STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—Franciscan University of Steubenville mourns the passing of Pope Francis, 88, who died on Monday, April 21, at the Vatican. The University community is offering prayers for the repose of his soul, with many students, faculty, and staff giving heartfelt tributes to the Vicar of Christ.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected to the papacy in 2013. He was the first pope to take the name Francis, after St. Francis of Assisi. Pope Francis was also the first pope from the Society of Jesus, the first born from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, and the first born or raised outside of Europe since the eighth century.

In December 2024, University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, had the honor of a private audience with the pope at the Vatican. At the conclusion of their meeting, Pope Francis offered a blessing to all the students at Franciscan University who were preparing for final exams at the time.

“I send you students my greeting and my blessing. Continue forward and don’t lose your joy. Please pray for me and I will pray for you. May the Lord bless you,” Pope Francis said.

“Franciscan University joins the church in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a shepherd who tirelessly preached the saving message of Jesus Christ and the joy of the Gospel,” Father Pivonka said. “I will always be grateful for the primacy that our Holy Father placed on the kerygma and the saving work of Jesus, reminding us that the saving actions of Jesus are for all people.”

Many students responded to the news of Pope Francis’ death with prayers and tributes for the late pontiff, who is the only pope many students have known.

“I will always remember Pope Francis most for his great joy. Growing up in public schools in a culture of cell phones, isolation, depression, and individualism, Pope Francis was always a light in the darkness. He reminded me that we do not live in an age of gloom, but in the glorious reign of Christ, who has conquered the darkness,” said John Paul Quejeda, a senior philosophy major from Manassas Park, Virginia. “With my brothers and sisters throughout the world, I will always remember with love and devotion our Holy Father, Pope Francis.”

Cristy Mercado Ezquer, a senior theology and catechetics major from Dallas, Texas, met with Pope Francis in Rome about a year ago. Ezquer called that meeting “an undeserved gift from Our Lord” and said it is something she still wonders at to this day.

“Pope Francis sought the Lord’s will and led his Church in simplicity and humility, much like our Lord himself. He smiled throughout it all, bearing his crosses with silent faith,” Ezquer said. “Through it all, the Holy Father always loved. Praise God for the gift of his servant’s guidance of the Church.”

Theresa Antony, a junior theology and classics major from West Palm Beach, Florida, fondly recalled listening to Pope Francis’ weekly papal audiences with her family and said his exhortations for the faithful to love and serve one another resonated deeply with her.

“It felt as though my heart was on fire—as if I were on the road to Emmaus alongside the Holy Father,” she said. “I will always remember Pope Francis in my prayers as a dear and loving father, whose example has greatly shaped my understanding of the Christian call to love one another.”

James Leonard, a junior theology major from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, converted to Catholicism during Pope Francis’ pontificate, and he credits the late pope with helping him come to know the mercy of God through the tenderness and care of the pope’s words.

“It is said that each person communicates and reveals an aspect of the Father’s heart that no one else can reveal,” Leonard said. “I find that Pope Francis shows forth the merciful love of God in a unique way, and this was expressed in his desire to walk along the way of God’s mercy with us.”

Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Stephen Hildebrand, who joined Father Pivonka during his private audience with the pope in December, described how that meeting impacted him.

“Pope Francis’ pontificate proved to be at a theological level at once difficult, challenging (often in a good way), and inspiring, but my own view of him will be forever colored by the chance to meet him and talk with him. His attention to the person, his tireless work ethic, his generosity, his warmth—these wonderful qualities deeply impressed me,” Hildebrand said. “I thank God for the opportunity to have met him and pray that the Lord receive him and bring him to perfect union with himself.”

Dr. Ronald Bolster, dean of the School of Theology, said that with his dual experiences of being formed by the Jesuits and working at Franciscan University, he was intrigued the pope chose the name Francis. He praised the late pope’s ability to reach out to many who had left the Church or tuned it out entirely in today’s modern world.

“Pope Francis loved his sheep like the Good Shepherd, and with his heart for those who may have strayed from the flock, he gave us access to an audience that has perhaps long stopped listening to the voice of Peter,” Bolster said. “It remains a great privilege for me to prepare the next generation of evangelists and catechists to take advantage of the door Pope Francis has opened for us.”

Photos of Father Pivonka and Hildebrand with Pope Francis during a December 2024 private audience with the pope at the Vatican can be found here.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. And may all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.