When Pope Francis’ team lifted Estella Westrick so he could give her a kiss on the cheek, the then-3-year-old shocked everyone by taking the zucchetto, or his small white skullcap, off his head instead. The pope laughed.
Estella, now 11, doesn’t remember the experience, but the video of the Douglasville resident made its way around the world.
Credit: Twitter
Credit: Twitter
When she learned the pope had died, she said, “No, no, no.”
“It was a sad day for the church,” said Scott Westrick, Estella’s father. “He was a great man, a great humanitarian.”
For young people like Estella, Pope Francis was the only pope they have ever known. His death has saddened young Catholics across metro Atlanta, many of whom recall him attempting to connect with their generation. Last year, he held a World Children’s Day, with more than 50,000 young people from 100 nations attending.
Students interviewed praised his compassion, inclusivity and willingness to address controversial issues. They want the next pope to continue in that vein.
“He told us young people to always walk with so much hope and to not be fearful of dreaming and dreaming big,” Georgia State University junior Natalia Sanchez said. “It’s our job now to pray for Pope Francis as much as he prayed for us.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Maria Jose Serafin-Moreno, a 10th grader at St. Pius X Catholic School, remembers her devout Mexican Catholic family rejoicing after Pope Francis was named to the role. An Argentinian, Francis was the first Latin American pontiff, and the first from the Americas. Maria Jose watched videos of him speaking Spanish, a rarity among popes.
She became more committed to recycling and picking up trash after hearing his messaging about protecting the Earth.
It’s tricky to be a “good Catholic,” GSU grad student Phil Kindler said. But he thinks Pope Francis struck a delicate balance of compassion and equality.
“Treating everyone the same, regardless of who they were. And at the same time, he knew he was imperfect and he really embraced that,” Kindler said. “He was kind of the embodiment of what it means to do your best to live the faith in the modern day and age.”
David Camick, a senior at St. Pius, saw Pope Francis acknowledge that imperfection in his first speech as pontiff. Although not old enough to have watched it live, Camick remembers how Francis asked people to pray for him as he took up the title.
“I think that’s showing vulnerability that people don’t show anymore and (that) people are afraid of,” he said, adding he was impressed with the pope’s ascetic lifestyle, from living in the Vatican hotel instead of the Apostolic Palace and driving modest cars.
“Everything showed how dedicated he was to living as I think a pope should live,” he said. “That’s really inspiring to me.”
Sanchez recalled Pope Francis being open to people of all backgrounds, including LGBTQ Catholics. Jacques Kumutimia, a post doctorate at GSU, said the pope focused on the poor and vulnerable. “He was vocal for those people who don’t have a voice,” Kumutimia said. And GSU senior Isabella Rodriguez said she considered him “the people’s pope.”
His approach sometimes upset conservative factions of the church and created a perception that he was a progressive pope. But Kindler doesn’t think that’s an accurate label.
“If you look at the doctrines of the church, he was incredibly faithful to what the church actually teaches,” Kindler said. “I think he was just a good Catholic and making sure that the teachings were known.”
If not for Pope Francis’ messages on inclusion, Alexandra Williams, a New Jersey native, said she wouldn’t have joined the church. A first-year political science major at Spelman College, Williams converted to Catholicism in seventh grade.
“As a black woman who’s a Catholic, it becomes hard when you’re not in (Black) spaces like this all the time, and to know that there is a pope that cares about and loves others and teaches and has that principle over the whole entire church is welcoming.”
Sarahi Villalobos-Avalos, 18, a “cradle Catholic” and senior at Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, said she remembers Pope Francis as a person who fought for other people’s rights, even if he disagreed with them.
“Disagreeing with someone but still fighting for them? I think that was very beautiful,” she said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
When the pope was hospitalized in February for a respiratory illness, Connor Rock prayed that Francis would live long enough for Rock to convert. The Morehouse College freshman converted during the Easter Vigil last Saturday. Rock aims to continue the pope’s legacy by “going out and evangelizing to our fellow AUC members.”
Maria Jose found it meaningful, and a little ironic, that he died the day after Easter.
“It’s like God calling down on him, like ‘Hi, you’ve done your work, you’ve done your job, you are free to come back to me now, just like Jesus has resurrected and come to me,’” she said.
Some Morehouse and Spelman students want a pope who will advocate for Catholics in Gaza (in his Easter message, the pope once again called for a ceasefire), condemn sexual abuse within the Catholic church and speak up for immigrants.
“I think if we have another pope to do that, the church would not only be stronger as a whole, but it would also be a catalyst for change for all people, no matter religion,” Williams said.
Many students hope the next pope will be similar to the last.
Evelyn Polina, 17, a junior at Cristo Rey Atlanta, said she hopes the successor will be, “a man for the people.” Maria Jose Serafin-Moreno wants him to inspire. Estella Westrick wants it to be someone “funny.”
“(Pope Francis) took accountability that we’re not perfect, us as a church,” Sarahi Villalobos-Avalos said. “I hope that the next pope can see where we are right now, and move forward with that, with accepting that we’re not OK, but we can get there.”
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