and he was about to graduate from seminary in Oregon – the formal education men receive before becoming ordained priests.
“At the time of the conclave, we set up a big screen TV in the main auditorium so that we all could see the new pope step out on the balcony,” Brosamer said. “And when it finally happened, after we'd been waiting for a few hours, none of us recognized him, except for the guys from Argentina.”
Conclave refers to the process for electing a new pope. It’s when catholic cardinals from around the world convene for secret meetings in the Sistine Chapel and cast ballots for their papal candidate of choice.
“They're sworn to secrecy about the proceedings, but typically it lasts a few days, and then the new pope will step out onto the balcony at St. Peter's and introduce himself to the world, and the crowd will cry, ‘habemus papam,’ which means, ‘we have a pope,’” he said.
If they fail to reach a consensus, they release black smoke from the conclave. When they’ve come to an agreement on a new pope, they release white smoke. Brosamer remembers the last time the Cardinal College reached consensus.
“I remember middle of class word went out – white smoke,” he said. “That's a big deal. In Catholic schools throughout the world, when there's white smoke, the teacher doesn't cancel class, class is over. Everybody runs out and everybody goes to the nearest TV because they want to see who the new pope is going to be.”
Brosamer and Monday’s roughly 12 parishioners closed out Monday’s mass with a prayer for Rome.
“We pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis, and let's pray that God may guide the cardinals as they gather in conclave, which is a very rare thing,” he said to parishioners. “And let's remember that God is ultimately in control, and that's something that should give us very great confidence and peace of heart and mind.”
Cardinals on Monday set the conclave start date for May 7 at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
