logo
Hampton Roads resident reflects on death of Pope Francis

Hampton Roads resident reflects on death of Pope Francis

Yahoo22-04-2025
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — For many, Pope Francis was more than just the head of the Catholic Church. He was a beacon of hope, someone who showed compassion for all and a pontiff many say will be deeply missed.
Pope Francis dies at 88
There was an outpouring of love and remembrance Monday night for Pope Francis, and Virginians are taking the time to reflect.
Bishop Barry C. Knestout, who leads the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, offered mass Monday for those who wanted to pray and reflect.
'The loss of a pope is always that sadness as someone we know and care about being gone from us,' Knestout said.
Catholic Diocese of Richmond mourns passing of Pope Francis
In Norfolk, 10 On Your Side spoke to Matthew Francis, a former youth bishop leader in Georgia who said he adored the pope and everything he represented.
'Someone who would always give — I think that he always kept people, the human race first, and for a lot of individuals, religion is a must, and that's a foundation for people,' Francis said.
It's a foundation Pope Francis has continued to shape, with some calling him a Catholic church reformer. He spoke against income inequality and the treatment of marginalized people. The pope used his voice up until his death, which came just one day after Resurrection Sunday. He used that voice to bring people together.
'Regardless of what denomination, or whatever it is, or what country or what name, you always put the most high first and that, he stood on,' Francis said.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Newport News will host a mass at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. All are welcome to come mourn the Pope and pray.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pope to honor St. John Henry Newman with 'Doctor of the Church' title
Pope to honor St. John Henry Newman with 'Doctor of the Church' title

UPI

time3 hours ago

  • UPI

Pope to honor St. John Henry Newman with 'Doctor of the Church' title

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday will bestow Anglican convert St. John Henry Newman with the honor of 'Doctor of the Church." File Photo by Sefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV will bestow St. John Henry Newman, the influential 19th-century Anglican convert, with the honor of "Doctor of the Church" on Thursday. The Holy See Press Office confirmed in a statement that Leo approved the recommendation of Newman to receive the honor following a meeting with the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops, Members of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The title "Doctor of the Church" is for individuals whose writings have left an impact on the Catholic church. This decision holds personal sentimental value for Leo with his and Newman's similar profound admiration for St. Augustine of Hippo. Only three dozen figures have been bestowed the Anglican convert in the 2,000-year history of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in Britain in 2010, following Pope Francis made Newman a saint in 2019. Newman was born in 1801. He took a trip in 1832 to Italy to "deepen his inner search with his faith". In 1845, he wrote The Development of Christian Doctrine. In 1879, Newman was made cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He continued his work until he passed away in 1890.

Pope to bestow one of Catholic Church's highest honors on Anglican convert John Henry Newman
Pope to bestow one of Catholic Church's highest honors on Anglican convert John Henry Newman

San Francisco Chronicle​

time5 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Pope to bestow one of Catholic Church's highest honors on Anglican convert John Henry Newman

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday decided to declare St. John Henry Newman a 'doctor' of the church, bestowing one of the Catholic Church's highest honors on the deeply influential 19th century Anglican convert who remains a unifying figure among conservatives and progressives. The Vatican said Leo confirmed the opinion of the Vatican's saint-making office during an audience Thursday with its prefect, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, and would make the decision official soon. The designation is one of the most significant decisions of Leo's young papacy and also carries deep personal meaning: Newman was strongly influenced by St. Augustine of Hippo, the inspiration of Leo's Augustinian religious order and Leo's namesake, Pope Leo XIII, made Newman a Catholic cardinal in 1879 after his conversion. Newman, a theologian and poet, is admired by Catholics and Anglicans alike because he followed his conscience at great personal cost. When he defected from the Church of England to the Catholic Church in 1845, he lost friends, work and even family ties, believing the truth he was searching for could only be found in the Catholic faith. The title of doctor is reserved for people whose writings have greatly served the universal Catholic Church. Only three-dozen people have been given the title over the course of the church's 2,000-year history, including the 5th century St. Augustine, St. Francis de Sales and St. Teresa of Avila. Unifying figure Newman experts said the decision to add the British theologian to their ranks was deeply significant, given Newman's contribution to Christian understanding of conscience, truth and education — and his near-universal appeal to progressives and conservatives alike. Jack Valero, who served as a spokesman for Newman's 2010 beatification and 2019 canonization ceremonies, said he had never come across anyone who had a problem with him. If back then Newman was the perfect unifying figure for a polarized church, he is even more so now, for a new pope who has made unity a core priority of his pontificate, Valero said. "You know, I look at Pope Leo and I hear him say, 'We need unity, we need peace,' and so on and I think, 'Here's the man who's going to make it happen,'' he said in an interview. The first American pope vowed during his May 18 installation Mass that he would work for unity so that the church could become a force for peace in a troubled world. It was a message of pacification after the sometimes turbulent pontificate of Pope Francis exacerbated divisions in the church. Leo has also repeatedly affirmed his identity as an Augustinian, deeply inspired by the teachings of the 5th century theologian. Many scholars have long considered Newman to be the Augustine of the modern era. Newman's conversion Anglicans split from Rome in 1534 when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. In the centuries that followed, Catholics were fined, discriminated against and killed for their faith. Newman was one of the founders of the so-called Oxford Movement of the 1830s, which sought to revive certain Roman Catholic doctrines in the Church of England by looking back to the traditions of the earliest Christian church. But he gave up a brilliant academic career at Oxford University and the pulpit of the university church to convert to Catholicism. As a Catholic, he became one of the most influential theologians of the era, bringing elements of the Anglican church into his new faith tradition. He died in Britain in 1890. Newman's path to being declared a doctor in the Catholic Church has been exceptionally quick. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him during a visit to Britain in 2010 and Pope Francis made him a saint in 2019, with then-Prince Charles in attendance. Francis declared two doctors of the church during his 12-year pontificate — St. Irenaeus and St. Gregory of Narek — and was on the receiving end of a concerted push by English-speaking bishops to add Newman to their ranks.

Pope to bestow one of Catholic Church's highest honors on Anglican convert John Henry Newman
Pope to bestow one of Catholic Church's highest honors on Anglican convert John Henry Newman

Hamilton Spectator

time5 hours ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Pope to bestow one of Catholic Church's highest honors on Anglican convert John Henry Newman

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Thursday decided to declare St. John Henry Newman a 'doctor' of the church, bestowing one of the Catholic Church's highest honors on the deeply influential 19th century Anglican convert who remains a unifying figure among conservatives and progressives. The Vatican said Leo confirmed the opinion of the Vatican's saint-making office during an audience Thursday with its prefect, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, and would make the decision official soon. The designation is one of the most significant decisions of Leo's young papacy and also carries deep personal meaning: Newman was strongly influenced by St. Augustine of Hippo, the inspiration of Leo's Augustinian religious order and Leo's namesake, Pope Leo XIII, made Newman a Catholic cardinal in 1879 after his conversion. Newman, a theologian and poet, is admired by Catholics and Anglicans alike because he followed his conscience at great personal cost. When he defected from the Church of England to the Catholic Church in 1845, he lost friends, work and even family ties, believing the truth he was searching for could only be found in the Catholic faith. The title of doctor is reserved for people whose writings have greatly served the universal Catholic Church. Only three-dozen people have been given the title over the course of the church's 2,000-year history, including the 5th century St. Augustine, St. Francis de Sales and St. Teresa of Avila. Unifying figure Newman experts said the decision to add the British theologian to their ranks was deeply significant, given Newman's contribution to Christian understanding of conscience, truth and education — and his near-universal appeal to progressives and conservatives alike. Jack Valero, who served as a spokesman for Newman's 2010 beatification and 2019 canonization ceremonies, said he had never come across anyone who had a problem with him. If back then Newman was the perfect unifying figure for a polarized church, he is even more so now, for a new pope who has made unity a core priority of his pontificate, Valero said. 'You know, I look at Pope Leo and I hear him say, 'We need unity, we need peace,' and so on and I think, 'Here's the man who's going to make it happen,'' he said in an interview. The first American pope vowed during his May 18 installation Mass that he would work for unity so that the church could become a force for peace in a troubled world. It was a message of pacification after the sometimes turbulent pontificate of Pope Francis exacerbated divisions in the church. Leo has also repeatedly affirmed his identity as an Augustinian, deeply inspired by the teachings of the 5th century theologian. Many scholars have long considered Newman to be the Augustine of the modern era. Newman's conversion Anglicans split from Rome in 1534 when English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment. In the centuries that followed, Catholics were fined, discriminated against and killed for their faith. Newman was one of the founders of the so-called Oxford Movement of the 1830s, which sought to revive certain Roman Catholic doctrines in the Church of England by looking back to the traditions of the earliest Christian church. But he gave up a brilliant academic career at Oxford University and the pulpit of the university church to convert to Catholicism. As a Catholic, he became one of the most influential theologians of the era, bringing elements of the Anglican church into his new faith tradition. He died in Britain in 1890. Newman's path to being declared a doctor in the Catholic Church has been exceptionally quick. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him during a visit to Britain in 2010 and Pope Francis made him a saint in 2019, with then-Prince Charles in attendance. Francis declared two doctors of the church during his 12-year pontificate — St. Irenaeus and St. Gregory of Narek — and was on the receiving end of a concerted push by English-speaking bishops to add Newman to their ranks. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store