Raleigh bishop recalls Pope Francis as a compassionate voice for the poor
Bishop Michael Burbidge, who led Raleigh’s Catholic diocese for 10 years, fondly remembered Pope Francis as a powerful voice for the poor and the needy, a leader who considered compassion a “mandate from the Lord himself.”
Burbidge, who is now the Bishop of Arlington in Virginia, recalled carrying the cornerstone from Raleigh’s Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral to Rome to get the pontiff’s blessing, where he presented it to Francis personally.
“He got this big smile on his face,” Burbidge recalled to The N&O. “The thing I loved about the Holy Father, he always looked you right in the eye, as if you were the only one in the room. I really felt at that moment I was carrying the prayers and the dreams of everyone in the diocese.”
Burbidge would meet Francis twice more in Washington and Philadelphia, where his reputation as a “people’s pope” only grew.
“I think Pope Francis’ legacy is that he has really tried to ask us to focus on being missionary disciples,” said Burbidge, “that willingness to go out to the peripheries to the people maybe who have been away from church, to no longer to wait for the people to come to us.
“I just think the great lesson,” he continued, is “how to listen to one another and respect one another, to engage with those who disagree, even sharply, so we have a better understanding of where they are coming from.”
Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, died Monday morning, according to the Vatican.
He was 88.
How Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 17, 1938, as the son of Italian immigrants. He became an ordained Catholic priest and Jesuit in 1969. In 1998, he served as the archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming a cardinal three years later.
After former Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2013, Pope Francis was elected on March 13 of that year, making him the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
He chose his name, Francis, to honor Saint Francis of Assisi, an Italian friar and poet.
During his papacy, Pope Francis was known for being inclusive and having controversial views about marginalized and poor people. For example, though he opposed same-sex marriage, he believed that the Catholic Church should be more accepting of LGBTQ+ people and has called for women to have more leadership roles in the church.
Pope Francis was a strong advocate against climate change and often criticized science deniers. He also apologized to victims of clergy sexual abuse on several occasions, calling the crime “evil” and pledging to never allow the assaults to happen again.
Bishop Luis Zarama, whom Pope Francis appointed to the Raleigh diocese in 2017, also fondly recalled his visits with the pontiff.
“I was blessed to have opportunities to meet with Pope Francis many times,” he said on the diocese website Monday, “and was amazed by his warmth and compassion and sense of humor. I will always be amazed when I recall how he demonstrated that same humility and humanity in every interaction, with every person he met.”
A group of students from Cardinal Gibbons High School were in Rome for the school’s spring trip, many of whom saw Pope Francis preside over Easter Mass Sunday while struggling with poor health.
“While my heart is filled with shock and grief to hear of Papa Francisco’s passing, it was such an honor to be present during his final Mass,” said Sophia Hernandez, a senior, in an email Monday. “Pope Francis has always been such a figure of inspiration and an advocate of important issues to me and so many others. He always reminded me what it truly means to be Catholic. I wholeheartedly believe God was working through him and giving him the strength to join us in one final celebration of Christ. The rosary I brought for blessing has a whole world of new significance — it allows me to keep a piece of his love and faith with me.”
The students all noted that the pope’s presence despite his ill health added power to an already special day.
“The whole experience feels surreal, especially now knowing he has passed on,” said Hannah Morgan, a senior. “Easter morning was a tangible experience of faith that I will forever be grateful for. It was irreplaceable, and I truly believe the Holy Spirit was among us and by Pope Francis’ side.”
Traveling to the U.S.
In 2015, for the first time, Pope Francis visited six cities in the United States. Catholics and Christians from around the country traveled to see the pontiff, including members of churches in the Triangle who organized trips to Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Bishop William Barber II, leader of the Repairers of the Breach and the Poor People’s Campaign based in North Carolina, also traveled to the Vatican in 2017 after receiving an invitation. He called the visit a “deep honor and humbling.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 9:12 AM.