North Texas residents mourn and pay tribute to Pope Francis with flowers, remembrance
Millions of people around the world are mourning the loss of Pope Francis, including many here in North Texas.
All day long, parishioners have been dropping off flowers at Cathedral Guadalupe in downtown Dallas and paying their respects.
"He deserves it," Alexis Ruiz said. "He's a big inspiration for a lot of us. He is a great person."
Ruiz said that only recently did he return to the Catholic Church, and it's because of Pope Francis.
"His humility and the compassion that he had for everyone... it showed me that there were still great people around and I wanted to be a part of that as well," he said.
"For me, he was the best," Sandra Sanchez said. "He always talked about 'love one another' and that people should respect and how we need to pray every day, pray, pray, something beautiful."
Pope Francis was the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the first pontiff from Latin America. He was known for his progressive stances on various issues.
At Mass, the Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, Edward J. Burns, shared his thoughts.
"Pope Francis always challenged priests and bishops and said if we're going to be effective shepherds, we need to smell like sheep," Burns said.
The pope made his final appearance on Easter Sunday. He delivered a blessing to thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square.
He had been dealing with a combination of health issues, including a recent hospitalization for respiratory issues, but seemed to be recovering.
The announcement of the pope's death was made by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas from 2007-2016. He'll now be the acting head of the Vatican until a new pope is selected.
Cathedral Guadalupe was closed Monday night, but each day this week, a rosary will be held at 11:30 a.m. A noon mass will be held after that.
